What We've Been Doing For the Last Three Weeks. Plus: Reward Updates & Sneak Peeks!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Jun 04, 2021 at 01:01:49 AM

• Progress Report: What We've Been Doing!
• Starting Pre-Production & Riff Writing!
• Kickstarter Reward Update & Sneak Peeks!

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

Hey, it’s Joel again. 

First of all, I hope that you enjoyed the long weekend and had a chance to relax. And if you’re outside the United States and didn’t have a long weekend celebrating Memorial Day, you really gotta try it sometime. 

Here at Alternaversal, we’re still recovering not just from all of the excitement of the Kickstarter campaign, but from all of the work that went into planning the Kickstarter, and then all of the new work we’ve been focusing on since the Kickstarter ended. 

So, we're really grateful to be back at work... but we were also glad to have a long weekend to rest.

Anyway, it’s been a few weeks since our last update, and I didn’t want to go too long without letting you know what we’ve been up to. There's a lot going on right now. Our team at Alternaversal has been putting all the pieces in place to make thirteen new episodes, twelve shorts, another live tour, the Gizmoplex, our new apps, our Kickstarter rewards, and… well, you get the idea. 

Anyway, a lot of what we’ve been doing for the last three weeks might not be that exciting to read about, but I thought it would still be good to share a little bit, for those of you that are curious about all of the “ins and outs” of bringing Mystery Science Theater to life. 

So, here are some things that have been keeping us busy for the last few weeks.

In-Person Meetings

Now that our whole team has been vaccinated, we’ve been able to start working together in person again. And you know, after 18 months of “remote work” and meetings, it’s been really nice to spend time in the same room. I guess this isn’t really that specific to MST3K, but it’s been nice, so I wanted to mention it.

Finding a New Office

For Seasons 11 and 12, we did most of our shooting in Los Angeles, so the Alternaversal offices here in Pennsylvania were just located near our homes, so that we wouldn’t spend a lot of time getting to work. But yeah, as you know, one of the changes we’re making for Season 13 is that we’re handling pretty much all of the production work here in Pennsylvania this time, including the design and fabrication of our props and models, and also a lot of the actual shooting and green screen work for the new episodes. 

So, we’re actually working on moving to new offices that will be right next to our production workshop, and connected to the space where we’re probably going to shoot a lot of the new season. Naturally, this will make a lot of things easier, so we’re all looking forward to the move.

Watching & Selecting Movies to Riff

Another thing that has been taking a lot of our time is finding all of the new movies – and short films – that we’re going to riff in the new season. This has to happen as quickly as possible, because without them, our writers can’t get started on the scripts. (In fact, we actually started doing some of this work during, and even before, the Kickstarter, because we knew we'd need a lot of lead time to put all the details together.)

But yeah, finding the right movies for MST3K isn’t as easy as you might think. For each movie that ends up on the show, we probably “audition” (watch) at least 3-4 possible candidates... and remember: the ones on the show are generally the best movies we watch.

Anyway, the good news here is that we’ve put together a “final list” of about 20 movies that we think we’d like to riff for the new season… which brings me to the next thing that we’ve been working on.

Negotiating Movie Rights

See, as some of you already know, finding a movie that we want to riff is just the first step in the process. A lot of the time, there are movies that would be great for MST3K, but we aren’t able to use them because we’re not able to get the rights we need, or negotiate a deal with the movie’s owners.

This is one area where our partners at Shout Factory are especially invaluable, since they often handle the specific points of those deals, and also help us determine which movies might be available (and achievable within our budget). We’ll share more details about how this all works in a future update.

But yeah, I’m happy to tell you that this part of the process is also going really well: We’ve actually finished making deals for NINE of the movies we’re going to riff in the new season, and if things stay on schedule, I think we’ll have all of the movies for Season 13 cleared before the end of June.

Starting Pre-Production

Also, now that our Kickstarter campaign is over, we finally have two important pieces of information that we really needed to know before we could start work on Season 13: the number of episodes we’re making, and the budget we can use to accomplish making them. 

Those two numbers are especially important, because without them, we can’t figure out the answers to a lot of important questions, like…

• How many films we need to clear
• How many writers we need to hire
• How long we’ll need a crew and production space
• How long it will take to shoot all of the episodes
• How much we can afford to spend at each stage

So yeah, as you can see, everything starts with those two numbers… and now that we finally know them, we’ve also been able to start a lot of “next steps” that will be important to letting us write, shoot, edit and deliver the new episodes, like:

• Hiring a production staff, who will manage our schedule, budgets and contracts
• Hiring our first writers, who will start watching movies and writing riffs next week
• Meeting with our fabrication partners to design and build new models, props and puppets
• Planning a detailed production schedule for 13 new episodes + 12 new shorts
• Planning a detailed production budget, and getting bank accounts, insurance, etc.
• Setting up new tools and practices, and training our team to use them

Also, that’s just some of what’s happening.  

As our team gets bigger, it’s also harder for me to be involved in everything that’s going on, so these are just some of the “high level” details that I'm tracking.

And...

Finally, while we at Alternaversal have been focused on preparing for the new season, Ivan has also been hard at work dealing with all of the moving pieces and relationships involved in delivering your new Kickstarter rewards. Since he’s closer to those details, I’ve asked him to give you a quick update.

Kickstarter Reward Update

Hey Everyone!

Like Joel said, we’ve been working through a lot of the details involved in fulfilling your Kickstarter rewards, and we should have some more news later this month… but for now, here are a few quick updates things you might be interested in:

1. We’re still preparing your Reward Surveys.

I’ll send a separate update about the Reward Surveys in the next few weeks, but the important thing to know for now is that you haven’t missed anything! We have a lot of rewards for this campaign, and we’re trying to prepare as many details as possible before we send out surveys to get your final reward selections and requests. 

