I'm amazed this hasn't been exploited by an out-and-out scam yet, I guess kickstarter must have some serious vetting process.
What's to stop somebody setting up a kickstarter for something highly desirable but somewhat impractical (but not totally out there) raising a few million $ and just riding off into the sunset?
Admittedly, the Kickstarter project which got him $8k in Jan 2011 claimed: "These next few months of production are crucial to get the film to the next stage of presenting to grantmakers and broadcasters", and the current Indigogo one is also saying "I am trying to raise 50,000 which will get me through 30 days of shooting and 8 weeks of editing with a full crew and basic expenses covered. I will have to raise more money to get this film finished but if I can raise 50,000 in the next 8 weeks I can at least be secure in the knowlege that we can all work as hard as we need to to finish shooting the film before the store closes and not have to constantly worry about the next credit card bill or not being able to book people because they already have paid work."
What's to stop somebody setting up a kickstarter for something highly desirable but somewhat impractical (but not totally out there) raising a few million $ and just riding off into the sunset?