About this project
*Note* Our initial Kickstarter goal was set for 75K but since we have hit that and our initial stretch goal of 125k we are now looking to raise at least 200K as our next stretch goal. The more we raise, the better quality film we can deliver. A budget breakdown is included at the bottom this post.
Hair Love, is a 5 minute animated short film that centers around the relationship between an African-American father, Stephen, his daughter, Zuri and her hair. Despite having long locks, Stephen has been used to his wife doing his daughter's hair, so when she is unavailable right before a big event, Stephen will have to figure it out on his own. This sounds simple enough, but we soon come to find that Zuri's hair has a mind of its own.
This story was born out of seeing a lack of representation in mainstream animated projects, and also wanting to promote hair love amongst young men and women of color. It is our hope that this project will inspire.
I've had the idea for this project for a couple of years now, but it wasn't until I recently started coming across a lot of viral videos of black fathers interacting with their sons and daughters online that I finally had the confidence to try and make this a real thing. Below are great examples of some of the great viral videos I have come across in the past year:
Through this project, it is my hope that we can show a positive image of black fathers and their daughters, while encouraging natural hair and self-love throughout the world through the animated space.
CHARACTERS:
ZURI (Daughter)
STEPHEN (DAD)
ANGELA (Natural Hair Vlogger)
ROCKY (Pet Cat)
Meet the crew:
MATTHEW A. CHERRY (WRITER/CO-DIRECTOR)
This will be my first attempt at an animated project, but my 3rd Kickstarter campaign and I am super excited about this project. Previously, I directed two Live-action feature films: The Last Fall and 9 Rides, both of which premiered at SXSW, as well as, two Live-action short films: This Time and Forward, in addition to many music videos.
JASON MARINO (CO-DIRECTOR)
I will be co-directing this short film with the incredible 3D artist, Jason Marino. I came across his short film, Tamara on Twitter a few months ago and tracked him down so we could collaborate on this project. Check out his short film, Tamara below.
VASHTI HARRISON (CHARACTER DESIGNER)
Vashti Harrison is a remarkable artist and filmmaker in her own right. Vashti illustrated all of the 2D character designs featured in our Kickstarter campaign. Vashti is also ramping up to release her first children's book Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, which you can pre-order right here: https://t.co/m554qLrvi4. You can also check out some more of her work below
PETER RAMSEY (Executive Producer)
Peter Ramsey is a legend in the animation game, and we are so fortunate to have him be a part of this project as an Executive Producer. Peter was the first African American director to direct a big studio, feature-length, animated film, Rise of The Guardians, and he is currently co-directing Sony's new animated Spider Man film that will feature, Miles Morales for Sony. Peter, is also an accomplished story board artist.
FRANK ABNEY (Executive Producer)
Frank Abney is another legend in the animation game that we are super excited to have as a part of this project. Frank was named one of Variety's, 10 Animators to Watch in 2016. Frank has worked on projects such as, Big Hero 6, Frozen, Kung Fu Panda 3, The Boss Baby, and Coco and is currently working on the upcoming Incredibles 2, while continuing to develop his own projects and short films. Frank is a valuable asset to the team. He likes to work on projects that spotlight strong African-American characters and illuminate key events from African-American history.
MONICA A. YOUNG (Producer)
Monica Young has worked with me on all of my projects on the producing side and is another invaluable resource to the team. Emerging from the music industry, she has recently added film and TV producing to her repertoire. Monica is a super knowledgeable and experienced producer that will be helping to coordinate all of the music on the film, ranging from helping with composer selection to curating all other necessary music.
JEROME CALDWELL (Producer)
Jerome Caldwell was a producer on my latest feature film, 9 Rides and has been a resource on a lot of my prior projects. He is a great partner when it comes to producing and getting films done, and more than that he is a great person whose knowledge and expertise will be invaluable in getting this project completed, especially in the post-production phase.
VAUGHN GILL (Producer)
Vaughn Gill initially worked with me as the attorney for my first feature "The Last Fall." He served as one of the Executive Producers on my webseries "Almost 30" as well as my second feature "9 Rides." As a Producer, Attorney and a Father who has had the "Hair Love" experience his expertise will be tremendously helpful in completing this project.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN - 200k Stretch Goal
Storyboarding - 5k
3D Character Designs - 10k
Environment Design - 10k
Visual Development On Characters & Environments (Plus Color Script) - 10k
Character Modeling, Texturing, and Rigging - 10k
Environment Modeling & Texturing - 10k
Hair, Fur, and Clothes animation - 15k
Lighting/Rendering/Compositing - 10k
Animation - 15k
Editing - 10k
Sound Design & Music Composition - 10k
Animation Producer - 10K
VFX - 5K
Business & Legal Expenses - 25k
Kickstarter Gifts & Shipping - 25k
Kickstarter Fees - 20k
CONCLUSION
We have our goal set for $75k, but we are now trying to raise $200K or more to make this project at the highest quality level we can make it. The more we raise, the more people we can hire to work on it. We are aiming to do it in the same vein as other Pixar animated, short films, and as we all know animation is more costly than traditional Live-action projects and every little bit helps. Thanks so much for checking this project out, and I hope you'll help to support it. Sincerely, thank you.
-Matthew A. Cherry
Risks and challenges
The biggest challenge with the project is going to be managing the pipeline of the animation work. As you all know animation is a huge undertaking and most animated hollywood films cost around a million dollars a minute to produce. We are confident that with our partner's at Nimble Collective that we will be able to manage the work flow and hire some great animators to get this project done in a fairly short period of time.
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