For example: If your rewards include a T-SHIRT, you’ll use your Reward Survey to let us know what size and design you want. But, in order to let you make those choices, we first need to prepare near-final DESIGN OPTIONS, so you can choose the shirt you want, and an accurate SIZING CHART, so that you can select the right size and fit. And that’s just one of our rewards.

At any rate, we’re working through all of this as fast as we can. We’ll send out the Reward Surveys as soon as they’re ready... and when we do, we’ll also send another Backer Update with more details, and a deadline for providing your answers and confirming your rewards. So, as long as you follow these updates, you won't miss anything.

2. We’re setting up a new “Customer Support” system.

We’ve also been setting up a lot of new details – and expanding our team – so that we’ll be able to offer more reliable “backer support” over the next 12-18 months, and to make sure that you’re able to get help whenever you need it.  

As part of that, we’re working on a new “#MakeMoreMST3K Support Site”, where you’ll be able to find answers to most questions, and to request help whenever you need it. We’re aiming to launch that site before the end of this month, so that it’ll be available when you receive your Reward Surveys.

3. Reward Update: Musical Snow Globe

We’ve almost finished work on the design of the Musical Snow Globe, and the model elements are looking pretty great. Once we approve some final adjustments, our partner will do a first “paint test” to find the right colors for everything. The whole thing will look a lot more detailed when it’s finished, but here’s a first look at how it’s coming together:

We’ve also been learning a lot about the limitations of wind-up music box elements, and it turns out to be a lot trickier than we expected. Here’s a music sample that we got back yesterday:

As you can hear, the music doesn’t sound quite right yet, especially at the beginning, where the speed gets a little irregular... which means we're still figuring out if we can come up with a better option. 

To that end, Paul Sabourin has been tinkering with the music, and testing out some other variations, so that we can find a version that sounds good, and can be reproduced using the mechanical elements.

4. Reward Update: Todd Nauck Poster

During the Kickstarter, Joel also shared a concept sketch for our second poster design, from superstar comic book artist Todd Nauck, which features a lot of familiar faces from Mystery Science Theater’s 30+ year history. 

And, while it's still a work in progress – Todd hasn’t started coloring the image yet – we wanted to give you a look at how it's been evolving, so that you’ll have a better sense of what the final poster design is going to look like:

I mean, I don’t know about you... but watching the design come together, it's kind of blowing my mind how talented Todd is, and how fast he's able to produce this kind of work.

--

Those are the major reward updates for today, but again -- we’ll have more news for you soon, and we’ll do everything we can to send out your Reward Surveys by the end of this month, so keep an eye on these updates to make sure you don’t miss anything.

More Soon!

Ivan

So yeah, I think that’s everything for today, but I hope it gives you a better sense of what’s been going on since the last update, and how hard we’re all working on the new episodes and your Kickstarter rewards.

If you have questions about any of this, or there are other things you’d like to know more about, please let us know in the comments on this update, and we’ll do our best to answer whenever we have time.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel

How It Turned Out & What It All Means. The Next Movie for Season 13! Plus: More Info on Kickstarter Rewards, Timing & Surveys!
over 3 years ago – Thu, May 13, 2021 at 01:30:30 AM

In Today's Update

• Progress Report: Final Results
• What's Next: 13 Episodes, 12 Shorts, 24+ Live Events... and the Gizmoplex!
• Movie Update: Find out the third movie coming in Season 13
• Kickstarter Rewards: What Happens Next?

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

Hey, it's Joel again.

As you probably know, our #MakeMoreMST3K Kickstarter had its "big finish" on Friday night, and I want to thank everyone who tuned in for the last few hours and joined us for our "Final Countdown" Telethon. Just like in 2015, it was a pretty wild night, and I'm grateful to all of our friends and guests who stopped in to perform, show their support, or just hang out with us. It was a real “barn burner” that “took the cheese” as I like to say.

But yeah, for those of you who weren't able to join the livestream, I want to make sure you know how everything turned out... because the final results are pretty incredible. When the clock ran out on Friday night, here's where things stood:

Yeah, you saw that right:

The #MakeMoreMST3K Kickstarter ended up raising a total of $6,519,019 – beating our own previous record by almost $1M – and completing every single Bonus Challenge! 

And, just as important, over 36,500 of you became backers, and decided to be part of shaping the future of Mystery Science Theater 3000! 

So, now that you know how our Kickstarter turned out, I want to take a moment and talk about what it "means."

1. It means that we've got a lot of work to do... and that you've got a lot of new MST3K to look forward to!

Thanks to you, here's what we'll be able to do over the next year:

• Make 13 NEW EPISODES of MST3K! 
• Riff 12 NEW SHORT FILMS! 
• Launch THE GIZMOPLEX, our new virtual theater, to premiere it all!
• Release GIZMOPLEX APPS for phones, tablets and TVs!
• Organize at least 24 LIVE EVENTS for Gizmoplex members!

And, because you completed all of our "Bonus Challenges", it also means that "lucky Season 13" will feature a lot of exciting new elements, including...

• Our first HALLOWEEN EPISODE, which will also be...
• Our first riff of a 3-D MOVIE, which means we'll also offer... 
• Free KINGAVISION 3-D GLASSES for all backers, and...
• A brand-new MST3K HOLIDAY SPECIAL! 

Plus, in case you forgot – reaching our goal of $5.5M also means that I'll be returning to Mystery Science Theater 3000 to HOST TWO NEW EPISODES as "JOEL ROBINSON"... and that doesn't even count the holiday special, which Jonah, Emily and I will host together!

2. It means that we managed to break our own record from 2015.

As you know, I spent a lot of this month trying to let you know how we were doing compared to our original Kickstarter, because I figured if we could match the same pace we did then, we'd have a good chance of reaching our final goal again. 

