Over 6000 paintings come together to create an animation exploring life, death, rebirth, and the worlds beyond conception.
Note that the sound is just a placeholder so you can get the feel of the project. The actual sound will be done by artists James and Barbara Mckillop.
What if you watch a film and whenever you paused it, you faced a painting? This idea inspired me to make Samsara. Over 6000 paintings are in the process of being painstakingly produced to create a 5/6 minute animation of ones journey through the cycle of life.
Hi,
My name is Erica Farrel and I am putting up this project on kickstarter to help create and distribute my short animated film Samsara.
The theme of the animation is the cycle of life. It tells the story of a man who kills a fly that consequently becomes his own child's soul. The film will show my interpretation of the world beyond conception, beyond fact, or beyond fiction into the realms of the unconscious wanderings of the soul past death, and the struggle to then reenter life as a new physical being. My film explores these worlds and ideas through color, form, and vivid imagination.
I intend to show this piece as my thesis at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's final show. I hope to get an instilation room and loop the story with the entry/exit of a fly flying. Samsara will then will become an allegory on itself, taking the display/projection into the concept of the piece.
The film will land between 5 and 6 minutes and keep in mind that it takes 12-20 hand drawn/painted frames to complete one second of animation. In total there are 6000+ paintings/frames that will be in this animation by the end of the project. Most animations today are colored on the computer, but by hand it is a much more rigorous process. This is because each frame has slight variations from stroke size, to paint depth, to tone and hue that must be paid attention to, as well there is not a color pallet that one can just save on the computer. This hand done process will produce a gestural and beautiful animation, different from most, both in process and aesthetic.
From Samsara's humble beginnings as story boards, into its creation as drawings, into paintings, into scans, and into edits, it has developed into more then I could have hoped for. However I cannot complete this inspiring piece without your guy's help, and remember every donation, even a dollar, will make the difference.
Check out exactly where the money is going, info about the sound artists, international info, and film festival info in the FAQ's at the bottom of the page!
-Best Erica Farrel
background painting (top) still double rotoscope clips (bottom)
Background paintings
still clip (top) and painted pan background(middle) Unconscious Souls Concept Paintings. (bottom)
Pencil on paper.(this frame will be painted in acrylic) 16" by 24" when mounted. Available for a $125 donation
Poster available for a $10 donation. Actual painting 4' by 4' available for $1300
Drawing (Key Frame) Baby. Available for a 300 dollar donation framed.
(pencil on paper, 11" by 8,1/2" 2011)
View all gifts in external viewer!
To see some of my other animations and paintings please visit ericafarrel.com
FAQ
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I feel my project is unique in the animation community today not only because it is hand drawn, but because each frame is hand painted (not colored on the computer). Although it is edited on the computer it still holds a heavy wait in the hand seen rarely in animation today. Even though many animators today do hand draw their work they are scanned in, colored, and vectorized in Toonboom, Photoshop or After Affects. This process of mine takes time and patience to which I feel many have lost in the fast paced society of the animation world today.
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Treasure Teeth
I plan on hiring James Charles Elting-mckillop and his wife and coworker Barbara Marie Elting-Mckillop for the sound. They are both very talented musicians a have been based in London, but have recently moved to New York city. The last short film they worked on was Syncope, check out the preview at http://www.therearenotunnels.com/ to hear some of their sound work. Also visit their band page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Treasure-Teeth/180404882005046. I plan on making a track for the trailer soon with them and posting it on kickstarter.
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Materials
Paper/Pens ($50-100)
Pencils/erasers/smuggers/charcoal ($50-100)
New light table ($200)
Acrylic paint/Brushes ($100-200)
Processes
Color and black/white printing cost (hundreds of pages or more) for rotoscopping and painting original drawings($400)
Distribution
Upon completion, entering film into the festivals. (list of festivals in the FAQ's at bottom) (Each festival cost between $25 and $50 to enter)
Outside hiring/help
In addition I need funds to hire the sound artists ($300 or 24% of KickStarter funding) Treasure Teeth (more about in FAQ's) to create, edit, and manipulate the score/track for the animation.
If I raise enough or more I would like to hire an assistant as well, and fellow animator ($200), to help complete the project.
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Yes I do, international backers, please add: - $2 to your pledge of $10 and up - $15 to your pledge of $20 and up, $20 to your pledge of $125 and up, $25 to your pledge of $300 and up to cover shipping.
If you are donating over $750 please send me a message regarding the painting you are thinking about and we will work out an extra charge according to its size and weight.
Thank you!
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I plan on entering my film in a plethora of film festivals. Here is a list of some I have been thinking about. These are all in the US or Candida. I have not decided weather I should enter internationally or not. At the bottom are some international film festivals I have been looking into. All these festivals are orientated around film shorts or animation shorts. Some are student orientated, and some are for everyone. I am planning to enter in festivals that look at independent works, and also take into account that this project (at least so far) has been a solo endeavor. If you have any suggestion for festivals I have not mentioned and would be well suited for my film I would also like to hear them!
