Wolf Girl - The Princess Mononoke fan film
Date: 2013 September 14 11:05
Posted by Franki Webb
Any filmmaker will tell you that producing a movie is- hard work. The time, effort and sometimes budget issues can get in the way of making a vision a reality. That challenge is only intensified when it's a fan-based film, reaping no financial rewards at the end and with only the love of the story to keep them going. But that's exactly what filmmakers, Nate Drake and Georgie Donovan are doing, currently in the works is Wolf Girl, a movie about a modern teenage girl struggling to save the forest she calls home from humans, who are cutting down the trees for their own needs. She then joins forces with wolves in a bid to defend her home.
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Sound familiar? That's because Wolf Girl is an interpretation of Studio Ghibli's epic fantasy tale, Princess Mononoke. Wolf Girl is not like other fan-films, which copy the premise of the original piece. Drake and Donovan's version explores new characters and a different environment. The main difference lies in the narrative, Wolf Girl is set 600 years from the original and explores the possibility of Mononoke being a historical figure; how would those events in the past affect the world today?
Besides combining their talents and finding likeminded fans who have them same vision as them; they are also appealing for funds. Drake and Donovan have launched a Kickstarter page in order to raise £30,000 for the movie. Unlike, Indiegogo.com, Kickstarter allows the parties to have their revenue once they have reached their target goal. To achieve this goal, (other than launching their Kickstarter campaign) the pair have taken steps to seek out financial backers for the project.
Kickstarter has helped other creative projects in the past succeed with their campaigns , such examples include comedy series, Video Game High School. Although both have extensive experience within the creative industry, Drake and Donovan admit that the project is a huge challenge and that in particular is why they've decided to venture on.
Drake states that, "We want to make it very clear -we are fans, we want to keep the integrity of the story and keep the fans of the original story happy, including Japanese audience. It's non-profit, we get no revenue from it, we're just sharing the love for the story." Drake and Donovan's take on the movie won't be Mononoke's first taste of a live-action makeover, earlier this year British production company Whole Hog Theatre adapted the anime for the stage, the live performance was backed by Studio Ghibli, gaining widespread popularity in Japan."
Drake accidentally stumbled across Princess Mononoke years back and found it distinctive from other mainstream western-fantasy series, while Donovan admits to being a long-time fan of the studio.
If the project gets the backing its needs then the film-makers hope to show the movie in Japan, where one can only imagine nothing but a warm reception for the project. The pair hope to have spring 2014 release for the movie, making it accessible to fans of the original movie, both in Japan and the UK.
If you would like to contribute to the project please visit their Kickstarter page:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wolfgirlmovie/wolf-girl-the-princess-mononoke-fan-film
Or alternatively if you would like more information on the project visit their official site:
http://wolfgirlmovie.com/
Source: Wolf Girl Movie