But – just like in 2015 – you didn't just reach our final goal... you went way past it, and gave us the opportunity to make even more new MST3K than we hoped! 

Here, see for yourself:

As you can see, we almost fell behind our original Kickstarter during that middle part of the month... but over the final week, with an extra "push" from our Bonus Challenges, you took back our lead and made sure that we finished even stronger than before.

3. It means we've set even more Kickstarter records.

Now, even though I know this isn't really a competition, our final result also means that – for those of you who care about this sort of thing – you've "locked up" MST3K's place in the record books, since Mystery Science Theater 3000 now holds dual titles as...

• Kickstarter's 2nd and 3rd "Most Funded" Film & Video Projects ever! 
• Kickstarters's 3rd and 5th "Most Backed" Film & Video Projectsever!

Also, if you look at the scoreboards, I'm proud to say that – even if we don't hold a "Number One" position right now, we're the only ones who hold two positions in the Top 5:

And again, even though I know it's not a competition, the reason I always mention it to you is because I think it represents something really important. 

Those numbers show the whole world what you were able to do... twice.

And, they also show a different way that television could work in the future. 

See, during our first Kickstarter, our goal was to convince the "network executives" to give Mystery Science Theater 3000 a home, and to let us keep making new episodes for you. 

But this time, you helped us send a different message: that as long as you want us to #MakeMoreMST3K, we don't need a network's permission to keep going. And you know, our goal was never to make a show for network executives... we just wanted to make something we liked, for people who liked it. And now, thanks to you, MST3K will finally have its own home... which means we'll get to keep making new episodes for as long as you want us to.

So yeah, it's pretty amazing to be in this position for the second time, and I want to make sure you understand how grateful and excited we all are. Also, I'm so appreciative that you're willing to trust in our vision again, both for this next season, and also for the Gizmoplex. 

I know some of you still aren't sure exactly what to expect, but I hope that will be part of the fun over the next year. Also, I really believe your trust and support are going to let us create something amazing for you, and I so appreciate you giving us the chance to do that.

Anyway, I should wrap up for this time, because there's a lot of work we need to get started on. Also, to tell you the truth, we at Alternaversal need to try to take it a little easy for the next few weeks and recover, even as we start work on pre-production and planning for thirteen new episodes. 

Don't worry, I'll tell you all about that process in future updates. 

Before I go, though, I know you still have a lot of questions, especially now that the Kickstarter is over... and while I can't answer all of them today, there are a few things I do want to tell you right away... starting with a big announcement I never got to share during our "Final Countdown" telethon!

The Next Movie We'll Riff is...

Last week, I told you that we had just cleared another movie to riff in the new episodes, and that I knew it was one that a lot of you would be excited about... but there was so much happening during our telethon on Friday night that there was never a good moment to tell you about it!

But since I don't want to keep you in suspense... and since it might be a week or two until we're ready to start sharing our "Weekly Production Updates", I'm just going to tell you, okay?

The third movie we'll riff next season is... 

That's right – MST3K is riffing another Gamera movie! 

And not just any Gamera movie: Gamera vs. Jiger is by far the most ambitious and outrageous Gamera I’ve ever seen in my long life of movie riffing. 

For starters, the setting is not only a tropical island which has it own kaiju god named Jiger – a brownish greyish triceratops that shoots poisonous quills from her face – but also at the 1970 World’s Fair in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, which is going on at the same time! 

So yeah, you’re gonna get some fights on the land, sea, sky, and at the World’s Fair all featuring the flying turtle taking on Jiger... but then, one of Jiger's darts causes Gamera to fall asleep and turn gray, after which he ends up submerged in the ocean with his mouth hanging open. Then, two ambitious kids drive a mini-sub into Gamera's mouth, and fight a baby Jiger that’s living inside Gamera like a virus. And then more things happen, but I kinda lose track at that point. 

Anyway, it's all pretty amazeballs, and to tell you the truth, we never thought we'd be able to get the rights we needed to riff this movie... so I'm thrilled that we're finally going to have the chance. And you know, I'm also betting this will end up being the "premiere episode" that opens Season 13 and launches the Gizmoplex...  hopefully by the end of this year!

Also, if your Kickstarter rewards this time included the "10 Classic Episode" pack – which you'll still be able to get as a "late Add-On," if you didn't get it and want it – you'll already be getting all of the other MST3K Gamera episodes... so, this one will complete the set!

But yeah, I hope you're ready for this... because it's gonna be something.

Finally, before I go, I know a lot of you have questions about your new Kickstarter rewards, and what happens next now that the Kickstarter campaign is over. 

So, Ivan asked me to pass along a few things you'll probably want to know.

Kickstarter Rewards: What Happens Next?

1. Kickstarter started collecting pledges on Friday night.

For most of you, that just means you've gotten an email confirming that your pledge has been collected, and that you'll see the pledge show up on your credit card. However, there are also a handful of pledges that didn't go through, usually because your credit card rejected the charge, or flagged it as possible fraud. If there's still a problem with your pledge, we'll send you a note on Kickstarter this evening to let you know.

2. If there was a problem with your pledge, don't panic!

Kickstarter will continue trying to collect the pledge for a full week, so you've got plenty of time to work things out. If there's a problem with your pledge or your credit card, please don't email us, since there's nothing we can actually do about it. Instead, email Kickstarter directly at [email protected], and explain what's going on. They'll do their best to get things resolved before the end of the week!

3. We'll respond to most questions starting next week.

We know that there are a lot of other questions about Kickstarter rewards, and we'll do our best to get back to them. However, if you send in questions this week about anything other than making sure your pledge has been collected, it will probably take us until next week to respond. Please be patient with us, since we want to help people with the most time-sensitive issues first!

