Kickstarter

The Paper Prince is a story about the young and unusual friendship between Emile and Arthur.

THE SYNOPSIS

Arthur is a young boy who tries to spend his days wandering around, exploring what interests him. Unfortunately, most of his attempts to go outside in the world generally result in injury. For a boy made of paper, he is especially and predictably delicate. This greatly hinders his ability to make friends.

Emile is a dance prodigy and spends most hours of the day in the studio. His ballet company prepares for an upcoming production, and Emile pushes himself to the limit practicing.

By chance, Arthur gets a glimpse of Emile dancing and becomes irrevocably fascinated by his skill and drive. When Emile injures his leg, the two become close friends. Arthur stays with Emile in the hospital, and after Emile recovers, he tries to show Arthur that the world can be a safe and exciting place.

However, the boys learn that not everyone is ready to accept Arthur, and in the end, Emile must make a dramatic decision about how much their friendship means to him.

THE PROJECT

The Paper Prince will be a short film shot on Super 16mm (or 16mm, TBD) thanks to an amazing donation from KODAK and the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Due to the fact that it is my final thesis project, the school will also be providing all of the equipment for free. Therefore, I am very grateful to have the opportunity to pursue and finish this project by the end of spring.

As for Arthur specifically, I am hoping to make a larger-than-life-size, realistic paper head for an actor to wear. I will also make paper hands so that Arthur will appear to be made entirely from paper. With computer graphics added in post-production, Arthur will have responsive facial expressions, and cinematically, will be a living, active character (who happens to be made from paper).

THE PEOPLE

I'm lucky to have so many talented people also involved in this project. Please look them up because they're all unbearably gifted! :)

SPECIAL EFFECTS ARTIST : Andrew Finch 3D ARTIST : Matt Vana SOUND DESIGN : Andrew Swanson aka St. Andrew MUSIC COMPOSER : Daniel Kaufman aka Plant Magic Man COLORIST : Greg Cotten PRODUCER : Ossie Kishlanski CINEMATOGRAPHER : Jordan Black EDITOR : Sean Shao Chi Yap PRODUCTION DESIGN : Joseph Carnegie SCRIPT SUPERVISOR : Natalie Walters CHOREOGRAPHERS : Zak Ryan Schlegel and Jamie Donovan

THE FINANCES

I am funding most of this film myself (with the money I have happily set away since high school). The total cost will be about $5000. Half of the funding will go towards bringing Arthur to life. It will pay for the digital effects team as well as the 3D artist modeling the paper head. The rest will go towards paying for locations and paying the set teacher (with child actors, safety is especially important, next to fun and games).

THE REWARDS

Your support, literally, means everything because without it, everything about this project would not exist. Please take a look at the rewards offered (to the right), and hopefully you'll find something that interests you (beyond just the project). I am also open to suggestions, so if there is something you especially want out of supporting this project, please let me know! :)

KICKSTARTER (and why you might/might not care)

Kickstarter allows for an amazing opportunity and platform to not only reach people potentially interested in The Paper Prince but also to support other great artists and creators. If you have any questions about Kickstarter, please go here : https://www.kickstarter.com/help/faq

Kickstarter allows for all-or-nothing funding, so if The Paper Prince does not reach its goal in time, you won't be charged. It is a great way to get people to be involved and excited about this project.

If this is a story you're interested in and would want to see succeed as a film, I happily (and gratefully) invite you to be a part of the process.

I am excited to do all that I can to make this project happen, and with your support, I have no doubts that it will.

Thank you so much for everything (especially for reading until this point).