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Update #4: Thanks everyone
I really appreciate your support. I'm sad to say that we were unsuccessful at meeting our goal, and all of your pledges are now released.
This was not for a lack of trying. We were all over the TSL forum, twitter, facebook, alert emails to viewers and fans, press releases to the blogs etc. and the campaign just didn't resonate with enough people.
From our first episode in 2005, we have enjoyed praise from print, television, blogs like Boingboing, Kotaku and Joystiq and individuals. Our videos have been shown in Congressman Markey's office when they were raising awareness about net neutrality. We received complimentary emails from game designers, activists, artists and writers. Throughout all this, I wasn't able to sell DVDs or shirts due to our relationship with Microsoft. We were negotiating with them to allow some form of revenue to come in. This got drawn out, which lead to a cash flow problem for the show and we had to stop production for almost a year. That had an effect on our viewership and this is an illustration of that effect.
So it's perhaps not so surprising that we were not able to rally the troops after a year of silence. Still, it means an awful lot to me and to the cast and crew of This Spartan Life that all of you were thoughtful enough to pledge your support. Thanks so much.
/Chris Burke
Update #3: Late surge!
Just as things were looking bleak in New Mombasa, a flurry of pledges came in to put us back within spitting distance (we spit really far) of our goal. Tell your friends to come and watch the pitch video!
Possible guests for this episode include
Kevin Slavin of Area:Code
http://playareacode.com/
Dr. Gerri Sinclair of the Centre for Digital Media at the Great Northern Way Campus.
http://www.picnicnetwork.org/person/52497/en
and others. If you have an idea for a good guest for this episode, leave a comment!
Update #2: Shirt Designs!
Hey all. Thanks so much for the support. We are moving toward our goal, if slowly. Still, these things can turn around in a day and we have 17 of them left. Please spread the word in any way you can think of.
We've come up with some preliminary tee shirt designs. Let us know what you think so far.
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chris b. on October 28, 2009
These are, of course, just mock-ups. Yes, my photoshop skills need improving.
Thoughts on other designs?
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Update #1: Video uploaded!
Hello potential TSL supporters. Please consider helping us fund the next episode. In so doing you can claim some pretty unusual prizes. Watch our new video to find out more. THANKS!
31
Backers
$2,405
pledged of $5,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on November 15, 2009.
Pledge $10 or more
A full-res digital download of the finished episode.
Pledge $25 or more
A full-res digital download of the finished episode. A chance to win in one of three monthly raffles for the Virtual Dream Date in Halo with Amber (or other cast member.) Limit one raffle ticket per person. You will need access to Xbox Live and a copy of Halo 3. Message us below for details.
Pledge $50 or more
All the above plus a This Spartan Life tee shirt.
Pledge $100 or more
All the above plus a limited edition DVD of the episode (not commercially available anywhere at any time.) PLUS- a full screen thank you in the video credits.
Pledge $200 or more
This Spartan Life tee shirt, limited edition DVD of the episode... PLUS... You don't need the raffle! You get a virtual date, in Halo 3 with Amber or one of the other This Spartan Life cast: Fyb3roptik, MC Aero or Damian! (You will need access to Xbox Live and a copy of Halo 3. Message us below for details.)
Pledge $500 or more
This Spartan Life tee shirt, limited edition DVD of the episode... PLUS... YOU ARE A STAR! You appear in the video (as your Halo avatar) dancing in our Solid Gold Elite Dancers segment! (You will need access to Xbox Live and a copy of Halo 3. Message us below for details.)
Pledge $1,000 or more
All the above plus an Associate Producer credit in the video and an enormous hug if you ever come to Brooklyn (or hand shake if you prefer.)
Project By
Connected
Chris Burke graduated from NYU Film School and went on to work on-set with directors such Robert Altman and Lucio Fulci. Working as a composer, he has scored six independent feature films and had three CDs and several digital releases of original music. In the 1990s, Chris started Bong + Dern, Inc., creating interactive audio projects for Bjork, MTV and others. In late 2004 Chris created This Spartan Life. A talk show in “game space”, This Spartan Life uses Xbox Live and the videogame Halo as its backdrop and has been lauded for its brilliant combination of traditional filmmaking with the creative, interactive possibilities of videogame technology. Guests have included Malcolm McLaren, McKenzie Wark, game designer Katie Salen, the rock band OK Go, Studio 360's Kurt Andersen and many others. This Spartan Life has attracted the attention of countless mainstream media outlets, including Wired Magazine, who likened it to "a mash-up of The Charlie Rose Show and Doom," The BBC, Reuters, Stuff Magazine, and BusinessWeek, and won Best Machinima Series at the 2005 and 2008 Machinima Festivals. This Spartan Life has also created exclusive online content for Spike TV’s Videogame Awards, and as well as a spin-off series for Halo Waypoint on XBox Live.