4. Don't worry: you don't need to give us any information yet!

If you're worried about letting us know your shipping address, t-shirt size, the name(s) you'd like us to thank, or anything else about the rewards you selected, you don't need to do anything yet. In about 3-4 weeks, we'll be sending out a "Reward Survey" through a platform called CrowdOx. When we do, you'll be able to give us all of the details we need to prepare your rewards – and if you have physical rewards, you'll also be charged for shipping costs. But for now, we promise: you can (really) just relax! You haven't missed anything.

5. You'll still be able to upgrade your pledge and select more Add-Ons.

If you forgot to add specific Add-On Rewards, or didn't get a chance to upgrade to a higher pledge level that you wanted, don't worry: you'll get another chance! When your "Reward Survey" arrives, you'll get one more chance to adjust your pledge, select more Add-Ons, and double-check everything you're getting. While some rewards are already sold out, you'll be able to grab anything that's still available... but all remaining rewards are first-come, first-serve, so be sure to fill out your survey as soon as it arrives!

Anyway, that's all for this time. Please be patient with us over the next week or two, as we shift from "Kickstarter mode" into "production mode" and get a lot of the little details worked out. Once we do, we'll be able to share updates a lot more often, and also to start answering more questions you might have.

Finally, thank you – one more time – for deciding to join us and be part of Mystery Science Theater 3000's next chapter. We're so glad to have you with us.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel & The Alternaversal Team

9 HOURS LEFT. 103% FUNDED. Joel announces our FINAL CHALLENGE to unlock a 13TH NEW EPISODE! Plus: join us LIVE at 3pm PT for the return of... the FINAL COUNTDOWN!
over 3 years ago – Sun, May 09, 2021 at 01:49:19 AM

•  Progress Report: 103% funded. Time for a new final goal!
•  Final Challenge #1: Unlock a 3-D Halloween special + free 3-D glasses for all backers
•  Final Challenge #2: Unlock a 13TH EPISODE for Season 13!
• Join us for the Final Countdown Telethon at 3pm PT / 6pm ET!

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

Hey, it's Joel again... but I guess you knew that by now.

I've gotta admit: I knew these last few days were going to get wild, but I didn't know they would get this wild. And since today will be the craziest day of the entire month, who knows where we'll be in another 9 hours, when our campaign to #MakeMoreMST3K finally ends?

But since I know today is going to be pretty busy, I want to share a few really important final updates, so that you know where things stand.

First, if you haven't heard, I have some really good news for you:

This morning at 8:08am EST, we reached our "final" goal of $5.5M, which means that we're officially making a full season of TWELVE NEW EPISODES and – for the first time since you #BroughtBackMST3K – we'll also get to riff TWELVE NEW SHORTS!

And, for those of you keeping score at home, that also means we've finished all of the remaining "Bonus Challenges" and unlocked even more rewards, including DOUBLE CLASSIC EPISODES for all backers getting the "Classic Episode" rewards, and a FREE RIFFTRAX LIVE EVENT in the Gizmoplex for all Gizmoplex members!

There's a lot that I want to say about this, and how grateful we are, and what this means for Mystery Science Theater, but you know... it's not time for that yet, because our big "FINAL COUNTDOWN" TELETHON doesn't even start until 3pm PT / 6pm ET... and our Kickstarter doesn't end until 8pm PT / 11pm ET! That means we still have 9 hours left to #MakeEvenMoreMST3K, and to see how far we can get.

But if we want to keep things going now, we're going to need some new goals... which is why it's time for me to announce our FINAL BONUS CHALLENGES.

FINAL CHALLENGE #1: If we're able to beat our previous Kickstarter record, and reach either $5.8M or 49,000 backers, our upcoming 3-D episode will also be our first-ever Halloween Special... and we'll give free 3-D glasses to all backers!*

*If you're not getting other physical rewards, you will need to pay for shipping... but the 3-D glasses will be free, so that you can enjoy our HALLOWEEN SPECIAL in glorious KINGAVISION 3-D!

And if you're getting the T-SHIRT reward, and choose our "3-D MOON" design, your glasses will work with that too. See? They're not just for movies anymore!

Anyway, a Halloween special is one of the most common requests we’ve gotten during this Kickstarter, so it seems like a great way to celebrate breaking our Kickstarter record... and if we get there, we'll even premiere it with a live Halloween event in the Gizmoplex, just for members!

Now, I want to make sure you understand that the Halloween special will be one of the twelve episodes we're now going to make, and not an "extra" episode. That's because funding another episode would cost about $300K... and to keep that much from the Kickstarter, we'd actually have to raise another $470K. Remember, it's like I explained at the bottom of our Kickstarter page: only 65% of what we raise goes into making new episodes: the rest gets spent making your rewards, paying fees, and that sort of thing.

Also, we want to reserve some of the extra funding as a "safety buffer", so that we'll still be able to finish all 12 episodes if one of them runs into issues, or goes over budget. And, I've got some neat new ideas for the live "Gizmoplex events", and I want to set aside a little extra budget for those too. So, I think we'll be able to get a lot of extra value out of those funds.

And then, if we reach that goal, I've still got one more challenge for you.

See, if you look back at our last Kickstarter, $5,764,229 is just the amount we raised on Kickstarter. But back then, Kickstarter didn't do Add-On Rewards, so we had to sell those on our own website. So, when you count all of those, we also raised another $600,000... which means our real final total was $6,364,229. 

If you look at the very end of our #BringBackMST3K Telethon, you can see for yourself:

So yeah: if we really want to break our own record, that's the number to beat... which brings me to:

FINAL CHALLENGE #2: If we can break our "total" record and reach $6,364,230, we'll add a THIRTEENTH EPISODE to Season 13 – a NEW HOLIDAY SPECIAL featuring JONAH, EMILY and JOEL – and we'll add an extra month to all Gizmoplex Pass rewards so you can see it!

