'Sharknado 2' Needs Your $50,000 for Chainsaws, Shark Rescue

By Helen A.S. Popkin

Chainsaws ain't cheap, kids! So if you want to ensure peak power-tool action used against CGI sharks, you're going to have to pay up — $50,000, to be exact.

That's the amount the producers behind "Sharknado 2: The Second One" say they need to raise via crowdfunding site IndieGoGo to get that bonus scene featuring "chainsaws being used in the vicinity of sharks."

Asylum

You all saw "Sharknado" on Syfy last summer, but what you might not have known is that a tiny little studio called The Asylum actually made the movie.

"Thank you for making 'Sharknado' the most culturally relevant movie for 2013," producer David Latt says in video plea f or extra funding. Now viewers are invited to get in on the action before the next waterspout of deadly man-eaters hits the SyFy Channel in July.

What sets "Sharknado 2" apart from arguably egregious crowd-funding art projects, such as Zach Braff's "I Wish I Was Here," the "Veronica Mars" movie and the $1 million raised by Neil Gaiman's wife, Amanda Palmer, to fund an album and tour for which she asked musicians to perform for free? Professional integrity, obviously!

Fans can can rest assured, this sequel is happening. It's mostly filmed. And as co-star Tara Reid recently told NBC News, it features "maybe thousands" of sharks, even if you don't pony up. Further, the "Sharknado 2" crew is completely transparent on how this fan-supplied $50K will be used:

• The crew, the equipment, and all the other nuts and bolts we need to film it.
• Chainsaws.
• Special effects (specifically sharks, sharks, and more sharks).
• Shark conservation — if we r each our goal, we'll even be able to "adopt" a shark! (Ten percent of the money raised goes to the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program which aids real sharks.)

Less responsible films about sharks, such as "Jaws," are blamed for giving the creatures bad PR, so it's good to see the "Sharknado" guys giving our 10 percent toward making the water safe again ... for sharks. And as with all crowdfunded projects, there's swag commiserate with your contribution, ranging from a social media shout-out ($15) to an Associate Producer credit and a VIP trip to the red carpet premiere ($25,000). Notably, the $50 contribution required to receive the screenplay is already sold out.

First published April 14 2014, 1:24 PM