Welcome to the Fund This column! Each week, we’ll look at a planned web series or other online video project currently in search of funding on crowdfunding sites. We’ll tell you what the series is all about and explain why it is worth your money. Do you have a project that’s currently being crowdfunded? Contact us to let us know and we may feature it in upcoming installments and check out previous installments right here.
Project Name: Automata
Asking For: $322,637 on Kickstarter
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Amount Raised Thus Far (At Time Of Post): $55,329
Days Remaining In Campaign (At Time Of Post): 32
Description: In 2009, seminal video game webcomic Penny Arcade released ‘Automata,’ a one-shot strip set in an alternate 1920s universe where robots walk among us. Since then, ‘Automata’ has picked up a following among Penny Arcade readers, and the comic came close to scoring its own Hollywood adaptation. That plan didn’t work out, but Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik still want to realize a screen version of ‘Automata.’ In order to turn it into a five-episode web series, they have turned to Kickstarter, where they are hoping to raise funds from among their devoted fans.
The Automata web series will take on the same film noir feel as the original comic strip, while exploring issues of prejudice in the robotic 1920s. Filmmaker Van Alan, who has worked with Penny Arcade on other video projects in the past, will return to work on the Automata episodes, which will each be 10-12 minutes long. Alan appears with Holkins and Krahulik in the project’s pitch video:
Creator Bio: Holkins and Krahulik (aka Tycho and Gabe) have developed a reputation as webcomic innovators across their 17-year career with Penny Arcade. They also have plenty of experience with Kickstarter, having served as two of the site’s first high-profile uses back in 2012.
Best Perk: The $50 perk will include a signed Blu-Ray copy of the series once it comes out. If this seems old hat to you, Holkins and Krahulik would like to inform you that “Discs are still cool guys!!!”
Why You Should Fund It: Penny Arcade has spread from its initial webcomic to encompass charity drives, conventions, and video games, but despite all of those projects, Holkins and Krahulik haven’t made much scripted video over the years. Their fans know Penny Arcade is capable of much more than just jokes about video games, and Automata will showcase their talents while opening up their work to new audiences. The series is driven by an undeniably cool concept, and Holkins and Krahulik are 100% forthcoming about what they can accomplish. Let’s make it happen.
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