Like I said at the end of our last Kickstarter, I've always loved holiday TV, and the tradition of "special episodes" from Bing Crosby, Charlie Brown, and of course, Rankin/Bass. We've already got three of our own holiday episodes – one each for me, Mike, and Jonah – and now, if we're able to meet this final goal, it'll be Emily's turn. 

Also, I think a holiday special would be a really nice moment to make sure that all three of our hosts "meet" on screen before the season ends – and it'll be a great episode to watch together at our "GRAND FINALE PREMIERE" screening, if you've gotten tickets for that.

So, there you go. We've got 9 HOURS LEFT to break our own record, make crowdfunding history again, and to go "13 for 13" with a thirteenth episode for our thirteenth season... and here's a "final" version of our reward guide, with all of our final challenges:

If you look, you'll notice that since you've unlocked all of the bonus rewards we offered, the pledge levels are getting pretty plump, and have a lot more in them than when we launched. So, if you haven't already, it's a good time to alert your friends and family that these offer a lot of value.

(How do we do it? With volume!)

Also, I just want to tell you now: if we don't meet finish those last two goals, that'll be okay too. 

We're already so amazed and grateful for everyone's support and enthusiasm, and that you trust us enough to come along and be part of Mystery Science Theater's next chapter.

Now, we've got to finish preparing for the FINAL COUNTDOWN TELETHON at 3pm PT / 6pm ET – and again, I hope you'll come join us. It's going to be a lot of fun, and a great chance to celebrate together. Also, we've got a bunch of special guests joining us, and a few really crazy last-minute reward offers from some of our friends, including Rick & Morty's Justin Roiland, and the one and only Weird Al Yankovic! 

Anyway, we've still got 9 hours left, so – one last time – please remember to...

See you in a few hours, folks.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel

Alright, LISTEN UP, minions! - We've got 9 HOURS LEFT to finish funding my ultimate plan for world dominat... um, I mean, to #MakeMoreMST3K and finish Joel's precious little Kickstarter.  If you know what's good for you, you'll do exactly as you're told.... NOW!

Just post EITHER of these messages to your Facebooks, Instagrams or Twitters:

• IT ALL ENDS TONIGHT: Join @JoelGHodgson, the cast of @MST3K + special guests for the #MakeMoreMST3K FINAL COUNTDOWN TELETHON, starting at 3pm PT/6pm ET, and help us reach our final goal: a BONUS 13TH EPISODE for Season 13! http://ks.mst3k.com/finalcountdown 
• THIS IS IT! The #MakeMoreMST3K Kickstarter ends TONIGHT at 8pm PT / 11pm ET, and we've got one last goal: to go "13 for 13" and unlock a BONUS 13TH EPISODE for the new season! See @JoelGHodgson's final challenge: http://ks.mst3k.com/update19 

ONE DAY LEFT. 89% FUNDED. New Reward Added: The Season 13 "Grand Finale" Screening & Afterparty! Plus: Joel's FINAL BONUS CHALLENGES!
over 3 years ago – Fri, May 07, 2021 at 04:53:19 AM

•  Progress Report: 89% funded and 33 HOURS until the end!
•  Ultimate Challenge: Unlock up to 20 CLASSIC EPISODE downloads!
•  Classic Episode Reward: See what's in the 5 and 10 episode packs!
•  New Reward Added: Our Season 13 "GRAND FINALE" Premiere & Afterparty

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

Hey, it's Joel again.

Now, I don't want to stress you out, but I'm gonna be honest: this is it. The pressure is on, and we've now got just ONE DAY LEFT to reach our final goal, and get a full season of new MST3K.

Progress Report

If you look at our progress, I think we've still got a real chance at getting those 12 episodes:

As you can see, we're still holding onto our narrow lead over the original Kickstarter campaign, and as of now, we're 89% of the way to our final goal!

And you know, a big part of that seems to be the Bonus Challenges, which you all keep finishing faster than we can come up with new ones. 

Yesterday, I announced that if we could reach $4.7M last night, and $4.9M by the end of tonight, we'd unlock even more free CLASSIC BONUS SHORTS for all backers getting the "Classic Episode" rewards. But you did even better than that, reaching $4.8M last night, and passing $4.9M while I was writing this update. 

You also finished Bonus Challenge #4 with time to spare, reaching 25,000 backers before last night's livestream even started, which means that, after our Kickstarter ends, everyone getting the T-SHIRT REWARD will now get two designs to choose from and the option to upgrade to a hoodie. And I know a lot of you have been asking for that, so I'm glad we were able to do it.

Anyway, it's like I said: this last week always gets pretty intense... but, if we can keep this up for another 30 hours, I feel confident saying we'll have a full season "in the bag." 

Also, since we're not done yet, I want to remind you that we still have a couple more big Bonus Challenges to clear before the Kickstarter ends tomorrow night at 8pm PT / 11pm ET:

•  BONUS CHALLENGE #8: If we reach $5M before 3pm PT / 6pm ET tomorrow, we'll unlock the DOUBLE POSTER UPGRADE, so that everyone who is getting a POSTER reward will now get two great posters instead of one.
•  BONUS CHALLENGE #9: If we reach $5.5M before our Kickstarter ends, we'll DOUBLE THE CLASSIC EPISODE rewards... so if you've got the "5 Episode Download" you'll get 10... and if you've got the "10 Episode Download", you'll get twenty! (More on that in a second.)
•  RIFFTRAX CHALLENGE: Also, if we reach $5.5M before our Kickstarter ends, our friends at RiffTrax have promised to host a special live event night in the Gizmoplex, which will be free to everyone who has a Gizmoplex Pass (Levels $35 and up).

And finally, just in case things go really well tomorrow, here's BONUS CHALLENGE #10: 

If we can beat either of the records from our original Kickstarter – either $5.8M or 49,000 backers before tomorrow at 8pm PT – we've got one last "secret" Bonus Reward... and it will be for all backers. 

