Postcards and Buttons

The designs for the postcards and pins have been completed. This is what everyone who has donated $5 or more can expect in the mail once the funds are transfered into my account and I can print these. I will be printing these from Zazzle.com and will then mail them out to the addresses given to me by every0ne who replied to my mass emails.

Button Design

Postcard Design

The Poster design is still a WIP but I will post an update as soon as I finish the preliminary. The DVDs will not be released until my film has been released to festivals. Look for your name in the credits if it hits a festival near you. :)

I have also had a meeting with three new illustrators who have shown interest in hoping onto the "My Dad the Giant" production. They are:
Zach Ares
Karli Cooper
Erika Lavin

I have also received my first color key from Kieth and will be working with him to get the first establishing shot down. Background work will most likely not begin until everyone has finished their finals for this year at CCS, as that has priority in these final weeks of school.

Stay tuned for more updates on the backgrounds, animation, and sound in these coming weeks.
-Patrick Stannard-

We Did it!

With 30 total backers and a combined amount of $2,017 raised, "My Dad the Giant" has officially reached its funding goal!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/308950851/my-dad-the-giant

This couldn't have happened without the generosity of so many people through the amazing kickstarter website. Posters are being made, postcards and pins will go to printing, and DVD boxes will be prepped for when these last 9 days come up. The funding raised will help me purchase supplies, distribution methods, and so much to bring this project to fruition. As promised, to everyone who donated over 10 dollars, you get a big thank you from me here on the production blog!

Special thanks go to:

Amaquieria
Teresa and Brian Stannard
Dennis Ahmer
Fil Romero
Tom Conger
Alex Kain
Marcia and Ron Taylor
Amy Baird
Steve Stanchfield
Chris Carden
Matt Penna
Paul Driver
Jay Nungesser
Baree
Mark King
Simon Tesla
Dwight Williamson II
Charlotte Pouzanoff
Joshua Harrell
Bix707
Matt DeWater
Gary Johnson
Simon
Jay Sorensen
Kevin Johnson
Gregory
Kim Termin

Updates
Stay tuned for more updates as we begin to finish this film. One worth noting here today is a list of possible credits to those who are giving their time to help me complete this project.

Patrick Stannard - Director/Animator
Steve Stanchfield - Animator

Matt Dewatter - Tie Down Artist
Fil Romero - Tie Down Artist

Kevin Grassia - 3D Modeler

Tyler Scarlet - Background Illustration
Don Kilpatrick - Background Illustration
Kieth Newton - Background Art Director
Eric Olson - Background Art Manager

Justin Norman - Sound Engineer
Aaron Symonds - Music Composer
Greg Powell - Personnel Manager.

I will have creative discussions with Aaron Symonds this Sunday to talk about the scratch track and what specific instruments may be needed for the film's orchestra.

Again a big thanks to everyone who has donated not only money, but their time and experience to this project. I could never have dreamed to be able to do this just on my own.

Still chugging along. Tomorrow I will meet with Kevin Ingrassia to discuss work on the 3d environment and try to get some simple camera moves for my two moving shots. I am debating how best to tackle my backgrounds. Thus far I have three possible illustrators who may be willing to help work on the project. Another rout I could go would be to do something similar to 'deep canvas' where I use a 3d background but heavily texture paint it. A mixture of the two may even be an option. Stay tuned for more updates!

Below we have a rough of one of the later scenes in my film where the father tries to escape a falling 20 foot painting.



A good friend and Mentor Steve Stanchfield was nice enough to help me on some shots. Here he has taken some of my keys and added a bit of his own personality to the animation. This is still very rough and I will be going in afterward to put the character on model.

Work continues on finishing up the animation for my film and moving into the 'tie-down'/'clean-up' phase.

I was able to talk to my friend and supporter Doug Stratton, the other day and begin discussion about how else I could promote and fund my project. I plan to hit up the Mitten Movie Project on March 1st and meet with Connie Mangilin, the starter of the festival and the one who contacted me about submitting my film.

In 2010 Doug Stratton interviewed me about my film after I had received the Stratton Scholarship. Many people have asked me about my career in art, my internship, and my film and here I discuss it all. You can find a video of it here:



or check it out at TheStrattonFoundation.org.

After Steve Stanchfield finishes his shots and I can talk with Kevin Ingrassia, I should have enough material to complete a fully animated Lyka Reel. Keep an eye out for it on the blog.

I took some time to quickly render a background. My skills in the area are limited at best, and like a biology test I always seem to choke when I attempt one. However, as a test I am still pretty happy with the results. As I said before these are 70 frames of a 300 frame animation, and even in this stage it is a WIP. This has provided invaluable experience and trial and error knowledge in the process of cleaning up, shadows, and composting which I would not have had had I given the task to someone else.

Funding for my film has died down a bit since its explosion last week, but a good friend of mine Kerry Newill has expressed interest in coming on as a production manager / producer of "My Dad the Giant". Her skills will be most welcome and I am eager to hear some more specifics she has on the matter.


Lastly I have begun work on the "My Dad the Giant" poster to be available to donors of $100 or more on KickStarter. The poster will also be used in festival promotion. The poster will most likely be around a standard 16"x20" and has been heavily inspired by one of my favorite film posters for "The Third Man".

That's it for now, check in soon for further updates on the progress of "My Dad the Giant" and remember you can always donate and earn your place in the credits of my film at my KickStarter page.

Color Help and Flyers

My friend Lee recently told me about a large party coming to Michigan. He and his friends will be hosting and over a thousand people are scheduled to attend. Gift baskets will be handed out and he recommended I create fliers to be placed in the basket at the party. I jumped at the opportunity and have now created some nice and cheap 4x6 fliers and will be printing them at http://www.imaxprinting.com/

My good friend, roomy, and fellow artist Mel Miller was kind enough to donate some of her time and help me with my color design. Seen here is a comparison of my original frame and her adjustments. She's an amazing artist, and everyone should check out her blog at MelMillerArt.blogspot.com

Stay tuned for more updates, including a test render of my scene in full shadow/clean up goodness!

To help "My Dad the Giant" become a reality, check out my KickStarter page or IndieGoGo page for more info!

Help today has come from my friend and fellow CCS'er Kevin Ingrassia (seen above). Two shots in my film require a moving or 3d background for tracing. One shot is a slow dolly in focusing on Emilio as the tension builds, while another is a fast truck back following the shock-wave of Emilio's massive scream!

To do this I require a 3d model of the Atrium in which the film takes place. I will trace the shot and add my characters to each shot. Kevin was kind enough to donate his time, and has already produced a great rendition of my films stage.

Big thanks to him, and added are some screen shots of his work. :)

Shot from the doorside looking up at the large painting Brianelli has been working on

Shot from the painting side looking at the candle sick, record player, and door.

A nice view of some of the extras Kevin has added, like a box filled with paints.

A shot of the left side of the Atrium

A shot of the right side of the Atrium

Stay tuned for more updates and make sure to look for My Dad the Giant on Indiegogo or KickStarter!