Los Angeles, USA – June 26, 2013 – Kanon Rock, an original animation project launched on kickstarter.com and now listed among the most popular animation projects on the site, is offering backers the opportunity to take on animated roles in the finished film. The film tells the story of a concert conductor who is guided by the spirit of Johann Pachelbel to infuse the song Canon in D with the essence of rock.
The project, which takes its name from the original title of Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D (Kanon und Gigue), aims to raise $5,500 to support a crew of animators, musicians, and a composer to create a short animation over the course of a year. The film will be distributed to festivals in mid-2014 and backers receive exclusive download links months earlier.
The film’s main character is a concert conductor, who revisits his life as he leads a performance of Canon in D. Devoted to emotional sound from a young age, he’s constrained by a classical tradition to uphold the musical orthodoxy, and struggles to find meaning in music. But he receives guidance from the lingering spirit of composer Johann Pachelbel, to see past the literal notes on his sheet music, and capture the emotional heart of Canon, by infusing it with the essence of rock.
An increasing number of independent film projects are seeking production funds via crowdfunding sites like kickstarter and indiegogo, and many films have found success in offering rewards to potential project backers, such as giving out props from the film set, or allowing backers to act in the films themselves. These benefits have traditionally been absent from animation style projects, which have no physical props and don’t use on-screen actors.
Kanon Rock treads new ground by offering its supporters the chance to appear as animated characters in the film’s concert audience, and as musicians in the concert proper. With pictures of the backers as reference, the Kanon Rock animation staff will create characters with the same likenesses, and adjust their costumes, poses, and expressions to reinforce the overarching storyline. This carries the added benefit of allowing the backers’ characters to perform actions they couldn’t in reality, such as engaging in elaborate stunt-work, or in the case of Kanon Rock, playing instruments they’ve never had the chance to play.
In addition to animated participation, the project also offers backers the opportunity to have certain locations in the film named after them, and offers a physical canvas painting of Pachelbel, to be scanned and used in the film, under the highest backing level. Standard rewards of DVD and digital copies of the film are also being offered.
The participation method has already seen mild success, becoming the most popular reward choice for the project. Already 40% funded, Kanon Rock has appeared on the most-popular animations page on kickstarter.com and will continue accepting funding until July 8th at 6:15 PM PST.
Kanon Rock is the latest animated work of Nicholas Dobkin, an award winning filmmaker and animator studying at the prestigious University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, famous for its alumni filmmakers Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas, and John Carpenter among others. Through over 8 years of flash animation experience, he’s created over a dozen short animations, winning multiple awards for directing and animation as a high school student. His short film Straw Boats Borrow Arrows was awarded the Grand Prize in the Bay Street Animated Film Festival of 2009. His work has been repeatedly featured on the frontpage of the flash animation website Newgrounds.com.
To view the project, its concept art, or receive more information, visit the official Kanon Rock Page on Kickstarter or contact Kanon Rock director Nicholas Dobkin at nicholas.dobkin@gmail.com