We've still got one more day, so yeah: let's see how far we can go, huh?

Joel's "Classic Episode" Selections

I know a lot of you have been sending in questions about the "Classic Episode" rewards, like what episodes are going to be included in the "5 Episode" and "10 Episode" downloads, and whether those episodes are also part of the "Ultimate MST3K Digital Collection" Add-On.

And, since BONUS REWARD #9 will double all of the Classic Episode rewards if we reach our final goal, I thought it might be a good idea to reveal which episodes I've selected this time around. 

So yeah, here's what we've got:

As you can see, my picks for the first included episodes aren't included in the "Ultimate MST3K Digital Collection", so if you want to get all of the episodes available, you'll also want to make sure you're getting the "10 Classic Episode" pack... which, yeah, could end up being a 20 Classic Episode pack. It's too late for us to change the name, though. Sorry.

The Final Countdown Begins Tomorrow at 3pm PT.

Now, there's a lot of work left to finish before our big "Final Countdown Telethon" tomorrow – and I think that could get pretty crazy, so again, I really hope that you'll make time to join us, starting right here at 3pm PT / 6pm ET on the MST3K YouTube and Twitch channels.

But yeah, we still have a lot of final preparations to make, so I just have one more update to share this morning... and I hope it'll help us finish those last Bonus Challenges.

New Reward: Season Finale Screening & Party

If you were part of our first Kickstarter, you might remember that we had a few big "premiere tour" rewards, where our cast came to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and a lot of you joined us to premiere our first new episode, and then joined us for an afterparty. 

So yeah, when we were planning the rewards for this Kickstarter, we really wanted to repeat that original "premiere experience"... but we just felt like COVID made things too uncertain for us to organize a big in-person gathering before the end of the year.  And you know, even though it seems like things might be a lot safer by the end of this year, these things have to be planned and booked way in advance... and since we're going to premiere our next episode before the whole season is finished, we'll also be focused on making sure we get the other episodes done.

But listen, I know that events like that are really special for a lot of you, just like they are for us, so I think we've come up with a really elegant solution:

Starting at 12pm PT / 3pm ET today, we'll be offering a new Add-On Reward that will get you tickets for the SEASON 13 "GRAND FINALE SCREENING" and AFTERPARTY, where you can join our cast and creative team for a premiere screening of the last episode of Season 13, and celebrate the whole season with us.

WHEN: Now, the exact timing will depend on a lot of different factors, but I'm expecting that it will be sometime next fall (if we make 9 episodes) and next winter (if we're able to make 12). Since we don't know yet, all I can tell you is that we'll make sure you know the final date at least 6 weeks before the screening, so you have time to make all the necessary plans.

WHERE: We're planning to hold the MST3K "GRAND FINALE SCREENING" at a terrific theater not far from the Alternaversal production offices in the Philadelphia area – and which is actually one of the "real life" inspirations for the Gizmoplex!

PRICE: Since we're planning this event for a nice big theater, we tried to figure out a few different options, so as many of you can join us for the screening as possible. 

Here's what we came up with:

•  BALCONY SEATS: $350 / ticket (180 available)
•  FLOOR SEATS: $400 / ticket (225 available)
•  VIP SEATS + AFTERPARTY: $750 / ticket (200 available)

Also, if you can't make it out for this, or it's too expensive for you right now, I don't want you to worry: we'll still have an official livestream premiere in the Gizmoplex for everyone to join.

But yeah, if you want to join us in person to celebrate the end of Season 13 late next year, I hope you'll consider grabbing a few tickets and being part of the fun.

Anyway, I need to get ready for tomorrow's "Grand Finale", so that's all for this update.

And remember: We've still got a little more than 30 hours left to raise another $600K... and if we do, we'll be able to make a full season of TWELVE NEW EPISODES!

So, until tomorrow night, please remember to...

And please do join us for the telethon tomorrow. The end of this thing could get wild, and I wouldn't want you to miss any of the excitement.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel

Is this thing on?  Hello? Well, Crow threw this job at me because he's busy stress eating ramchips, so I'll do my best. Anyway, you read Joel's update, so you know that we've got just ONE DAY LEFT until complete system failure – err, the end of our Kickstarter to #MakeMoreMST3K. If you want to help increase our chances of survival by getting us to 12 episodes, I have a suggestion.

Just post ANY of these messages to your Facebooks, Instagrams or Twitters:

• THIS IS IT: ONE DAY LEFT and #MakeMoreMST3K is 89% of the way to unlocking TWELVE NEW EPISODES plus TWELVE NEW SHORTS... and now, we’ve got a few new BONUS CHALLENGES to get us to the finish line: http://ks.mst3k.com/update18 
• TOMORROW NIGHT: #MakeMoreMST3K ENDS with the return of our FINAL COUNTDOWN TELETHON to close out the final 5 hours of our Kickstarter LIVE! Last minute offers, special guests + much more, all starting at 3pm PT / 6pm EDT, at http://ks.mst3k.com/finalcountdown 
• LAST-MINUTE ADD-ON: Want to join @JoelGHodgson and the #MakeMoreMST3K cast + crew in person for a "GRAND FINALE" premiere screening and afterparty, sometime in late 2022? Tickets available as Add-On Rewards starting at 12pm PT / 3pm ET. Details at http://ks.mst3k.com/update18 

THREE DAYS LEFT. 79% FUNDED. First Look at Our New POSTER & T-SHIRT DESIGNS! Plus: New Bonus Challenges + "Werewolf" Livestream with Bill Corbett - Tonight at 5pm PDT!
over 3 years ago – Fri, May 07, 2021 at 03:36:42 AM

• Last Night: TEAM JONAH won the Jackbox Showdown!
• Tonight: Join us for Werewolf with Bill Corbett at 5pm PT 
• Progress Report: 79% of our final goal!
• New Bonus Challenges: Unlock more free shorts + DOUBLE POSTERS!
• Reward Previews: First look at our Poster & T-Shirt Designs

Dear MST3K Preservation League,

Hey, it's Joel again... and we've only got a few hours until tonight's livestream, so I'm going to get right to business.

