Deleted Shot from the Teaser & $1,500 Matching Donation Today
over 8 years ago – Mon, Nov 16, 2015 at 09:44:21 AM

Hello Zed-ites,

We are closing in on the Double-Battle! 

You will now see Frank's Lightning Rod unfold into the stormy skies, the crumbling exterior of their castle and its defence mechanisms, & the twisted forrest that Frank hunts in. 

And, we are less than $500 away from seeing the Brain Well brought into our story. 

$1,500 Matching Donation - runs till midnight tonight 11/16 PST.

A generous backer has challenged us to find $1,500 in pledges today. All pledges will be matched (we just got $20 from Kelly, thank you!) If we can match the entire $1,500 today we will fund all of the miniatures and be less than $500 away from the next Rewards Upgrade!

Obviously, today is a great day to share the campaign or upgrade your pledge if you're thinking of doing that. Many of you have increased your pledges anywhere from $5 to $150 and we appreciate you digging deep. 

Exclusive Clip - Deleted Shot from the teaser 

We worked to make the teaser as compact as possible. One of the shots I LOVE ended up being cut so I wanted to share it here. This is some very tricky puppeteering and camerawork. I hope you like it. This six seconds is six hours of filming.

We're finalizing some more fun stuff today so expect another update tomorrow.

Thanks so much!

Jesse & Team Puppetcore

Extra Bits:

We are behind on the Backer T-shirt giveaways. We will catch up soon. Apologies.

Storyboard Reward Upgrade Unlocked!
over 8 years ago – Sat, Nov 14, 2015 at 10:03:01 PM

Hey Zedites - 

We've blown through a bunch of stretch goals and broke through $20,000! I'm excited to announce that anyone receiving a DVD or Blu-Ray will also get one of the 412 storyboards for the film. 

Because this type of filmmaking is so labor intensive, I always storyboard extensively to plan out every single shot. This also helps us figure out where we can make the story better, how we will disguise the puppeteering mechanics, and in what order we will shoot everything.

These drawings become the bible of the film. Each and every one is totally unique and drawn by yours truly!

I hope you like them!

More good stuff to come!

Jesse

Also, we'll have the next round of Backer T-shirt winners in the next update. 

Let's hammer Hammer Horror
over 8 years ago – Thu, Nov 12, 2015 at 10:29:18 PM

Hello Zed-Ites,

Sorry we didn't get our BTS update out today, guys. We've been super busy gearing up for the Living Dead Con starting tomorrow. Lots of good stuff from there coming on our Facebook page and Twitter feed I'm sure. Keep an eye out!

But we did want to give a shout out to another Campaign that we think is worth checking out, HAMMER HORROR: THE WARNER BROS YEARS

Hammer Horror brought us some of the most iconic monster movies of film. Christopher Lee, guys! It looks like the people at Diabolique Films are putting together a really comprehensive look behind the scenes at Hammer's time with American Studio, Warner Brothers. Like us they're in their last week, and like us they've reached their goal but searching for further funds to provide even more content! So give 'em a look and support monsters! Here's some info from their page: 

DID YOU KNOW THAT . . . The classic Hammer films from Warner Bros are now finally starting to appear on Blu-ray. However, they have never received an in-depth exploration in any special feature or documentary. Now, the fascinating story can finally be told in this unprecedented 90-minute documentary feature, HAMMER HORROR: THE WARNER BROS YEARS, written and directed by Marcus Hearn, Hammer Films’ official historian. The documentary will feature exclusive interviews with many of the key players from that period, as well as authors and film historians like Jonathan Rigby and Constantine Nasr. Also included will be rare production stills, film footage, Hammer’s original shooting locations, and access to previously unseen archive documents. The documentary will be available via streaming and in a limited run region-free blu-ray release, exclusive to this fundraiser.

What you're getting at $30K! Turning Japanese & Rocking Out.
over 8 years ago – Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 06:29:23 PM

Welcome Zed-Ites!

The biggest F&Z news over the last few days is the reveal of our $30,000 goal: The Double Battle!  

We decided to reveal this über-goal for many reasons but the most basic is: we felt we owed it to you to let you know we had a plan. You are after all, the engine, the fuel, the flame that keeps us going. Here are the basics

• It will add to the total running time (it is twice the finale!)
• All of the stretch goals will pay off in this final epic confrontation
• Still curious? See Jesse explain it in this Youtube Video

Basically, the story demands a payoff and a climax, you will get that regardless; we just want to give you two helpings of dessert! (Keeping it classy with semi-colons)

Behind the Scenes: Blue Foam to Old Rocks

It seems like half of what we do here is turn blue foam into old rocks. Check out how we do it in this longer form Behind-the-scenes video. FYI - We will certainly use some of the techniques here to turn your faces into celluloid gold!

