Transylvania Television creators Michael Heagle and Gordon Smuder are creating retro-monster comedy with puppets. Parents beware, though — this stuff is not for kids! The show’s rowdy cast of characters are crass, mischievous, mildly demented … and funny as hell. Just check out their project video (above) for proof! Michael and Gordon are using Kickstarter to help fund a 60 minute Transylvania TV Halloween special, and backers will be helping bring to life characters like “Furry the party Yeti” and “the somewhat morally ambiguous Pumpkin Prince.” We can’t wait!
Read our Q&A with co-creator Gordon below. Support the series here.
TVTV has some extremely interesting characters — how do you and your partners come up with them? Do you come up with the puppet and then build the character as you use it? Or do you build the puppet to look like an already conceived character? Or…?
So far its been an extremely organic process. In the case of LeShoc or Furry or Dwayne, they were all existing puppets I had built. We simply applied them to a scenario. The personalities came mostly from the performers. If you watch the pilot episode, you can almost sense the emptiness behind the characters. But they have all grown quite a bit since that time. We’re all pretty comfortable with them now.
Batfink was originally going to be called Ratbat. Literally a rat who wanted to be a bat. That gag got shifted into the pilot when we did “Babushka Buzz” and Esmerelda interviewed a rat who was having self-esteem issues. So our beatnik, gearhead, Hawaiian shirt-wearin’ Irving Batfink was a character that sprung out of a need in the pilot script.
We have several characters waiting in the wings, so to speak. There’s a demon and a lady mummy and a nuclear movie monster as well as our swamp hag. All of these guys just haven’t found a way to insert themselves into the flow of things. The puppets exist, but we haven’t found definitive personalities for them yet. Some have been seen already (if you watch the fund drive video you’ll see our Lady Mummy… Kim Ho-Tep and the nuclear movie monster…Gorzon the Cosmic Destroyer).
A puppet show for adults is unusual — but awesome! What fueled the decision to do this with puppets?
Co-producer Michael Heagle and I are both puppet fans. He had just finished up an independent movie called “Planetfall” and was at my place and noticed the puppets I had built. He asked if I’d ever thought about a film project with them. Of course, I had! But I’m not schooled in the making of film. I’m a puppeteer and a prop builder. So the agreement that he’d handle everything behind the lens and I’d handle everything in front of the lens was struck. Of course, he ended up playing Dwayne in the final equation, but he’s still doing a terrific job directing and editing.
But being a fan of (here it comes!) Jim Henson, I couldn’t get it out of my head that he’d fought his entire career to bring puppetry into a place where it would be accepted as an adult entertainment form, too. Like animation has moved in the last decade or so, I wanted to produce something that would be strictly for grown-ups.
There have been several good, but short-lived puppet offerings for adults including Greg The Bunny, Crank Yankers, and Avenue Q as well as the venerable tv series DC Follies. But I figure the only way to get past the stigma is to keep trying!
What are “Shrinky Dinks”? (Editor’s Note: A reward available for backers beginning at the $20 level.)
Back in the 1970’s there was a toy/activity set called “Shrinky Dinks” (which is probably copyrighted). You would trace cartoon pictures onto a clear plastic sheet and color them with colored pencil. Then you’d put the plastic sheet in an oven and the heat would cause the plastic to contract…turning your flimsy drawing into a perfectly shrunken plastic chip. As part of our “retro-ness,” we’re going to give certain donors a custom set of “TVTV Shrinky Dinks”. Images you can trace onto the shrink plastic provided to make your own cool retro TVTV art.
Any favorite episodes so far? Favorite character and why?
I perform Furry Ackermonster… so I’m a little biased, but I’m also very happy and proud of all the good character work that our “fleece animators” have been up to. I don’t think there’s a character that I don’t like. As for episodes? I think so far my favorite is “Another Word For Tits.” Its got a peppy pace and a great punch line at the end. Good editing and performance too.
Any good anecdotes from making the series thus far?
Being the rebel I am, I’m particularly fond of the fact that we got our first piece of crank hate mail the other day in the form of a review on YouTube. Evidently some people get confused by the description we have on every one of our YouTube video postings that says “The Retro-Monster Comedy That’s Really Not For Kids!”. This guy was evidently letting his 4 year old cruise YouTube for funny stuff to watch. When he heard our sketch called “Bat’s Butt” (which has plenty of casual mention of anal intrusion) he felt it was his moral duty to sit right down and cuss a blue streak at us and accuse us of using “children’s puppets” to spread “filth” on the internet. As soon as he can define for me exactly what “adult’s puppets” would be, I’ll be happy to adjust the show so that we never spread filth in the improper fashion again.
How has your use of Kickstarter been so far?
Actually, Kickstarter has been amazing. You guys have provided a tremendous resource for legitimizing individual fundraising. The interface for posting your project pretty much covers everything we needed. I’ve actually fielded a dozen or more questions about Kickstarter from friends asking if it really is as easy as it seems. And the answer (assuming you have your crap together and have a clear vision and purpose for your project and get invited to Kickstarter) is YES!
Closing thoughts?
Just that I’ve been completely blown away by the response so far. And we’ve only just begun! Thanks to everyone who’s stepped up and thanks to Kickstarter for giving us this opportunity! Lets keep it rollin’!!
There’s been a world of awesome happening over in our “Recently Launched” section lately. With so many new, cool projects going up every day — it’s getting tough to keep up! Check out some of my favorite picks from this week, below.
Outlaws of the Border is a small, NY-based fashion label raising funds for their Spring/Summer 2011 Collection. I love designer Lindsay’s direct, personable approach here — her goals are clear-cut, creative, and focused, her project video is adorable, and her rewards include awesome stuff like a fabric grab-bag. What’s not to love?
“A Klingon Christmas Carol” kind of explains itself, right? But just to emphasize: This is the legendary Dicken’s tale presented entirely in the Klingon language by actors dressed as Klingon’s. It might as well be called the “Could-This-Possibly-Be-Any-Cooler? Show” — you don’t even have to be a Trekkie to be into it!
Bonjour Felicity is the story of an ordinary working girl who daydreams about making it big on Broadway. I love their project video: it’s charming, unique, and has a pretty unbeatable punchline.*
The Adults in the Room is the complex and difficult story of a young man’s relationship to an older, closeted lover. I was intrigued by filmmaker Andy Blubaugh’s approach: he filmed the story as part narrative feature and part making-of documentary, something that could sound confusing until you watch his very well-crafted and thought-provoking pitch video. Add to that a set of solid rewards, and this makes for an all-around awesome project.
In our most recent podcast I spoke with Famulus, a hacker and developer who is building an open source fusion reactor (his project ended just yesterday). Early in the life of his Kickstarter project, Famulus was contacted by a Dutch energy investor, and the two discussed potential investment that stretched well into the millions. As Famulus explained, the investor came upon his project while browsing Kickstarter looking exactly for something exactly like what he was doing.
As fantastic as the fusion story is, it’s not uncommon. Just yesterday the journalist and cartoonist Ted Rall shared some big news in a project update: if his project to send him to Afghanistan is successfully funded, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux (a major publisher) will publish a book collecting his reporting from the trip.
In Rall’s case there’s more to his story than the Kickstarter project (he is an accomplished journalist with several published books under his belt), but the project was the impetus for submitting his goal into the world. As his potential publishers correctly surmised, $20,000 worth of support from people like you and me signals clear interest in Rall, the subject matter, and even funding journalism in this format.
Several film projects have had similar experiences, and we had another great example just two days ago. Mattson Tomlin is the 19-year-old filmmaker behind Solomon Grundy, a film project that has done well on the site. In a project update over the weekend, Tomlin revealed that one of the people behind the Oscar-nominated Revolutionary Road, Henry Fernaine, had come on board as producer.
To have a seasoned veteran helping to steer the work of a first-time filmmaker will be a tremendous asset for Tomlin. And while we aren’t privy to all the details, certainly seeing Tomlin’s ambition and vision be publicly validated by his audience impacted the decision (Tomlin also once interned at Fernaine’s production studio). It illustrates how easily Kickstarter can help bridge new modes of funding and traditional channels — they are far from incompatible.
Getting discovered isn’t just for successfully funded projects, either. Back in December a project named Betacup -– whose aim was to crowdsource a new, sustainable coffee cup –- ended short of its goal. As the project was ending, creator Toby Daniels received an inquiry from an unexpected source: Starbucks, who wanted to fund the project themselves (to the tune of $20,000), with the goal of using only reusable/recyclable cups by 2015. Not only did Daniels get the money that he hoped for, but he also got Starbucks to sign-on to a more sustainable future.
There have been dozens more examples like these. Projects that attract ambient support simply by existing, by putting their ideas out into the world. It’s amazing stuff. If your project has had experiences like this, get in touch! We’d love to share your story.
The Apology Line is a collaborative, interactive art project by Will Bridges and James Lee, who set up a free, UK-based phoneline where people could call in and leave anonymous apologies. Although initially afraid that nobody would call, Will and James found themselves with a problem quite the opposite. The phone rang non-stop. As it turns out, people were using the line to apologize for EVERYTHING — from the silly (stealing chocolates as a young boy) to the quite serious (having an affair with a married man) to the truly outrageous (you’ll have to listen to find out).
Will and James have shared a special video compilation of their favorite apologies with us (see above). Listen, then check out our awesome Q&A with Will below. Support the project here.
How did you come upon the idea? What inspired you?
The idea actually came from an American artist called Allan Bridge. In 1980 he set up the Apology Project — a telephone line in New York offering people to ring and leave their apologies and listen to others. Unfortunately the project ended when Allan tragically passed away in an accident in 1995. We thought the idea behind the project was just too fascinating to not continue so decided to create and launch our own version. We did this across the UK and now we want to “bring it home” and launch it across the US. Hopefully this will be a fitting tribute to Allan, we know he was keen for people to continue the project.
Were you expecting the response you got? Any all-time notable calls that really surprised you?
To be honest we were terrified no one would call at all! We waited with baited breath for the phone to start ringing. Luckily, and surprisingly, it did ring and on some days didn’t stop! It seemed people really appreciated an opportunity to get something off their chest, apologise and share their guilt without someone answering back or immediately judging them.
There were a few calls that did and still have a very strong resonance with us. The lady apologising to Reverend Peel (as can be heard in the film) still to this day leaves us speechless and stunned.
Where would you like this to go from here?
We have always wanted to create and tour an Apology Line installation and exhibition. To provide an opportunity for people to come and hear, read, interact and share in all of our guilt and then leave their own apologies before they leave. It would be a beautiful thing. Maybe at a later stage we would like to create an Apology Line book and possibly another follow up film. First we really need to expand the project and get people calling the line so we need to set up an actual U.S. phone line and get the number out there.
What do you hope people will take from the project?
We all feel regret, guilt and have the desire to apologise to certain people in our life but often circumstance, events or emotions have prevented us from doing so. The Apology Line offers an opportunity to anonymously get something off your chest and maybe find a cathartic release in doing so. Maybe you want to apologise to someone but can not bring yourself to do it in person or maybe they have passed on. Maybe you just need to share your burden of guilt — “a burden shared is a burden halved.”
In brief, Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo is a documentary about bugs. Before you say “Eeeww!” — it is also, according to filmmaker Jessica Oreck, “a labyrinthine meditation on nature, beauty, philosophy, and Japanese culture [that] might just make you question if your ‘instinctive’ repulsion to bugs is merely a trick of Western conditioning.” Gotcha! But regardless of your opinion on creepy-crawlies, Beetle Queen’s in-depth examination of Japan’s relationship to the insect will captivate. “[It] allows us to directly connect with other human beings,” Jessica explains. “Even if their actions may seem somewhat alien. And through that connection, not only do we learn about other cultures, but we are also encouraged to reevaluate our own perceptions and interactions with the natural world.” Pretty cool!
Check out the rest of our Q&A below, wherein Jessica discusses her inspirations, ethnobiology, and super top-secret beetle hunting spots. Support her project here.
Where did inspiration for this idea come from?
I’ve always wanted to make ethnobiological films –- films about the way cultures interact with the natural world. The first time I heard about the Japanese love of insects, I was assisting in a classroom at the American Museum of Natural History a few months before my graduation from University. I knew, right away, that I was going to make a movie on this topic, and I started doing research the moment I got home. I couldn’t find anything in English on the subject, however, so I was forced to kind of put the idea aside in my head. And then, just two days later, my sister was in an airport in Baltimore sitting next to a cute Japanese man. They struck up a conversation and he mentioned he was an entomologist; she said, “My sister’s an entomologist!” and put us in touch. When I told Akito [Kawahara] that I wanted to make a movie about Japan’s enthusiasm for insects, he said, “Cool, we’ll stay at my parents’ house and I’ll introduce you to all of my entomologist friends.” It wasn’t quite as easy as all that, of course, but it really did feel like the stars were aligning.
Were you “icky” about insects prior to making this movie? Curious to know if and how your relationship to the little guys has changed.
I have always loved bugs – that’s part of the reason I wanted to make this movie. When I heard that this entire culture loved insects as much as I did, I felt like it was my calling.
This film is about a lot more than “bugs” — Japanese culture, philosophy, nature — did the aim of your film evolve to be more broad upon your exploration of the subject matter? Or did you go into it with a bigger picture mind-set from the beginning?
It was never my intent to make a straight-laced nature documentary. In a way, I feel like there isn’t really room for that any more. I idolize David Attenborough, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t interested in presenting a glossy, idealized version of nature where humans aren’t factored in. There isn’t a place on this planet that we haven’t affected, so we can no longer leave ourselves out of the equation. However, I also knew I wasn’t interested in making an environmental film –- instilling fear and guilt.
Ethnobiology is the perfect medium for the kinds of ideas I want to get across. It allows us to directly connect with other human beings, even if their actions may seem somewhat alien. And through that connection, not only do we learn about other cultures, but we are also encouraged to reevaluate our own perceptions and interactions with the natural world.
So, yes, I knew early on that the film was going to be about more than just bugs. But as my research deepened, I realized how closely tied I was, emotionally, to the Japanese people and I developed a better sense of which aspects were really going to shine through in the film.
What do you hope that your audience will take away from your film? What kind of reactions have people had so far?
The reactions have been really positive, thankfully. Because the film is so multi-disciplinary, it attracts a wide range of audiences. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from the entomological community, of course, but I’ve also had a number of experiences that I hadn’t anticipated, from sharing several group hugs with some stoners in Canada to having a wonderful conversation with a World War II veteran at a screening in Louisiana, which you can read more about on our Kickstarter page. Different people seem to connect with different aspects of the film -– it is exceedingly rewarding to hear all of these diverse reactions.
Any unusual and/or unexpected anecdotes from filmmaking? You must have crossed paths with a lot of interesting people!
It is hard to pick just one, but one of my favorite experiences was a night hunt on Mount Fuji. We made arrangements to follow one of our subjects to his favorite beetle hunting ground, which had to be kept very hush-hush because the hunting is so competitive. Following behind him in our car, we would have sworn he was trying to lose us -– swerving across the winding roads at nearly 45 miles an hour. When we finally arrived, it was breathtaking. The lights set up for the beetles had also attracted a group of lepidopterists collecting moths. The moths were so dense it was difficult to see, and the fog was incredibly beautiful in the lights. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie as well, but the experience of actually being there –- enjoying hot ramen and cookies with these hard-core collectors -– was pretty unforgettable.
How has your use of Kickstarter been so far?
Hmm… This is a tough one. I am really excited to be part of this thing, and I think the site and the format are great, but I had hoped that my friends and family were going to show a little more enthusiasm. At the same time, I am extremely grateful to those who have already pledged, and to Kickstarter itself. It’s a great opportunity for any filmmaker or artist -– I just hope I’m able to raise the money and take full advantage.
Artist Laura Brown combines poetry and art with her letter-pressed postcards, prints and chapbooks. Each features the work of a contemporary Midwestern writer on one side, and a hand-printed piece of her own art on the other. Inspiration for the idea struck while she was attending a reading for poet MC Hyland — she found one of the pieces so striking that she turned it into an art-print. And the concept only grew from there. “Since my prints deal with the Midwestern landscape and architecture, I was really drawn to poems that had to do with that,” Laura explained to us. “I knew there were other local poets whose work I also liked and would fit with the project. Six seemed like a doable number of poems to work with, so I chose six poets.”
Laura, who will be completing the project during her four month residency at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, has already been hard at work with her letter-press (that’s an original piece of hers, above). She’s not sweating the job, though: “I find myself staring at a huge mountain of a project, but that is exactly the challenge and excitement I go for… I see it as a huge step toward what I really want to be doing and I’m really thrilled to have the opportunity!”
Check out some more shots from her works-in-progress below. Support her project here.
For those of you heading down to Austin in the next week for SXSW Interactive and Music, here’s where you can find us.
First off, we’re throwing a party with Tumblr, Soundcloud, and some other TBA folks. It’s at Emo’s on Saturday, March 13th from 6:30pm until late. Definitely stop by there and say hello!
In terms of panels and presentations, there are several featuring members of the Kickstarter team.
Courtney McClean and the Dirty Curls have just posted a hilarious video of themselves counting down their project’s last few seconds in (extremely loud) unison. Wait until you see what happens when the clock hits zero — it makes New Years Eve look like a trip to the public library. Celebrate good times, y’all!! And while you’re at it, watch the group’s jubilant antics in their entirety here.
Famulus’ project took an odd twist last week when he posted a project update called “Close Encounter With an Investor.” The fascinating post carefully details his conversations and email exchanges with a Dutch energy investor who was interested in bringing serious funding to Famulus’ research. At one point the investor asked him how much money he needed to really bring the project to fruition. Famulus replied:
“Full realization of a break-even reactor will require $200M+. Full commercialization will require another ~$200M. Successful development and commercialization will lead to net income on the order of $100B/year.
Year 1: Tackle small-scale research. < $1M Year 2: Build a sub-break-even superconducting reactor running p-11B continuously with a single cell of direct energy conversion. $11M Year 3: Build-out of break-even reactor. $100M Year 4: Build-out and operation of break-even reactor. $100M Year 5: Begin commercialization. $200M Year 6: IPO”
A $412 million project — a Kickstarter first!
In the end the investor declined, and Famulus’ experiments are on hold until the Kickstarter project ends. (He needs to buy a couple hundred dollars’ worth of parts.)
Our conversation was awesome. It was hard not to be impressed by his smarts, knowledge, and passion. And he said that Kickstarter played a huge role in this quest. As he remarked, “Kickstarter allowed me the avenue to say ‘I need money’ in an appropriate way.”
Student filmmakers Steve, Flor and Michael shot the twelve episode run of Superhero: The Unofficial Web Series using a mixture of live action sequences, stop-motion animation, and 2-D hand-drawn backgrounds. They refer to their unique approach as creating “a living comic book” — let the five year old in us all rejoice! — and their Kickstarter project will secure them the funds to complete post-production. Despite being on a self-imposed work-around-the-clock schedule to complete the series, director/producer Steve was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about the current state of superheroes, rejection letters, and mixed-media filmmaking.
I have been a fan of Superheroes since I was old enough to tie a towel around my neck to serve as an impromptu cape. The idea that a person decides to take what they’ve got, whether it be special abilities, money, or otherwise, and dedicate them to the greater good is really interesting to me. Everyone has a special gift — whether you use it to rule the world or to serve it determines whether you get the label “hero” or “villain.”
What inspired your use of mixed-media? I imagine it’s been a challenging medium to work in — how has it compared to “traditional” filmwork for you?
Mixed media animation has always interested me, and when we were conceiving the project, we knew we wouldn’t have the money to go to a farm and an office or build a full robot and crystal fortress, so we needed to find a creative and cost effective way to bring the story to life. 3D animation is great, but we really wanted to make this look as unique as possible, and having actual miniatures and puppets will really fit into our comic book style. In terms of workflow, stop motion animation is very time consuming, so it takes about as long as computer graphics. The only difference is once our stop motion elements are shot, they need to be composited into the existing shots, so in the end it takes a little longer. But the end result is different, and very worth it. All in all, we wanted to use our low budget as an advantage, and utilize it to think creatively rather than allowing our budget to stop us from telling our story.
Any cool anecdotes from the filming you’ve done so far?
We brought in some extras for an action scene that takes place in the pilot in a bank, and one of the older actors didn’t check his email before arriving on set. He walked into our studio space, saw lots of green material, guys with guns, but no bank. He was very confused. “Where’s the vault door?” “That green box.” I said. “What about the exploding wall?” “You’re looking at it. Use your imagination!” Needless to say, he was very confused.
Best rejection you’ve ever gotten (you don’t have to answer this)?
Rejection is a funny thing — they say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger; well in this instance, what didn’t kill our Web Series made us more determined! After we wrapped principal photography on the series, Flor (my producing partner) and myself left the country on another project, and we left our series in the hands of a very capable artist. Due to the remote areas we were working in, our access to computers was limited, so we could only assume the work was moving along without a hitch. Upon returning (almost five months later) I called up the artist to see if we had a rough cut, as was his goal. I’ll never forget the phone call — “Yea…I don’t have time to finish this. Sorry guys.” By finish, he meant “do more more than three shots.” So we were back to square one, but were resolved to find new, better artists. And sure enough, once buzz got going for the series, I reached out to artists/fans around the world who will be working on the project remotely, and their work is far beyond what I could have imagined. And we’re still looking! Success is the greatest revenge I guess…
If you could have a superpower, what and why?
If I could have a superpower it would definitely be super-speed. If you could go really, really fast, it would negate any other powers — you could walk on water, move out of the way of bullets, be basically invisible — it would also be really helpful when it comes to making deadlines… How has your use of Kickstarter gone so far?
Kickstarter has been an unbelievable asset to our production — after uploading our materials to the site, we found a huge outpouring of support — both financial and otherwise — that really reminded us why we’re making the project in the first place: for superhero fans everywhere. Our ability to connect directly with people who want to see the project come to life is invaluable, and we would never have been able to finish this without having Kickstarter in our corner.
Closing thoughts?
The most amazing part of the experience so far has been fans who email us and say “Hey — I don’t really have money to help right now, but good luck! I’m pulling for you!” Honestly, support (the non-financial kind) from people like that is what reminds us why we do this — from one fan to another, we appreciate people taking the time send the thumbs up. We had (and are still having) so much fun making this series, and we hope people have as much fun watching. Up, up, and away!
Tonight is Jens Pulver’s big mixed martial arts fight, the centerpiece of Gregory Bayne’s documentary that was recently funded on Kickstarter and likely the last fight of Pulver’s career.
For the project’s backers, the past week has been amazing. Bayne has been posting images like the ones above and below as Pulver goes through his final training. (Note that all of the project’s updates have been for backers only.)
Thanks to both Pulver and Bayne for the extraordinary access, and best of luck to Jens in his match.
SAD UPDATE: As Bayne detailed in a post late on Saturday night. Pulver lost his match. Greg’s post:
If you didn’t tune in, I’m sad to be the bearer of bad news… Jens lost his bout via a tap out when Javier held him in what looked to be an excruciating arm-bar.
True to the Jens Pulver I’ve come to know and love though, he was beyond gracious in defeat, as the entire arena erupted in cheers of love and support as he both entered, and left the arena.
Through this process I’ve truly come to love the man as family. He is the absolute kindest, most giving human being I have ever met. While, I must admit I’m personally heartbroken for Jens, knowing how hard he has worked, how much he has sacrificed, this film has always been about the man, and never the outcome of this fight.
Backers of the project and Pulver began to chime in leave encouraging comments like this one:
Jens has already proven himself time and time again as a champion inside and outside of the cage. Obviously tonight’s loss is heartbreaking. But true to cliche, it’s about the entire war and not just one battle. Jens Pulver has fought a legendary war, and will continue to be an inspiration to me and so many others.Can’t wait to see the film.
Thanks again to the extraordinary access Bayne and Pulver are affording their fans. It’s been an incredible experience.
We can barely keep up with all the cool projects launching this week! Yancey already gave us a mid-week update, but here’s a few more that shouldn’t be missed.
i3 Detroit is a community hackerspace offering classes, workshops, and open workspace. Backers can pledge for a menagerie of tech-goodies — like fully customized Scrabble keychains — or classes on topics like “Bob Ross Paint-a-Long” and “Cross Stitching Mario Brothers Characters.” The folks behind the space are very serious about their endeavor, but I love how that doesn’t stop them from having a sense of humor. For example, their project video is disguised as an amusing plea to “End Robot Poverty.”
The Street Earrings project will turn a map of your favorite city into a pair of gorgeous, gold-plated earrings. I’m still on the fence about the $50 pledge required to get a pair, but I love browsing possible cityscapes on Google Maps in the meantime. Also worth checking out are the trio’s similarly designed Street Clocks.
I’m a big fan of Margarita Jimeno’s Swimming Away project. She’s clearly funny (citing “Polar Bear Poop” as an inspiration) — but also dedicated. Her project page is laid out beautifully, and her project blog has been an enticing window into the world of movie-making. You can watch a short-but-sweet audition video from it here.
