Pirates vs Ninjas on Kickstarter!

[Thagarr]

It's been a slow week or so for pirate news, I have been looking and there is not much worth mentioning out there at the moment. But I did run across this little Kickstarter project this morning, and I figured I would share it. Indie film maker Gary Howe has started a Kickstarter project to fund a CGI animated film that will put to rest once and for all the Pirate Vs. Ninja age old debate! Of course, we all know that Pirates would prevail in such an epic battle, but there are some lubbers out there that still need convincing! You can help convince them by heading over and voting for Pirates to win in the movie HERE!

According to his BIO, Gary Howe started in the film industry in 1979, and has worked on such films as "Battle Beyond the Stars", "The Abyss" and "Lord of the Rings". He has also worked as an Art Director with Disney for the EuroDisney theme park. He has directed three films to date including a CG animated feature based on a toy line. He has written over 20 screenplays, not including TV episodes and shorts. Gary's background is in visual effects and he is a sculptor and model maker by trade.

The premise he has come up with is a bit different to say the least, and instead of trying to parphrase it, I will just let you read it for yourselves!

Pirates vs Ninjas is the story of the of the very first World War, WW 0.5 the Beta war. Seeking to avoid an outright war with Japan the US enlists Pirates to protect their interests in the Pacific. Japan also seeking to avoid a costly war enlists Ninjas to fight for the mother land. The war has been forgotten by history and no one alive today remembers it ever happened. After the disastrous outcome both sides would rather forget the whole thing. The goal of the story is to show the advantages and weaknesses of both side's weapons and tactics.

Hollywood has failed us by relying on tired sequels and reboots. A geekcentric film like Pirates vs Ninjas wouldn't stand a chance of getting funding in the studio system and if by some miracle it did the results would be pathetic. The only chance a film like this has is crowdfunding.

Our goal is to put a $100 on the screen for every dollar spent. For a $250,000 budget we expect to make a film equal to what Hollywood would make on a 25 million dollar budget. For $500,000 the goal is to make a 50 million dollar film? How is this possible? We use the same hardware and software as the big budget films the rest is just time. By putting in 80 to a 100 hours a week, a 120+ when we hit deadline, a two year schedule gets compressed into a year. We also reduce the budget by taking our money out of the backend. The other major factor is nothing is done by committee. There's a single coherent vision and each individual stays focused. This approach isn't possible in the studio system or even when backers are involved since they usually want input. Most budget money goes into waste. Once a shot is rendered it's cut in with no approval process. With no suits to please we can remain fast and efficient.

You can read the full post over on the Kickstarter page HERE, and you can find out more about Gary and his proposed movie on their official web page HERE!

 

[Armada]

Well, that would certainly be a different film to the norm. It will be interesting to see if they reach their target.

On the topic of news, have you seen this yet? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/20124128 Sounds like HMS Bounty is in a bad way thanks to Hurricane Sandy.

 

[Thagarr]

Yeah, just woke up and saw Hylie's post. Unfortunately, a lot of people on the US east coast are in a bad way also.