OMG. The Double-Battle is coming your way, the Tale of Stubby the Squirrel
over 8 years ago – Thu, Nov 19, 2015 at 04:17:25 PM

The Double Battle is happening!! Thank you everybody for upping the scale of Frank & Zed to truly epic proportions. Our bucket list for puppet mayhem is going to be butchered by the time we are done bringing you the finale. 

Let's take a second and think about what's coming....

...now, let's dive back in!

Many of you asked if we had stretch goals after we hit the $30k mark. We've been cagey because we didn't dare hope we would come this far - but now we are here. 

In crafting our original stretch goals, we had a number of things we desperately wanted to see but didn't make the first cut. Now, let's bring them back from death's door. They are:

For every $1,000 we make past $30,000, we will incorporate one of these ideas. (Exact order is TBD. We will look at everything with fresh eyes now that the Double Battle is a reality and pick the best bits based on maximum impact in the story.)

Should we manage to hit them all, we’ll give you the extended tale of Stubby the Squirrel. How’s that sound?

There are only hours left. But we can dream, can't we?

Also, there's a new Mayor in town who goes by "Shadowbooth" and just kicked this whole project across the 30k mark.  

Jesse

Final Reward Upgrade revealed, $1,293 till we hit Double Battle!
over 8 years ago – Thu, Nov 19, 2015 at 11:54:36 AM

Well, here we are Zed-Ites,

$1,293 to go before the Double Battle! 10 Hours Left

With 10 hours to go, we're well within striking distance of bringing you the Double Battle! It may take up to 5 puppeteers to bring one of our characters to life, but it's taken all of you to bring this whole film to life! 

I can't help myself, I want to reveal one of our two final upgrades. If we can hit the $30k for the Double Battle, we are going to give you a bonus short film. It will tell the hilarious and tragic final days of one of our villagers. It will be a ridiculous amount of fun to take one of these guys and dive deeper into their life. 

Who will it be? What is their story? Help us close this final gap so we can tell you! (The second brain will also be for every backer. It's not quite as sweet as a bonus short film but several of you have asked for it and we aim to please!)

How you can help today:

1. An easy way to help is sharing this banner on your Social Sites (I'd love to see this on MySpace!)

2. Word of Mouth is by far our most effective campaign tool. If you know someone who could use a little blood-drenched felt in their lives, let them know today!

3. Whatever you do, don't forget to include this link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jesseblanchard/frank-and-zed-an-all-puppet-monster-movie 

4. Upgrade your pledge: The HUGE difference in support between yesterday and today is from people upgrading their pledges. Thank you everyone for digging deep. If you have any questions about upgrading, please let us know.

Blacksmith & Krampus Priest Cast:

We are excited to announce the casting of two of our Lead Villagers! Can't wait to bring you both to life. This leaves just two remaining leads. (Note - You do NOT need to be a white male to cast yourself as one of these characters! Murder Village is a welcoming & diverse town despite its moniker.)

Sneak Peak: How Frank met Zed

Here's our last video update before the campaign ends today at 9pm PST. (Don't worry, we will give you loads more during production!)

This will not be the last time I say, "Thank you." I wish I could say it to each and everyone of you in person. 

Regardless of where we are in 9 hours, this film WILL be made and it is because of you.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,

Jesse & Team Puppetcore

Making Frank's Axe, Alt. T-Shirt Now available, New Reward Level
over 8 years ago – Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 12:09:14 PM

Greetings Zed-ites!

We're down to our final 36 hours. You have unlocked EVERY STRETCH GOAL leading up to the Double Battle and we could not be more thrilled. There are two more reward upgrades and an epic finale to go. Can we get there?

Enticing rewards and behind-the-scenes footage awaits you in this update. Read forth!

Weapon of Choice: How Frank Got His Axe Back

We shot this update over a year ago, just after starting principal photography. The video details the creation of Frank's signature hunting tool - the axe-on-a-rope!

4 hours of work = 4 seconds of film!
Now that you've seen how we make it, let's see him use it. 

Frank is super efficient when it comes to chopping squirrel heads. For the film, we wanted to show (in just one shot) how quickly he prepares Zed's meals. 

We spent four hours getting Frank's squirrel prep routine on camera. Here's a behind-the-scenes shot of us getting the final take. Four seconds of the final shot can be scene in the Kickstarter video at the 26 second mark. (Video courtesy of Jov Luke Photography)

Penultimate Stretch Goal Achieved - Alt. T-shirt Now Available as an add on.

Dear Ryan M. and KT Data, ignore the following as your are our final two Stretch Goal T-shirt winners!

Since we have blown through all of the stretch goals leading up to the Double-Battle, we've decided to make the special Alt. T-shirt available to anyone as an ad on. (If you are confused by all this, please read the 'Backer Only' update from November 5th.)

Check out this sweet design. 

We are hopeful that this design will be available in bonus colors but are still hashing out the details. Burn your offerings to Krampus and daydream along with us with the help of this handy visual aid!

To score the Alt T-shirt design, increase your pledge by $45 and send us a note so we know what you would like. We will also cover add-ons in a survey after the campaign ends tomorrow. 

New Reward Level Added - Cast yourself as one of our stretch goal characters. 

Wield your producing power and jump to the front of the red carpet as a featured villager. Select one of the characters activated by our stretch goals (Thank you everyone for making this possible.) and make the role your own.

You will get credit on IMDB as such as well as taking home the brutal Krampus Weapon your character wields. Loads of other goodies included. Check out the new $900 reward level for the details. These roles are first come first served so message us immediately with your choice. (You will also single handedly cut our current remainder buy 1/3! How's that for math?) 

