Buy Your Way to Fame...and Support a Good Cause

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a film producer, billed alongside the names of the Hollywood elite? Apparently, a dollar will do it these days.

If you haven't heard about it yet, here's the scoop. The 1 Second Film (2007) is "a collaborative non-profit epic that climaxes in one second of animation." The idea is to raise money for charity. You pay any amount and you automatically get a credit in the film. In essence, the film will consist of one second of animation and 90 minutes of credits rolled alongside a documentary of the making of the film. Currently, the project is in production, with a projected premier date of November 2006.

It's not a joke...it's pure genius. I heard about the 1 Second Film project while searching on YouTube. The most entertaining part of the promo, apparently filmed at Sundance 2005, were the celebrity comments.

Comedian Tom Arnold said "Oh, God, What a great deal," in reference to the producer credit he obtained by donating $100.00. Pierce Brosnan chipped in $10.00 then referred to himself as a "sucker producer." After cobbling together a whopping $11.00 for his producer credit, Stephen Colbert said, "IMDB should put these credits in. It's as valid as most of my credits."

Just how good is this idea, from a Word of Mouth perspective? It's probably the best WoM bonus any film could ever hope to achieve.

I think what you are doing is probably one of the most creative and inspiring ideas I've ever heard of, not to mention a noble and unselfish act in raising money for this charity. If I had a million, I would donate it, I know how hard it is to raise money for a project, and to raise money for a charity. I've sent out a mass email to about 100 people telling them about your project, so I hope you get some more donations. Congratulations on your success thus far.
- Jason Lupish, $15 Producer