If you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman‘s work, you’re probably already familiar with his short story The Price, about a family whose lives begin to change after a mysterious stray black cat takes up residence on their front porch. The story was originally published in Gaiman’s short story collection Smoke and Mirrors, and if you know Gaiman, then you know that this is no ordinary story about a cat.
Aspiring filmmaker Christopher Salmon has launched a Kickstarter project to raise the necessary funds to adapt The Price into a computer-animated film, which has the full support of Gaiman himself!
Salmon created an animatic for The Price, a storyboard mock-up of his vision for the adaptation, which you can watch it here below, and it’s a real treat, as Gaiman narrates it! The video also contains a message from Salmon regarding his aspirations for the film.
Trust me, once you watch it, you’ll feel like, if this is what Salmon can come up with just as a spec, imagine what he can do with the full project. You will want to see the entire project, it’s that compelling, and the beauty of it is, YOU can help to get this film made! That’s what the Kickstarter project is: Salmon needs to raise $150,000 for the project before the December 1, 2010 deadline, so anyone can donate to the cause, and for as little as $10.
The minimum donation of $10 gets you an online credit at the film’s site; higher donations will get you digital/DVD and/or Blu-ray copies of the film once it’s created, which contain exclusive interviews with Neil Gaiman; here’s also options that include stickers and limited edition posters and prints. For the ultimate fans who have the money to spare, there’s also signed copies of the film, gift packs, an “Associate Producer” credit (oh, how I wish I had the money for this one), and even an invite for two to the film’s premiere where you can sit in the VIP section with Gaiman and Salmon.
Again, a minimum of just $10 is all you need to donate to this project and help get the film created. You can follow Salmon’s production blog on his progress.
Here’s what Salmon said about his techniques for the project:
I am using a variety of different techniques to create a short CG film that has the feeling of a graphic novel come-to-life … more 2½D than typical 3D animation. Using richly designed and highly detailed 3D character models and environments, images will be beautifully rendered and ‘filmed’ with a virtual 3D camera. Atmospheric effects like lens flares, steam, dust and sunbeams, etc., along with other special effects will help add depth and texture to each scene; camera movements and focal lengths will also provide a distinctive cinematic look.
Salmon said he hopes to complete the film by Spring/Summer of 2011 and to enter The Price in several film festivals.
We wish him luck!
Video
[Source: via Neil Gaiman]
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