A month ago, Max Morey’s heart was heavy as he started each movie he had so meticulously selected for his patrons. He went through the motions like he had thousands of times in the past four years, placing the reel on the spool and lacing the film through a series of rollers, the muscle memory taking over as his mind wandered to the Crescent Theater’s impossible predicament.

The problem

They needed $75,000 in less than six months. The distributors Morey obtained his films from had begun to send him notices that the film industry would soon cease the production of 35mm film — like so many other industries, it is converting to digital. And theaters have to convert, too.

“There’s no specific date, but it’s gonna happen really fast,” Morey said. “Every single-screen, 35mm movie theater in America has to convert to a digital projector that is approved by the movie theater industry. Every single-screen theater in America has to either find $75,000 or close. Half of them are closing.”

Morey didn’t know where to start. The theater is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and it struggles to even pay its rent and staff every month.

Kickstarter

But Will Fawcett, the theater’s assistant manager, had an idea. He told Morey about Kickstarter, an online funding program for creative projects. Supporters pledge a minimum of $1, and after 60 days, the money is collected. It’s an all-or-nothing approach, so if the Crescent didn’t receive the full $75,000 in pledges, they would get nothing.

Morey was skeptical, but he agreed, and “Keep the Crescent” on Kickstarter was born Sept. 17.

The staff of Mudbrick Media, a local film production studio, volunteered to make the video on the Kickstarter page.

“The guys who made it put in really cool music and they put in what it takes to tug on your heartstrings, and it’s a really effective video,” Morey said. “They did it on their lunch break, and they did it for pizza and beer.”

With the combination of the well-made video, the Kickstarter effort and the community’s love for the theater, raising the money suddenly became plausible. Eleven days later, the project reached the $75,000 goal, and more pledges kept pouring in.

Today, 25 days before the project is funded, the Crescent’s supporters have pledged more than $82,000.

“(People funded the project for) clearly, one reason only: the passion for this theater and art films,” Morey said. “I think people are sick and tired of the multiplex. I can wait a month and get any film I want, and people will wait a month to see it here.”

Morey said he hopes to make even more improvements to the theater with the extra money people have pledged.

“If they keep giving, we can buy light bulbs (for the projector) and fix the broken seats,” Morey said.

Going digital

 With the digital system, theaters like the Crescent will no longer receive reels of film. Distributors will send movies on a rectangular hard drive, about the size of a cigar box, Morey said.

Morey and the Crescent’s staff plan to shut the theater down for a week during Mardi Gras and install the new projector and sound system.

“When we get the projector in February or March and get it installed, every single patron that wants to is going to go upstairs and look at it, touch it, feel it — it’s your projector; we’re just monitoring it for you,” Morey said. “It’s really become their theater.”

Morey said the conversion will save the motion picture industry $1 billion a year.

“It costs $1,500 for a studio to make one 35mm print,” he said. “It costs $150 for this. It’s really a smart move on their part, but it ends an era.”

The Crescent’s Future

Morey was recently notified by the Crescent’s landlord that in two years, the theater will have to find a new location, news that ultimately means the Crescent may be able to grow, he said.

Space 301, located on the corner of Conti and Jackson streets in downtown Mobile, already houses Centre for the Living Arts, but has more space available. Morey recently toured the space and is considering moving the theater there sometime in the next two years. However, no solid plans have been made, Morey said.

“We loved the interior of Space 301, it would easily accommodate a two-screen theater, but that space is valuable and they may already have a plan for it,” he said. “We're still in discussion about it and looking elsewhere, too. We still have two years left on the lease where we are now, so (there is) no immediate hurry.”

No matter where the Crescent ends up, Morey said he can’t imagine it ever shutting down after experiencing the recent outpouring of support.

“We’ve been told the Crescent Theater will never close — it will live on forever,” he said. “Every progressive city in America has an art house. Bottom line, they’re trying to develop downtown, and this is probably the best thing that’s happened downtown.”