Ye Ol' Innkeeper Revealed
The Community Brainstorms continue to be a blast. Loads of good ideas but the idea that clawed it's way to the top was Danny Trejo. So, somehow, be it a full-chest tattoo, handlebar mustache, or a felt-version of the man himself, we will get this pock-marked icon honored in F&Z as the Ye Ol' Innkeeper.

New Community Brainstorm active now. Head over to FB to join in. 

Meet Lead Puppeteer and Puppet Fabricator Jason Ropp in this video below as he introduces the winner. 

Living Dead Con
We will be live and in-the-flesh at the Living Dead Con this weekend in Portland. Expect lots of fun updates from the event. Come say "Hi" if you're in Portland. 

We ARE in crunch time now. So, if you have someone in mind that needs a laugh in their day. Tell them about our little movie. 

Thanks so much!

Jesse & Team Puppetcore                   

Extra Bits

Frank & Zed Kickstarter and Trailer now sub-titled in Japanese thanks to Backer Badass Demedici! Let us know if you'd like to help make it available in another language. He's also gonna rep us in Japan at a Con this weekend! More on that soon. 

Congratulations to Derick M. and Jillian & James S.! Confused? See update #5

Another cool project that we discovered (and backed) from seeing what else you guys are backing is Celluloid Wizards in the Video Wasteland. This project ends soon!

This exciting documentary chronicles the rise and fall of of Empire Pictures, one of the most ambitious B-Movie studios of the 80's. And of course we, here at Puppetcore, love 80's horror. They're in their final 3 days and need just under $5,000 to make their film a reality. If you've got the interest and cash, head on over and help 'em out.

Sneak Peak at a Scene from the Film & Next Krampus Weapon Announced
over 8 years ago – Sat, Nov 07, 2015 at 05:52:25 PM

Hello Zed-ites!

Video Update: A SCENE FROM THE FILM!

In this video update,we're sharing a rough-cut of a scene from Frank & Zed. We've shared lots of the action and gore in the trailer, but now we wanted to quiet things down a bit and show you some of Frank & Zed's relationship. By now, we know they've been living together for hundreds of years and slowly falling apart. This clip is guaranteed to leave you in stitches!

I just want to say, I am very proud of the above, it ain't easy to get puppets to sew! Hope you like it. -JB

STRETCH GOALS

Flaming zombie intestines and the Krampus Priest will be in Frank & Zed!

And, as I type this, we're only $102 from Ye Ol' Innkeeper becoming a reality (this is producer Cameron's brainchild and he's looking forward to seeing him/her wielding two broken beer mugs as weapons - jugulars are involved). 

Also, if you've seen the above graphic lately, you'll notice there are some mystery brains that represent unlockable reward upgrades that you can take home! What are they? Who will get them? We'll have to hit those goals to find out! 

So, keep spreading the word. There are some very exciting things hidden under all that blood. We know there are tons of Frank & Zed fans out there just waiting to be discovered, so let's hunt them down like a mob of angry villagers!

Community Brainstorm: DOUBLE-HEADED KRAMPUS WARHAMMER

We had a ton of fun with your suggestions for the next Krampus Weapon on FB. If you haven't seen it, check out the video where Lead Sculptor Erin DeBray picks the winner at random. 

We're running another for Ye Ol' Innkeeper right now. Head over to FB if you want to join in the fun (Tom Cruise in Cocktail has inspired a lively debate at Puppetcore HQ!)\

Next C.B. Coming soon!

LIVING DEAD CON

We're officially vendors at the Living Dead Con, Portland, OR's first celebrity horror con. We'll have a booth, showing off the trailer,some of our wares, and perhaps, Frank & Zed themselves. So come check us out if you're in the area. It's this upcoming weekend November 13-15. http://www.livingdeadcon.com/
We'll release more details in the week to come. 

Thanks again!

Jesse & Team Puppetcore

EXTRA BITS

Congratulations to Steven M. W.!

You should all check out the Kickstarter for Zilla & Zoe. It's produced by another talented Portland, OR filmmaker. It tells the story of a young girl who is obssessed with horror films. Tasked with being the videographer for her sister's wedding, she takes it as an opportunity to film a horror movie for a big competition. Will she make it? I don't know, I was only able to read the first act (but that was really great!) -CH

Another Kickstarter worth checking out that should be up all your alleys is Song of Horror! It's a story driven survival horror with 16 playable characters, permanent death, and lots of terror! 

 Finally, some of you noticed the awesome Twin Peaks art on the wall in the last video update. That was done by Cameron's friend Brian Linss through hisCult Classic Posters shop. He has some really great prints from all sorts of films and television. He'll also be a vendor at Living Dead Con. Give his stuff a look.