Kwil:
So... send them some money, and that way they can go to the sunny bahamas for a vacation location scouting, and should they happen to make a movie along the way, your name will be in the credits mushed in that "Would like to thank" along with 1500 other names?

Hmm.. on the other hand, I've also got this guy in Florida offering me a ground-floor opportunity to get in to help him build sky-scrapers on some recently purchased swampland.. at least he's offering a return.

That makes the idea sound pretty silly, whereas I actually agree with Malygris and with the people behind this film. I've seen it done occasionally before to great effect, and in fact my own university's film-making society, in which I am involved, is currently organising a fundraiser to put together a budget for our upcoming short project. That said, we should already have the money because you're meant to pay a fee to join any university union society which then goes towards the society budget, but as it happens I'm the only one who paid this year, even the committee didn't get around to it.

However, we're trying to organise a film screening in the student union then appeal for donations to the project, to get the budget together, so we're doing something similar in a way to what Malygris' article was talking about. It can be a good idea if it works, and as they said, it eliminates studio inteference and allows the film-maker to produce the film in their own way. Too many films and shorts are ruined by the studios making them nowadays, whereas there is a flourishing community of amateur cinematographers and art house films which are perfect places to use this idea.