AFI FEST In California
Goya Award for Best Short Fiction
Goya Award for Best Short Animation
ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES [Student Academy Awards] in California. Although this may seem to be a long stretch, I hope to enter Samsara in anything possible.
They give five awards out ever year:
Gold Medal - Alternative
Gold Medal - Animation
Gold Medal - Narrative
Gold Medal - Foreign Film
ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL in Michigan
Best of the Festival
Lawrence Kasdan Award for Best Narrative Film
Gus Van Sant Award for Best Experimental Film
Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film
ASPEN SHORTSFEST in Colorado
Animated Eye Award
Best Comedy
Best Drama
Best Short Short
ATHENS INT'L FILM FESTIVAL Ohio
Best Narrative
Best Animation
Best Experimental
ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL in Georgia
Best Animated Short
Best Narrative Short
BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS [BAFTA] AWARDS (England)
Best Short Film
Best Short Animation Film
CARTAGENA INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Colombia)
Best Short Animation - Golden Catalina Indian
Best Short Fiction - Golden Catalina Indian
CHICAGO INT'L FILM FESTIVAL Illinois, USA
Golden Hugo for Best Short Film
CINEQUEST FILM FESTIVAL in California
Best Short Narrative
Best Short Animation
CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL in Ohio
Best Short Narrative
Best Animated Short Film
FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL in Florida
Best Narrative Short
Best Animated Short
GUANAJUATO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, EXPRESION EN CORTO (Mexico)
Best International Animation
Best International Fiction
www.guanajuatofilmfestival.com
LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL in California
Best Animated/Experimental Short Film
Best Narrative Short Film
37
Backers
$1,424
pledged of $1,250 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Sep 15, 2011 -
Oct 30, 2011
(45 days)
- First created · 3 backed
- Erica Stephens Farrel 542 friends
- Website: ericafarrel.com
Pledge $1 or more
4 backers
For donating just 1 dollar you get my love and thanks on my website.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2011Pledge $5 or more
0 backers
For donating just 5 dollars you get a digital still from the animation (JPEG high res), of your choosing, sent to you through email. These can be great for computer backgrounds, and to print and hang on your wall. Remember everything counts!
Estimated delivery: Dec 2011Pledge $10 or more
2 backers
For just a 10 dollar donation I will send you a physical Samsara poster (check it out), the emailed digital still image, and thanks and gratitude on my website.
Estimated delivery: Jan 2012Pledge $20 or more
6 backers
For donating 20 dollars or more I will send you a Blue ray or high definition (your choice) copy DVD of my project upon completion.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $30 or more
7 backers
For just a 30 dollar donation I will send you a Samsara t-shirt, a copy DVD (HD or blue-ray), a physical Samsara poster (check it out at http://jalbum.net/en/browse/user/album/1048059/), an emailed digital still image (for your desktop), and thanks and gratitude on my website.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $50 or more
3 backers
For donating 50 dollars or more I will send you a copy (HD or blue-ray). Also a signed DVD and hand drawn DVD cover.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $125 or more
6 backers
For donation of 125 or more I will send you a signed copy (HD or blue-ray) and a hand drawn and/or painted frame from my animation mounted
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $300 or more
0 backers
For donation of a 300 or more I will send you a signed copy (HD or blue-ray) with costume DVD cover, a hand drawn and/or painted frame from my animation mounted, framed, and signed. Plus you can email me the image you might like! Go here( http://airs928.jalbum.net/kickstarter-donation-gifts/) to view all donation gifts in external viewer!
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $500 or more
0 backers
For 500 or more you can get all that I mentioned above and producer credits. Your name will be hand drawn into the credits at the end of the film. Go here( http://airs928.jalbum.net/kickstarter-donation-gifts/) to view all donation gifts in external viewer!
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $750 or more
0 backers
For a donation of 900 and above you get a DVD, producer credits, and a medium sized painting of your choice that is incorporated from my animation, including shipping (only in USA). Paintings not included in the film are negotiable. Backers not located in the US must pay an extra $150 for shipping cost. Go here( http://airs928.jalbum.net/kickstarter-donation-gifts/) to view all donation gifts in external viewer!
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $1,300 or more
0 backers
For a donation of 1300 and above you get a DVD, producer credits, and a painting of your choice that is incorporated from my animation, including shipping (only in USA). Paintings not included in the film are negotiable. Backers not located in the US must pay an extra $250 for shipping cost. They are all pretty large paintings, so they cost a lot to ship. Negotiations for less can be made for un-stretched/cylinder tubed shipping, if you want to re-stretch it yourself upon arrival. All paintings are oil on canvas. Check out some of the paintings to your left and the video to view some of the pieces available. Go here( http://airs928.jalbum.net/kickstarter-donation-gifts/) to view all donation gifts in external viewer!
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012
