Inspired by fantasy films like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, “Wizard Hunters: The Series” is a dark sci-fi/fantasy web series striving toward a second season by way of Kickstarter. “Crystal” is a young girl discovering that she plays a vital role in an extraordinary world she never knew existed. Set in our contemporary time, wizards, sorceresses, and vampires battle for control in a war that has been waging for centuries. “Good” and “Evil” find new definition and shades of ambiguity. As the series unfolds, several journeys of personal identity and love are discovered, lost, and avenged. It is an epic story told through high-action and special effects. “Wizard Hunters” is an intriguing ride for the whole family!
The web series was created by husband and wife team, Antonio and Cori. They own a Tucson-based business (www.Uphill-Pictures.com), which specializes in videos for companies. Seeking to utilize more of their creativity and provide a fun project for the local talent of their small city, they created “Wizard Hunters.” A passion for filmmaking drove the couple to create this series, in the hope that a film project for entertainment could be financed independently. Even with a microscopic marketing budget, the series has almost 200,000 views on YouTube and numerous fans, likes, and subscribers. Antonio and Cori are excited by the many avenues that have been created for the public to choose what they watch. They hope their series (and campaign) will be an example to Indie Filmmakers that they can follow (and fund) their passion to provide entertaining content to the masses from their small, struggling towns everywhere.
They are running a Kickstarter campaign to raise $32,000 to pay back their first season debt and make a second season. Each backer’s likeness or business logo will be included in the Season Two poster, which is updated daily on the Wizard Hunters Facebook page. Other backer incentives include walk-on roles in the series, handmade wands, and one-on-one training on how to make your own web series.
The five short episodes took more than a year to produce and promote, due to the fact that Antonio and Cori did the majority of the work on the series and only during breaks between paid video gigs. Working on a small budget, the series was largely shot in Cori’s parents’ garage, which they painted green and utilized painted painter canvases to expand the “green-screen studio.” Along with the underpaid help of generous SFX artist, Shawn Fratis, Antonio and Cori painstakingly digitally removed shadows and light stands from the footage shot in this make-shift studio. The costumes were either loaned to them or came from the thrift store. The clothes were redesigned and altered by Cori and her mother.
Props were borrowed or made by hand from clay. Cori made one-of-a-kind wands for each character, which she will also do for their Kickstarter backers. The team’s expertise and creative substitutions for expensive gear will be passed on to up to five of the most generous backers as part of their one-on-one training to make their own web series. While some people question whether $32,000 is too much for a web series, Cori and Antonio know that even with all their corner-cutting and make-shift substitutions, their careful budgeting shows that creative filmmaking is just plain expensive and it’s not possible to pay back the loan for their first season and make a second with less.
Please support Indie Filmmakers and kick-in what you can and share their campaign. Thank you!
@WizardHunters
www.WizardHunters.com
https://www.facebook.com/WizardHunters
