Homemade Documentaries
patreon
Big Patreon Facelift, and a tough reality
🕑 Added 2025-04-18 23:51:13 +0000 UTCHello, supporters. New and old -- thank you all so much for contributing to my work. I may have expressed an unprecedented employment appeal in my latest project, but the reality is -- every day I have a dream job made possible by all of you.
We got our latest price quote, and it made me choke a little bit. Just as expensive as the Shuttle film. I am pretty surprised, and I unfortunately think this really forces me to make a decision I was hoping to delay until at least the project after this next one.
We have, for lack of a better phrase, picked all of the 'low hanging fruit' of the space program. All those areas where heavy interest already exists, and much digitization has already been done -- are over. It's going to get harder to make the kinds of films I'd like to make as we branch out to wider subjects. I'm talking about Skylab, I'm talking about early Shuttle, and I'm talking about Mir. Surveyor to Pioneer to Mariner, to even Soviet footage.
We've gobbled up the easy stuff, and we've hit a bit of a brick wall in terms of funding. I hate to say it, but $3,500 might be the 'new normal'. Of course, I am doing everything in my power to limit this, and I am seriously considering cutting some of these reel requests and leaning more on CGI, but I know how a lot of you feel about overreliance on CGI and trust me, I feel the same way.
So, I've launched a PayPal and given the Patreon a facelift, adding new, higher tiers to 'boost' funding. There is ONE fundamental change: Raw footage is being recategorized into a higher funding tier. I don't imagine this is a very popular choice. However, to soften the blow -- I am doing two things that I hope you will find very reasonable.
#1: For this next video, which is Project Mariner, you will all be given special one-off consideration that will include the ENTIRETY of your contributions to this channel during the full history of your support. This means lots of you who, after many months of $5 contributions, will be grouped in the $100+ category and will be named in the "Special Thanks" if you wish. (Of course, I will respect anyone who wishes to remain anonymous). This is being done as a grandfather clause as we transition to the new model.
#2: Going forward, once Mariner is published -- Your reward tier will be determined by the total sum of your contributions between publishing dates. For example, if it takes me 3 months to complete the next video, and you are in the $10 reward tier for 3 months, you will qualify for the $30 tier rewards by the time that video is out. This incentivizes me to work efficiently, although I do reserve the right to pause contributions if, for any reason, 'life' kicks in and I need to take a month off. As always, I will not charge you on months I am not able to make the next film.
I am willing to give this enterprise a try at 'full-time output'. I would absolutely love the chance to produce a video like the one we just had as often as 3x per calendar year. Our humble channel would become a genuine digitization machine.
Think about it: All these decades of film reels collecting dust, and our little operation blows the doors wide open, and brings our space program history back into the limelight in a way nobody else is doing anywhere in the world. That's a pretty cool thought. I love seeing this footage for the first time in HD, and there's nothing more H.D. than Homemade Documentaries.
I will be posting MONTHLY fundraising progress so you can all see exactly how much we've raised for the next film through both Patreon and PayPal.
We will see what happens. I am eternally grateful to all of you.
For those of you who would prefer to use PayPal, here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/HomemadeDocs
I'll see you next time with a script.
Jackson
Comments
General Jack Ripper
Seems fair to me. This is hardly a conventional enterprise after all.
James Gall
I can't do it today, but you can count on my upgrading to "ballistic missile" May 1st. Had been at $20, but there's no denying (as you point out), venturing into these more obscure subjects is gonna cost. I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for - and you can't take it with you. If we provide him with the Delta-V to reach these more ambitious goals, what a benefit it would be to ALL mankind.
Homemade Documentaries
Thank you.
Adam Genard
I don't often comment because either yourself or your patreons have usually expressed my thoughts much more eloquently. BUT PLEASE keep up the amazing work with all these digitization efforts. I honestly feel that is the backbone of your unique style. Please make all the tiers necessary to get those funded and I will be contributing as much as I can spare to maintain the quality you've gifted us so far without relying on awful digitizations of 40 year old transfers that everybody else uses. Not to take away from your other skills or anything lol...
Homemade Documentaries
I will look into that -- thanks
StuG
I think you can offer annual membership as an option, that would cost you less fees for any patrons that opt for that. (I could also just set a reminder to use PayPal for 0 fees but I'm too lazy)