Last Night: The Jackbox Showdown

First, I want to thank everyone who joined us last night for our special JACKBOX SHOWDOWN livestream, where "Team Jonah" and "Team Emily" faced off in a series of Jackbox party games. I was watching along at home with a lot of you, and I've got to say it again: these folks are really talented, and super quick on their feet, whether they're riffing on a movie or riffing on each other. It was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoyed it too.

Also, if you couldn't make it last night, you can still watch the whole thing now.

Anyway, when all the votes were counted up, Jonah and his crew came out just ahead of Emily and the MST3K Live cast... and you know, even though it's not really a competition, we've decided to give Emily's team another chance. So, as part of our Final Countdown Telethon on Friday, we'll be doing a "rematch" to give both teams one more round to show off... and this time, our friends at Jackbox will be writing a special MST3K episode of Quiplash! So yeah, I can't wait to see how it goes, and I hope you'll join us on Friday to cheer for both teams.

Tonight: Werewolf with Bill Corbett

Next, if you have time, I hope you'll join us again for our next-to-last #MakeMoreMST3K Livestream Riff-Along, as we watch the classic MST3K episode Werewolf.  

Also, it should be an especially good hang, because we'll be joined by special guest BILL CORBETT.  Bill – as you probably know – played MST3K's "Brain Guy", and was also one of the original voices for Crow. And you know, if you stick around until the end of the movie, I guess I could even reveal the first couple movies we're planning to riff next season.

We'll be starting at 5pm PT / 8pm ET, so I hope you'll join us on YouTube, Facebook or Twitch.

#MakeMoreMST3K Progress Report

Since we've now got just THREE DAYS LEFT, I feel it's important to keep you updated on how everything is going, and how we're doing with those Bonus Challenges that I announced.

If you check out our newest chart, you'll see that the last few days have gone pretty well, and we've even restored a little bit of our "lead" over the original Kickstarter:

So yeah, here's the big picture:

With THREE DAYS LEFT until our Kickstarter ends, we're 98% of the way to our third goal ($4.4M)... and 78% of the way to our final goal ($5.5M), which will let us make 12 NEW EPISODES and riff 12 NEW SHORT FILMS!

Also, if we can keep moving at our current pace, it looks like we'll probably pass our next goal of $4.4M sometime tonight... and remember: If we do, we'll be able to make NINE NEW EPISODES of MST3K and TWICE AS MANY GIZMOPLEX LIVE EVENTS and I'll finally put on the old jumpsuit and HOST A NEW EPISODE as "Joel Robinson."

But you know, there's still a lot on the line, so we can't relax yet... and to make sure we don't, it's time to talk about Bonus Challenges.

So far, you've completed five bonus challenges:

• Challenge #1 unlocked the DOUBLE STICKER reward upgrade.
• Challenge #2 unlocked Quest of the Delta Knights as a bonus download.
• Challenge #3 unlocked our first 3D MOVIE and free 3D GLASSES! 
• Challenge #5 unlocked the 4 CLASSIC SHORTS bonus download.

And last night, thanks to our Jackbox Showdown and some new Add-On Rewards, you finished Challenge #6, which unlocked 8 CLASSIC SHORTS as an upgrade to the "Classic Episode" rewards in Experiment 85, 150 and 250+.

You also still have time to finish Bonus Challenge #4: If we reach 25,000+ backers before the end of tomorrow's livestream – around 7:00pm PT - we'll be able to add something that a lot of you asked for, and give you the option to upgrade your T-SHIRT to a HOODIE after the Kickstarter ends. We just need about 1400 more backers to get there, so I hope you'll keep spreading the word. (And remember, even a $1 pledge counts as another backer!)

Next, to help us keep going for our final few days, here's Bonus Challenge #7:

If we reach $4.5M by midnight (PT) tonight, we'll triple the original bonus reward and include 12 CLASSIC SHORTS for all backers at Pledge Level $150 and up!

And, since we're getting down to the end, I'll also give you Bonus Challenge #8:

If we reach $5.0M before our "Final Countdown" Telethon starts on Friday (at 3pm PT), we'll upgrade the POSTER REWARD and give everyone TWO POSTERS instead of one!

That means that if you're at Experiment 150 or higher, or you're getting the "Poster" Add-On Reward, and we finish this challenge, you'll end up getting two posters instead of one.

Now, I know it's hard to get excited about the "idea" of a poster, so I think it's finally time to show you the poster designs we're planning, so you know what's at stake.

FIRST LOOK: THE NEW POSTER

First, I want to show you the "official" poster for this Kickstarter (and for Season 13). It features an incredible new illustration from our friend GARY GLOVER, and gives us a first look at our FULL CAST and the exterior of the Gizmoplex. Take a look:

Pretty neat, right?

If you look closely, you'll notice I'm there, but still a little bit "see through." That's because we haven't reached $4.4M just yet, so I'm not an official part of our Season 13 cast. But as soon as we do reach that goal, "Joel Robinson" will be back to host a brand new episode of MST3K... and I'll be able to join the rest of the cast on our new poster.

(Also, you'll see that this artwork includes Dr. Laurence Erhardt and Pearl Forrester. If you missed our livestreams with J. Elvis Weinstein and Mary Jo Pehl last week, you might not have heard this, so I want to make sure you know that Josh and MJ will be working with us on Season 13, both as writers and performers. They're both terrific writers and characters, and we're so lucky that they agreed.)

So yeah, that's our "official" poster for Season 13, and I'm "over the moon" about it. Yeah, you heard right.

