This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This week's Utah Crowd-Funding Project aims to show that love is real — or, at least, reality television.
Salt Lake City filmmaker Spanky Ward has written and directed a family-friendly romantic comedy, "Hello I Love You," using local actors and crews.
It tells of Andy (Ben Jarvis), a low-level employee at a TV network, who pitches a reality-show concept in which he would ask random strangers to marry them. If they say no, as is likely, he'll ask them to go on 10 dates to test the waters. The project is approved, and Andy finds a willing subject in Emma (Kabrina Miller), who goes along because she thinks the proposal is part of her roommate's practical joke. Can true love bloom with TV cameras and duplicity nearby?
Ward is seeking $10,000 for post-production funds, and has taken to Kickstarter to raise the money. So far, the campaign has raised $175 in pledges. The deadline is May 7.
Benefits for backers range from a digital download of the movie poster (for $10) to an executive-producer credit and the inclusion of a 10-second video in the closing credits (in which you describe your wedding proposal or how met your spouse) (for $1,000).
—
If you have a crowd-funding project you'd like mentioned on The Cricket blog, email it to: spmeans@sltrib.com. Be sure to put "crowd funding" in the subject line.