Monday, February 14, 2011

Help "My Dad the Giant"

"My Dad the Giant" is a work in progress, and has recently been accepted to the Mitten Movie Project. I am looking for funding to help me finish the film for its debut in September 2011. The film is 90% animated, with the rest of the time spent on rendering, doing backgrounds, sound, and composting. I am an independent animator, and a recent graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit Michigan. As you may imagine I don't have a lot of money for a film of this scope, and funding from people like yourself can help me purchase materials, paper, and ways of distributing my film to festivals.

"My Dad the Giant", is a personal film of mine, based on my relationship with my sister, and with my father. The story follows a young boy named Emilio, and son of the great fictional painter Brianelli. All Emilio wants is his fathers acknowledgment, and all Brianelli wants is to be left to his work. What follows is a series of miss-communications until both characters explode out of frustration. I've worked hard on this narrative for about a year. It has been on hiatus for a few months, until I got word that the Mitten Movie Project had seen a WIP of my film and was interested in showing it. I was overjoyed of course, but also realized that now I was faced with the challenge of finishing my film.

The film requires, due partly to my ambition and on how I want to tell the story, a lot of rendering and layers for each scene. Light for one plays a large role in how the story is told, and each animation has been an experimentation in combining illustrative techniques with fluid and believable character acting. The Mitten Movie Project is the first festival I will be premiering my film at, and I hope that will kick-start my films festival run. Other festivals I plan on submitting my film to are KAFI, and Ottawa. So I'm asking you for support in this goal, and I've put together some gift ideas in exchange for donations. From signed animation frames, concept art, and movie credits, to even a production booklet in which I can describe the unique experience it's been trying to create an independent animated film here in Michigan.

It's odd to ask for money like this, but if you feel like you want to help a recent grad get his first film to festivals, then I thank you for your donations and I hope to see you at the Mitten Movie Project in September of 2011.

Proof of concept is below in my first fully colored render!



Check out my pitch trailer here!



I was lucky enough to receive the Stratton Scholarship my senior year of college 2010, and to be interviewed about my project by Doug Stratton himself. Below is the description listed along with the interview which can be found at theStrattonfoundation.org.

This video will act as a way to help possible donors gain incite into the film and its production.



Taken from the Stratton Foundation website

WHAT CAN FILM TEACH US ABOUT FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS? "My Dad the Giant" is an animated film that poignantly shows the audience how sometimes we become too absorbed with our own concerns and overlook those in our family who may be reaching out for acknowledgment and support. Meet Patrick Stannard, a recent College For Creative Studies Entertaninment Arts graduate, and watch his film's trailer. Lean more at MyDadtheGiant.blogspot.com.

To Become a Part of "My Dad the Giant" Check out These Links!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/308950851/my-dad-the-giant

http://mydadthegiant.blogspot.com/