 Kicktstarter Kristen Bell appeared in a Kickstarter video begging fans to donate money for a "Veronica Mars" movie, in which the most generous donor will get a speaking role. |
One way the
Those who pledged $10 will be sent a pdf of the shooting script on the day of the movie's release, but the one anonymous person who donated the largest amount — $10,000 or more — will receive the honor of a speaking role in the film.
The role is of waiter/waitress and as it explains on the Kickstarter project page:
Here’s the scene — Veronica is eating with the man in her life. Things have gotten tense between them. You are the waiter/waitress. You approach the table, and you say, “Your check, sir.”
We guarantee you will be on camera as you say the line. Unless you go all hammy and ruin the scene and we have to cut you out, but that would be a sad day for all of us. Just say the line. Don’t over-think it. You’re a waiter.
In addition to appearing in the movie, you’ll receive a framed copy of the page of the script that includes your line. You’ll get an invitation to the premiere and the after party. You are, after all, in the movie. You’ll also receive the signed movie poster, the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack, the digital version of the movie, the T-shirt and a pdf of the shooting script.
Other sites, too, are capitalizing on the general population's desire to appear on-screen.
Buyamovierole.com is, according to their website, an organization set up by established members of the film and entertainment industries to raise global awareness for charities founded by celebrities.
HBO/"Entourage"
Normal people are paying abnormal amounts for walk-on roles on popular TV shows.
Current items for sale include "a voiceover in a 3D animated project" for £250, an invite to a movie premiere for £50 and a week-long set visit in London or L.A. for £500, among others.
Omaze.com is another site devoted to creating "dream experiences" for people, but not just for the highest bidder.
These dream experiences can be anything from playing a doubles tennis match with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf or recording a song with Usher, to making your TV debut with a walk-on role on USA TV show "White Collar." They'll even throw in airfare if you live outside of the L.A. area.
Here's how it works: Donate $5 to be automatically entered for the opportunity to win. The more you donate, the better your chances of winning. The process works just like a charity raffle. Once the deadline to enter for the experience passes, they collect all the entries and select the winners through a computer-generated random selection process.
"Walk-on parts are among our most popular experiences," Omaze co-founder Matt Pohlson tells Business Insider. "We get thousands of people from all over the world entering and it generates an incredible amount of money for the causes."
Roubeena Jeetah and her mother, Titrarecah, won an Omaze raffle for a walk-on TV role after donating just $10 to Young Storytellers Foundation.
After traveling all the way from Mauritius, they soon found themselves at the infamous "MacLaren's Pub" with the cast of "How I Met Your Mother."
Courtesy Omaze
Others have found themselves rubbing elbows with Matt Bomer on the set of "White Collar."
While sites like Omaze open up dream roles to the general public, the wealthy can often still purchase walk-on roles at charity auctions.
But it isn't cheap.
Bill Thompson from Young Storytellers Foundation tells Business Insider "Many of our supporters in entertainment have donated walk-on parts, and they typically raise anywhere from $5,000-$15,000."
The amount is on par with the minimum $10,000 donated by a "Veronica Mars" fan for that waiter or waitress role in the upcoming film, but still a lot more than Roubeena Jeetah's $10.