Thank everyone for making it through a long update. Only one more before the campaign ends. We can't wait to go back into production and start sharing our progress

Thanks so much, 

Jesse & Team Puppetcore

Extra Bits:

Take home your own snuggly Krampus with this awesome project from Warpo. 

 Don't Cuddle the Krampus

Holiday Package Clarification
over 8 years ago – Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 01:26:55 PM

Sorry everyone for the confusion. 

The minimum upgrade cost for the Holiday Package is an additional $35.  (The equivalent of buying a second DVD/Blu-ray as a gift for someone.) 

For Example: Let's say your currently signed up for the t-shirt at $95. If you increase your pledge by $35 you will receive: 

1. All the rewards covered under the t-shirt level package 
2. A second Blu-ray or DVD to give to a friend  
3. 2 Krampus Ornaments & a Krampus Card this year 

You can give any reward level you would like as long as it is above $35. 

How does this work?  

Choose 'Manage My Pledge", keep your selected reward the same but increase your pledge amount by whatever reward you would like to give ($35 and above). 

For Example:
You're currently at the 'Name in the Film' ($150) level. You would like to give someone the 'Frank Print Reward' ($50) 

Select 'Manage My Pledge', keep the 'Name in the Film' reward tier, but increase your total pledge amount by $50. ( $150 +$50, for a total of $200) 

You will receive the ornaments and card this year. Next year, you will receive your $150 package plus and extra Frank Print and Blu-Ray/DVD to put under the tree for your friend. 

Next Step - Notify Us: Send us a message with your address and we will get your ornaments and card in the mail. 

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Note - You're more than welcome to give the gift of puppet horror to more than one person. Simply increase your pledge by the appropriate amount and let us know how you would like it divided up. 

We will give you an extra Krampus Ornament for every additional $35 and above gift. 

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My apologies again for the confusion. This is my first Kickstarter and add-ons are always a bit tricky. As always, feel free to contact me or post to the comments any questions or concerns. JB

Merry Krampus-Mas!
over 8 years ago – Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 12:14:21 PM

Hello Zed-ites!

We're coming off a phenomenal three days. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get to it.

Matching Fund Campaign

We had a huge surge in funding yesterday and that's because you all responded amazingly to our matching fund call. We quickly maxed out the match and unlocked 4 stretch goals in the process! Amazing! A huge portion of our jump was from current backers increasing their pledges. We can't thank everyone enough. 

We're now within striking distance of unlocking the Double Battle. Keep spreading the word and let's bring you all the puppet horror film you deserve!

NEW! Krampus Gift Set Add-On

Give the gift of Felt-Covered Horror this year AND next. We've dove into the Puppetcore labs and created an original set of Krampus Ornaments and an Original Krampus Card. 

Increase your pledge by any level $35 and above and receive your original reward, plus the following by December 10th, 2015: (Yes, just a few weeks from now!)

• 2 Krampus Ornaments (one for you, one for them!)
• Krampus Holiday Card 
• Frank & Zed Gift Card detailing your gift pledge
• Your Gift Pledge Reward arrives in time for K-mas 2016!

Beat the Black Friday Crowds...with a Krampus Switch and score a sweet Krampus Ornament for yourself. 

If you have any questions about the Holiday Pack or issues trying to adjust your pledge, please contact us and we will help you through it.

Living Dead Con Wrap-Up

Taking Frank & Zed out into the real world at the Living Dead Con this weekend was a blast! Many of your reading this made the mistake of wandering past our booth!

We will certainly do more conventions in the future. We don't know where and we don't know when (suggestions?) but you will be the first to know. 

One of the milestones reached yesterday was unlocking our next mystery upgrade. Mystery no longer! As a thank you for unlocking the Epic Squirrel Hunting Montage, we will now include a screen-used squirrel head prop with all of the $150 levels and above. We'll even attach a string to them so you can hang them on your rearview mirror- now, there's a conversation piece! (Your passengers will go Nuts for them.)

Thank you all so much for believing in our project. We are so close to being able to tell the Complete, Definitive, Unabridged Story. 

We've got three days to hit that Double Battle! 

Thank you,

Jesse & The Puppetcore Team

Extra Bits:

Congratulations to: Beth R., Luke C., TheSimpsons62., Kirk T, Debbie D., Wade H. III, Brian A., Michael S., Stephanie M. (The clues to this mystery lye within Backer Only Update.)

We've got a couple of other great projects for you to check out today:

First off, how about a Horror Film you can see right now! Yes, this project is already done and waiting to melt the eyeballs out of your face. It's an incredible independent horror film from Michael Medaglia called Deep Dark. Click the image below to check it out!

Next up is the children's book, "Afraid of Everything: Horror Stories for All Ages." The author describes their inspiration as including Jim Henson's "Storyteller" series and The Dark Crystal, which we think might line up with many of your interests. It looks like a really great book that, while being targeted at children, "can be enjoyed by horror fans of any age." The book is a collection of 26 single-page stories and poems, each accompanied by a character illustration, that tell a creepy story centered around one A-Z phobia (from Arachnophobia to Zoophobia). Check out their project for readings of some of the stories.

The other is another monster-featuring project, "Lovecraft P.I." The campaign is for a three issue comic series which follows "Ward" Lovecraft, a Dashiel Hammett inspired character in a Lovecraft inspired world. It sounds like a terrifically fun mash-up of the Lovecraftian mythos and old school noir. If that seems like it's up your alley, check 'em out!