Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2013

Crowdfunding has been the strategy of choice for indie projects for a few years now. Sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo have helped raise funds for everything from iPhone accessories to a museum commemorating inventor Nicola Tesla. But 2013 will go down as the year when social media hat-passing really hit the big time.

In February, the short film Inocente [pictured] became the first Kickstarter baby to take home an Academy Award. Two other nominees on Oscar night were also funded by individuals. The winning documentary, which follows a formerly homeless teenager preparing for her first art show, was made with $52,527 from 294 backers. The online efforts did more than just cover expenses. “It really helped galvanize a community,” co-director Seth Fine told Mashable backstage at the ceremony.

But the scale of crowdfunding is not necessarily limited to small projects. This month, Rob Thomas, creator of the teenage detective series Veronica Mars, turned to the fans of the show that was canceled five years ago in the hope of reviving it as a feature film. The campaign, promising donors everything from a PDF of the script to a speaking role in the film, set a Kickstarter record by hitting the $1 million mark in under 12 hours. On the second day of the drive Warner Brothers agreed to distribute the film, and indie film funding crossed with the mainstream. “It was one of the most remarkable days of my life,” Thomas told the Los Angeles Times.