After the teaser trailer was released last year we were contacted by Toho’s legal representation in the United States. There have been several months of dialogue with Toho’s representatives since then, with information being exchanged between us, the attorneys and to Toho in Japan. The process was concluded late last year, and with all the details finalized, it’s time to share where everything landed with our supporters and fans.

The attorneys had become aware of the project after the teaser trailer and were looking to gather detailed information on the production and our intentions. The exchange was pleasant and cordial and we talked at length with the attorneys about the love we have for the character and reiterated to them that our intent was to simply produce Heritage as a 100% non-profit fan film funded and supported by fans.

The information was passed along to Toho and we were informed they appreciated our respect for the character and that the company’s intent was not to be punitive to fans; we were then presented with conditions that they wished us to abide by in balancing our desire to complete Heritage and Toho’s need to protect their intellectual property and avoid confusion in the market place.

The following conditions were discussed and presented:

- The film will not have Godzilla in the title.
- We would not make money from the film or commercially exploit it in any way.
- We would not register the copyright in the film.
- No physical copies can be made of the film in DVD, Blu-ray or any other format.
- A specific disclaimer must be used after the title.
- I will not create sequels to the fan film or produce/write/direct other Godzilla fan films.

And finally:

- The completed film will not be more than 50 minutes in length.
- The total cost of production will not exceed $50,000.
- We cannot raise any more funds from Kickstarter or other similar sites.
- No version of the film or trailer for the film will be posted on YouTube or any other site where it can be viewed by the general public.
- The film will only be made available for streaming through a secure online portal with access only to the backers who have financially backed the project.

Some of the conditions would be easy to adapt to. Others, we realized, would provide a greater challenge; such as the runtime and budget. Despite there always being a possibility of another crowdfunding campaign not reaching its goal, the real challenge is being unable to utilize Kickstarter to try and raise the funds to shoot the feature we had planned. It was also disappointing that we could not share new trailers or share the 20-minute preview freely.

We’ve reviewed the conditions carefully, and weighed accepting them against a possibility of having to stop working on the project or not being able to release anything after the years of hard work that have been poured into it by the cast, crew and backers. It was decided that the best way to finish the project in some capacity was to agree to the stipulations.

The plan for Heritage moving forward:

As private funding is the only way to raise money for the film if we were to move forward, we explored some options and reached out to contacts to see what we could do to. Understandably, most people are not willing to provide $50,000 without expecting a return. That’s not an option for a non-profit fan film. Because of this, it does not appear we’re going to be able to shoot an altered Heritage under the new guidelines as we had hoped.

Fortunately, we still have what we intended to be the 20-minute preview. Even though it was never intended to represent the final vision we had for Heritage, it can be edited into a short film and it is almost complete. That will be the final product.

In keeping with the guidelines, we will be dropping the Godzilla name from the Heritage title and we will no longer release any trailers or footage of the film. We will still release photos and behind the scene content, there will also be forthcoming changes to the Facebook page.

Finally, after the short is finished in April, we will create a secure online method for backers view the film.

Concerning our Kickstarter Backers:

When we began developing this project, we knew that to deliver a film of the quality we were aiming for, we’d need the support of the fans and utilize a platform such as Kickstarter to get the required funds. It was very important to us that if we were going to ask anyone for their money that we be completely accountable for every dime of the funds we received from our Kickstarter backers. We understand there have been other fan-backed crowdfunding campaigns that have fallen through where the backers’ money has not been returned. That will not be the case here. Our backers put their hard-earned money into this project and their faith. Returning that faith by refunding them their costs is simply the right thing to do to, and I take full responsibility for doing that. A full breakdown of the refund process for our backers has been posted in a backers updated on the Kickstarter page.

https://www.kickstarter.com/…/1…/godzilla-heritage-phase-one

If you supported Phase 1, you will receive an email notification. The Kickstarter page will also be updated with any future announcements concerning refunds for the backers.

Seven years working on this is a long time. A lot has happened, there have been countless ups and downs, and plenty to reflect on.

