This article was taken from the May 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Iron Sky envisions a ridiculous future: in which Nazis fled to the dark side of the Moon during the second world war, only to return in 2018 with a space fleet (the "Meteorblitzkrieg"). Given the Finnish/German/Australian film's premise, it's no surprise that director Timo Vuorensola and producer Tero Kaukomaa came up short with traditional fundraising. So they turned to their fans, going beyond standard crowdfunding to "crowd investing" -- inviting members of the public to become shareholders. A £16,700 investment secured an associate producer credit and, if the film succeeds, might even earn a return.
About 200 investors -- on top of the 10,000 fans who participated in crowdfunding -- finally raised more than £515,000.
And although this sort of micro-investment profit-sharing is restricted by US law, Kaukomaa believes it's the future.
Even so, it's not something any film can accomplish; Iron Sky was able to attract interest thanks to its fervent fanbase from previous project Star Wreck: In The Pirkinning, released as a free download in 2005 before being issued on DVD. Kaukomaa and Vuorensola crowdsourced location ideas and spaceship designs -- in one scene set outside a cinema, an array of fan-made film posters appeared. "It's not enough to just make a film, tease it and put it out there," says Kaukomaa. "You should create a community."
Iron Sky was released on April 4.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
