Colin Hanks Uses Kickstarter to Help Fund His Tower Records Doc (Video)

12:31 AM PDT 6/2/2011 by Jem Aswad

Comments (14)

Matt Carr/Getty Images

Colin Hanks

"We are approaching this as a passion project, and as such are dedicated to making this film as cost effective as we can," writes the actor, who says donations will go towards "the nuts and bolts of filmmaking."

The story of seminal music chain store Tower Records, which filed for bankruptcy in 2006, is ripe for telling, and of all people, Tom Hanks' actor son Colin is the one who wants to tell it.

True to his subject, he's taking the DIY route by seeking funding on Kickstarter for his film All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records. The project has been in the works for several years, but got a fresh burst of media attention (and funding) when Tom tweeted about it on Tuesday. "This will make a great docu, and I'm a fan of the film maker! Do U miss LP's? I do," wrote the elder Hanks, who has more than 2 million Twitter followers.

In a video on the project’s Kickstarter page, Colin tells the story of Russ Solomon and Tower, which was born in 1960 and not only grew into a billion-dollar business and changed the face of music retail, but, as Hanks puts it, became " 'the place' to escape for a few hours; a sanctuary, a haven. Tower Records was a place to meet your friends, your co-workers or a place to meet new friends who shared a common love of music, literature and all things cultural."

Colin Hanks presumably could have dipped into some family fund to finish this film, which certainly isn't going to bring in billions at the box office, but the "communal effort" that is the Kickstarter exercise does seem to be working: at press time, he was more than halfway to his $50,000 goal, with 42 days to go. "We are approaching this as a passion project, and as such are dedicated to making this film as cost effective as we can," Hanks writes. "We are trying to do this grassroots."

What do you get for your investment? A $5 donation entitles you to a “special ‘Thank You’” in the credits. For $500, you and a friend receive two tickets to the world premiere of the movie, slated to take place in Sacramento, where the very first Tower opened its doors. A pledge of $2,000 translates to a private screening in Los Angeles, along with autographed accoutrements.

Check out the Kickstarter clip below: