Demi's Panic - Help support the new short on Kickstarter!

It's been a while since I posted, and I apologize, but I've been crushed by a ton of work.

I'm still pushing hard, trying to finish the animation on "Slide".  I'm now about 3/4 of the way through the drawings - it's gonna be a big film, like a 2-hour epic maybe.  I'm working hard on this film, I want this to be my masterpiece.

Then I'm doing some odds-and-ends work, illustrations, titles, a small commercial.  And I've just finished a new short about the pandemic (written by Danny Leonard and produced by Danny and Lorena Hernández Leonard) called "Demi's Panic".  I believe this short is the best one I've ever made, and I hope and pray it will be a big success.  We've started to enter the 10-minute film into a lot of festivals, so we'll soon see if our dreams come true. 

For me, it's a very unique project.  The art style is quite different from my usual look.  It's a blend of black and white minimal design with some colored-pencil craziness.  Also, it's a film about COVID-19, so there's not a laugh in the whole film, but that's why I think it will do well.  It's totally different than anything else I've done.  

There's still time to support the production of "Demi's Panic" on Kickstarter, Danny and Lorena are running a campaign to raise $10,000 and they're about 60% of the way there.  They have just 13 more days to raise the balance, the campaign ends on June 9.  If you can help support this independently-produced short about a very important subject, please visit:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deminyc/demis-panic

And watch for "Demi's Panic" this summer or fall in a festival near you.  If you have any leads for cool festivals, please let me know.  Even though we just wrapped production on the short, Danny and I are still in debt for the costs.  So if you can find it in your heart and pocketbook, please check out the campaign and help us pay our bills - we'd greatly appreciate it, and you can stream the film from home, or get signed original artwork from the film or get thanked in the credits!  

Now here's my new gag cartoon for this installment:

Until next time, 

Bill P.

Kickstarter for "Demi's Panic"

Hello, everyone - I know by now you may be tired of hearing about my Kickstarter campaigns - but this one is different.  It's for a short film, "Demi's Panic", concerning the COVID-19 virus and the recent pandemic.  About four months ago the writer sent me a 10-page script that had a great story and was filled with surreal imagery.  Now, I get a lot of unsolicited scripts and projects sent to me, and I prefer to write my own stories.  (In fact, I've been told it's dangerous to read other people's scripts, because then if you make a film similar to the script they sent you, they could sue you!). But this one connected to me, and I really felt that I wanted to try a different style of animation with a different type of story.

So, I said "Yes!"  It's been a blast working with Danny Leonard, the film's writer and producer, and Lorena Hernandez Leonard, the film's co-producer, and creating this 10-minute film.  I got to experiment with some new techniques.  I believe this film will be my most popular on the festival circuit.  It's got a powerful subject matter, great music by composer Daniel Jimenez Afanador, and some very stylized animation from yours truly.  So, see if you can help us out to fund this awesome short film.  

The story is about Demi, a Latina woman in NYC whose nightmares foreshadow an unprecedented storm, one that transforms her city and her life.  What she goes through represents the anxiety and panic that we all have collectively experienced during the COVID quarantines, including the mental health crisis that has hit the world like a tsunami.  

It's worth noting that Danny and Lorena are launching the campaign during Mental Health Awareness Month, and because of the current crisis, with anxiety, depression and suicide at an astronomical high, they're going to donate a portion of the proceeds from the campaign to the Mass Covid-19 Relief Fund, and also organizations that support mental health.  

So here is a link to the campaign: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/deminyc/demis-panic

or use this shortcut link:

http://kck.st/3hsL3pN

There are some great campaign rewards, including original art from the film, getting your name in the credits, and of course, being able to stream the film once it's all finished.  You can even get tickets to attend the Boston premiere of the film, plus the after party - remember attending screenings and parties?  I can't wait until we can all do that again!  So please check out the campaign and donate what you can. 

By the way, "Slide" is also moving along - I work on it mornings and weekends.  I'm almost 3/4 through the animating, and soon we'll start with the coloring.  It's going to be fantastic - thank you all for your continuing support!

--Bill P.