Well this is certainly interesting: Charlie Kaufman and Dan Harmon are bypassing the traditional Hollywood system to fund Anomalisa, a stop-motion animated film project written by Kaufman and produced by Harmon with the help of the animation team behind the Abed’s Christmas episode of Community, through Kickstarter. The two hope to raise $200,000 by September 9 of this year. Something tells me they’ll reach that goal. (They’ve already raised $10,000 in about an hour.)
The duo say they want to “to produce this unique and beautiful film outside of the typical Hollywood studio system” because fans of the two men “would never be allowed to enjoy this brilliant work the way it was originally conceived” otherwise. Further, Kaufman and Harmon say that they’ve “been working in the television and movie industry for years and we just want to make something ourselves. Something pure. Something beautiful.” Well, okay — we can get behind that!
Here’s how they describe the film…
The film follows a celebrated motivational speaker travelling the country, changing the lives of countless people. But in the course of transforming others, his life has become hollow and meaningless. It’s a grey and monotonous existence where people literally look and sound identical.
Suddenly one day, a girl’s voice pierces through the veil of nothingness. She fills him with such a rush of “aliveness”, he’s willing to abandon everything and everyone, including his own family, and escape with her to a better life.
And here’s a video offering more details…
In a final note, Harmon and Kaufman add: “So, please pledge as much as you can and be a part of this very special project!” You can pledge as little as a buck, but if you pledge $20 you get a digital download of the film — and for $100 you get an on-screen thank you credit, a DVD copy of the film, a signed storyboard set and the aforementioned download. Hmmmmm…
(HT: NY Observer Beta Beat)