A big week for indie filmmaking?

We’ve highlighted a number of local actors and filmmakers from Wisconsin already — speaking of which, have you watched the latest Film Reels episode? — but it’s not an exaggeration to suggest Madison, and Wisconsin in general, doesn’t exactly have a huge production machine at its disposal. There’s not the healthiest of festival circuits on an annual basis, and media attention is largely geared towards sports and local politics. Madison is no Austin or Chicago, and Milwaukee certainly isn’t Los Angeles or New York.

Which is why this past week could be so important for Wisconsin filmmakers.

At SXSW on Tuesday, Vimeo announced it would open an On Demand self-distribution platform to filmmakers. The service would allow filmmakers to directly sell their films to consumers via rental or download.  The best part? Vimeo is looking at a 90/10 split — that means filmmakers keep 90% of any revenue.

In addition, Vimeo On Demand would give creators a say over the timelines and region where their work would be available. It also offers price point control and cross-promotion either via Vimeo or through each filmmaker’s own website. Now in conjunction with services like Tugg, the possibilities for merging on-demand services with theatrical distribution has some big possibilities.

But that’s not all. Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas launched a Kickstarter project on March 13 to raise $2 million for a movie featuring the cult television character. Along with shattering the all-time fundraising record, the Kickstarter continues to gain pledges. As of this writing, Thomas has already raised over $3.5 million, with 27 days still to go.

For fans of the long defunct show, this is a huge win, but it’s actually nothing new. Indie filmmakers have used Kickstarter to fund their projects already, some of which are very close to home. The Smart Ones (featuring Film Reels megastar Tim Towne) is a Kickstarter-funded joint Chicago-Milwaukee production about grad students who rob houses to pay for their tuition. Similarly, the 2013 Golden Badger Award winning-documentary Dear Mr. Watterson, exploring the impact of “the best newspaper comic in the history of the universe,” also successfully raised Kickstarter funds. Better yet, both run under this year’s “Wisconsin’s Own” section at the 2013 Film Festival. The crowd-sourced funding model has led to multiple success stories, but the future of filmmaking may not be all sunshine and roses and unicorns with lollipops.

Provided Warner Bros. — who currently owns rights to the show — gives the Veronica Mars movie the greenlight, crowd-sourced films could be a big deal outside of the indie production model. Because let’s face it: Veronica Mars is no Transformers sequel, but a Warner Bros. project is certainly closer to a Michael Bay film than a grass roots Calvin & Hobbes documentary. Budgetary differences aside, the prospect of a major studio asking fans to pay for their own movie has already raised more than a few eyebrows. IndieWire’s Bryce Renninger argues this won’t be the last time a studio goes the Kickstarter route, if solely for the built-in publicity and “no-risk” fund raising. Slate’s Sam Adams was decidedly less dramatic in predicting Kickstarter’s future potential, maintaining that $2 million is relative chump change for a major studio. MSN Movies critic (and outspoken Tweeter) James Rocchi seemed to agree with Adams’ sentiment, tweeting among other points that “people who have access to resources/funding/meetings going to Kickstarter just re-tilts the playing field Kickstarter was to level.”

While Rocchi’s argument might swerve into slippery-slope territory — ‘’20, 30 years from now, we’ll just call it WhedonStarter. Or FanServiceStarter” — he raises an interesting question: Are Kickstarters only for the little people? Vimeo’s new distribution service is clearly geared toward filmmakers without the resources to bring their work to Eastgate and Sundance and AMC, but what’s to stop Twentieth Century Fox from going the Kickstarter route for a Daredevil reboot? Joss Whedon for some more Firefly? 

Wisconsin’s own Corrina Crade (seriously, watch Film Reels already) worked as a producer on Hulu’s political mockumentary series Battleground, both set and shot in Madison. The show — whose first episode is available online for free — is an awesome combination of production costs, local atmosphere, and personal connections; executive producers and childhood friends J.D. Walsh and 500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb both grew up in Mad Town. Sadly, shooting major productions in Madison might also be an exception to the rule, and the crowdfunding route might be the better option for many Wisconsin filmmakers. And with studios’ potential changes to Kickstarter projects on the horizon, perhaps it’s best to strike while the iron is hot. Vimeo On Demand offers a more long-term solution for distribution. Kickstarter’s production boost seems a little less certain.

But if it’s any consolation, William and the Windmill was funded through Kickstarter. And it just won Best Documentary at SXSW.