For many of us, the series goes far beyond political messages, the fun of the campier entries or its impact on popular culture. It means much more. And one of the best things about making this film has been sharing the “more” Godzilla means to many fans around the world with those of our cast and crew who had not been fans of the character and series. For me, Godzilla has been a huge part of my life since my father introduced me to the films when I was five years old. Godzilla was a bridge to people who became best friends and loved ones; he’s fond childhood memories and a Godzilla film is the last one I got to enjoy with my father before he passed away in 2015. Making Heritage only extended the impact the character has had on us.

We reconnected with old friends, met many new ones, and built new relationships. One of the driving forces behind our film took a job at a store with flexible hours to work on the project. That job is where he met his wife, and I had the privilege of being the best man at his wedding. In the same vein, one of our writers turned out to be the love of my life, and I get to wake up to her every day.

We shared small hotel rooms, had skype meetings with a crewmembers oceans and continents away and one of our Kickstarter backers went from being a total stranger to an executive producer and close friend after a 3-hour phone conversation. Before we knew it he was flying across the country to be on set or was crashing on the couch.

We all became a family.

As corny as much of that may sound, Godzilla has had a profound impact on the lives of his fans and our cast and crew is no exception. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the series, and this project has always and simply been about paying tribute to the love we have for the character.

Heritage started with a single idea on a drive down the highway and is ending as short film crafted by a wonderful international group fans and artists and over 200 passionate Kickstarter backers and producers who gave their time, energy and funds to see it come to fruition. Some of us hadn’t even made a film before diving into Heritage. It’s been a collaborative labor of love built from scratch and a wild ride from start to finish. Thousands of fans and page likes, interviews and articles on kaiju websites and Facebook pages, nods on Dread Central; It’s even an honor to be recognized in a capacity by Toho. We appreciate all the passion that’s been poured into what we were trying to do over the years by the fans, whether it’s been praise or criticism. It’s been great to engage with people all over the world and share this experience with them.

I wish we could have shared the preview with everyone as we had planned, and more than that, finish the film as we had intended, but currently, there is not an avenue to do that. For now, at least, we can finish something for our backers and appreciate Toho allowing us an avenue to do that. I sincerely apologize for any disappointment caused to the backers and those looking to contribute to the project through another crowdfunding campaign. Hopefully, we’ll be able to screen this at fan gatherings or conventions in the future.

I’d like to thank our executive producers/Kickstarter backers Cindy T., Cory C. and Tim Ryan for their huge moral and financial contributions and their understanding throughout the process, and moving forward. You are some of the most wonderful and generous people I’ve ever met; thank you for believing in this project. Thank you to our cast members Chris, Azumi, Colton, Misty and Tyler for the long hours and dedication. Thank you to Kyle Gilmore, our immensely talented DP and editor for your contributions and all the long plane flights to New York. It has been and will continue to be a pleasure working and learning from you in the future. Thank you to our immensely talented visual effects team of Aaron, Jessy and Christopher who worked miracles and long hours to create a ton of amazing effects and animated monsters. Thank you to our concept artists Joe and Elden who took the ideas we had on paper for the classic monsters we loved and brought them life with a fresh vision. Thank you to Marissa and Valerie for the wonderful work you did in turning a story into an amazing screenplay. Thank you to Chris M. for being a friend to myself, our crew and this project, your generosity, advice and help has been invaluable. Thank you to Rashaad for your contributions in helping to launch this monster movie to new levels and becoming a wonderful friend. And thank you to my brother Tim Schiefer, who was instrumental in turning an idea into an amazing story, who brought life into one of its most interesting characters and who has never been afraid to be completely honest with me, whether we agree on something or don't, and has always had my back regardless of the outcome. Finally, I’d like to thank the rest of the Kickstarter backers for their support and infinite patience. You helped make a life-long dream come true and you have my word that your contributions will be paid back in full and as quickly as possible.

Even though Heritage is perhaps reaching a stopping point, it is not the end. Too much time and effort has been put into this project to give up. As I said, we have assembled a wonderful group of people from all over the world, and though we may no longer be able to make a film with Godzilla in it, those people and the lessons we’ve learned throughout this project are quickly laying the foundations of an original film, and are creating the new creatures that will exist within it. On behalf of everyone on the cast and crew, thank you for everything…and stay tuned.

In a world of Gods and Monsters, there’s still a story to tell.

- Greg Graves