FIRST LOOK: THE OTHER NEW POSTER

Then, this weekend, I was talking to another amazingly talented friend of the show – rock star comic book artist Todd Nauck – and he offered to help out by designing a second poster for us. 

And you know, even though we just have a concept sketch so far, I think it'll be just as incredible as our first poster, and look completely different too. See for yourself:

Also, if you aren't familiar with Todd's work, he was one of the main artists we worked with on the Mystery Science Theater comic books we did with Dark Horse a couple years back. If you want to get an idea of what his "finished" work looks like, here are a few examples:

(And if you haven't gotten to check out the MST3K comics yet, this is probably a good time to let you know that we've just added another new Add-On Reward for MST3K: THE COMPLETE COMIC, SIGNED, which gets you all six issues in a nice paperback volume, hand-signed by me and Todd, for $55. So, if you've been meaning to read the comic, this is a great way to get it all at once.)

Anyway, I don't know about you, but Todd's concept sketch kinda blew me away... so, I really hope we're able to finish Bonus Challenge #8, and reach $5M before our telethon starts on Friday, so we can include both designs in your poster rewards!

And as long as I'm finally showing you some of our rewards... how about a sneak peek at another couple designs we've been working on?

FIRST LOOK: THE NEW T-SHIRT(S)

Now, I know I told you that if we finished "Bonus Challenge #4", we'd be able to give you TWO different designs for the T-SHIRT REWARD... but when I thought about it more, I decided that we should just go ahead and offer BOTH T-SHIRT DESIGNS now, even before we finish Bonus Challenge #4. That way, if you think you'll want both t-shirts, you can add an extra Add-On Shirt to your pledge now, which will help us complete more Bonus Challenges. It's what they call a virtuous circle!

So yeah, I want to give you a look at BOTH T-SHIRT DESIGNS we've been working on, because even though they're not 100% finished, I think they look super cool. 

When we started thinking about new t-shirt designs, I really wanted us to focus on something kind of simple and elegant... and while I was excited about the idea of "official Gizmoplex shirts," I also know that some of you might prefer something more focused on MST3K and the new season. So, I think we've got two really nice options for you.

Anywho, here's our first official GIZMOPLEX T-SHIRT:

And since that might be a little bit small, here's a closer look at the design:

Now, we're still refining the artwork a little bit, but I think it's already a pretty great presentation of the Gizmoplex. Also, it's a nice way to let everyone else know you're a founding member!

And then, for those of you who prefer something a little more "traditional", we're also working on a new version of our classic MST3K Moon shirt, but with an added "twist":

And here's a closer look at the design:

Now, even by itself, I think this is a really lovely design, and I especially like the new "hand-drawn" version of the MST3K moon. But yeah, as you probably guessed... if you look at this design with your new KINGAVISION 3-D GLASSES, the moon and text will also jump right off the shirt! And since most of our backers will get a free pair of 3-D glasses, we thought this would be a really fun way to set this shirt apart from some of the others we've made over the years.

Anyway, you should know that the artwork for both of these shirts was developed by another legendary comic book artist that also happens to be a MST3K fan, named MIKE NORTON. 

Mike has been working closely with us on the visual development for Season 13 and the Gizmoplex, and also did the concept art for the Gizmoplex that I showed you yesterday. So, you'll be seeing a lot more of his brilliant artwork in these updates over the coming months.

And, like I said: if you think you'll want BOTH of these new t-shirts, you can add extra shirt rewards to your pledge right now using Add-On Rewards, and help us get even closer to our final goal. Plus, I think these are both gonna come out pretty great.

That's a lot of new stuff to share at once, but I hope you're as excited about the new poster and t-shirt designs as I am. Like I said on our Kickstarter page, I feel really strongly that the rewards are one of the most important parts of our Kickstarters, and that it's incumbent upon us to design stuff you'll really be proud to own. So, I hope that you feel like we're off to a good start.

Tomorrow, I'll also give you a first look at the design for our "musical snowglobe," because we've been putting a lot of time into figuring that one out too. And, because I know some of you have been asking about it, maybe I'll even give you a sneak peek at one more reward we've been saving to reveal this week.

That's all for today, but don't forget, we've got another Bonus Challenge to hit by midnight... so if you want to help unlock more free bonus rewards and upgrades, remember:

And if you're free at 5pm PT / 8pm ET, be sure to join us for Werewolf with Bill Corbett! 

It should be a good hang.

Cheers & Thanks,

Joel

This is Crow T. Robot again, reaching out to you with an important and timely message: WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME!!!! SOMEONE DO SOMETHING. SHARE ONE OF THESE POSTS!!!! I WAS NEVER HERE! (Ahem.)

Just post ONE of these messages to your Facebooks, Instagrams or Twitters:

• T-SHIRTS! POSTERS! CLASSIC SHORTS! OH MY! @JoelGHodgson’s latest #MakeMoreMST3K update reveals designs for some of the most popular rewards — plus a NEW BONUS CHALLENGE. More details: http://ks.mst3k.com/update16 
• Today’s #MakeMoreMST3K is an EXPLOSION of REVELATIONS: see our two new T-SHIRTS and two new POSTERS... if we complete Joel’s newest Bonus Challenges! Read up here: http://ks.mst3k.com/update16 
• In today’s update, get a first look at the two #MakeMoreMST3K t-shirt designs you'll get to choose from... or, maybe just get both? Gotta catch ‘em all! See the new shirts from @TheMikeNorton here: http://ks.mst3k.com/update16 
• Check it out: TWO NEW #MakeMoreMST3K POSTER DESIGNS revealed from @toddnauck & @askbotboy! Complete a new BONUS CHALLENGE before Friday’s telethon and GET THEM BOTH! Details here: http://ks.mst3k.com/update16