Aussie fans help Rooster Teeth YouTube stars create movie history
WEB EXCLUSIVE: A film made by a group of YouTube stars known as Rooster Teeth will screen in Australia this week, and it is set to change how movies are made.
'Lazer Team' is being billed as the first successful crossover movie from YouTube thanks to donations from fanatical Aussie investors.
Move over Star Wars - This is the hottest film you've probably never heard of.
"[It’s] sort of a buddy sort of SciFi comedy with four idiots," Rooster Teeth’s Gavin Free said.
These ‘idiots’ usually do shows on video games and their 'Rooster Teeth' YouTube channels have 25 million subscribers.
It all started as fun online but it's turned into big business and it's a wake up call for mainstream cinema.
The Texans YouTubers raised more than $3 million to make Lazer Team: The Movie.
"Australia was the number one county outside of the US to contribute to the project," Rooster Teeth founder Burnie Burns said.
And that's why Sydney scored the red carpet treatment before the rest of the world.
"The more they donated the better the movie visually gets," Gavin said.
Lannan Eacott paid $10,000 to appear as an executive producer in the credits. He has 300,000 subscribers on YouTube.
"I make videos but I don't make movies so that was a really crazy experience - $10,000 well spent, definitely,” he said.
YouTube star Barbara Dunkelman said: "That's faith ... and that's dedication, and I think all of our fans have that."
But now they also have ownership in Rooster Teeth’s debut film.
