Kickstart This! Sludge Brothers

 

Ever since crowdfunding first took off independent animators have been using it to fund their projects. By going directly to the potential audience they avoid the need to go through conventional channels to get them made. One such animator is Payton Finney,  also known online as PFINNEY. Finney has launched a KickStarter campaign to fund the production of the pilot episode of his series Sludge Brothers. With a stated goal of bringing his unorthodox characters to life, Finney hopes to assemble a team of artists and animators to make that happen. Having already laid down the groundwork over the past few months, Finney hopes to use crowdfunding to tackle the production phase.

"Sludge Brothers is about the escapades of two oddball coworkers: Dick, a small and irritable man, and Pickle, his unhygienic yet easygoing employee," Finney says. "The pilot episode introduces us to the duo as they confront unexpected challenges while attempting to address their town's sewage issues. "Sludge Brothers" promises to offer audiences a unique and entertaining viewing experience for lovers of internet animation and comedy."

 

 The campaign has set a basic goal of  $15,000 to cover the production costs of the pilot episode. However, there are additional stretch goals available that will enable the crew to receive better compensation and enhance the overall quality of the production. The largest stretch goals include increasing the episode's duration while ensuring that everybody is paid fairly.

A considerable amount of work on the pilot is already done, with Finney having already completed the character designs, script, storyboard and the first draft of the animatic.

The campaign offers various rewards starting at $1 for "a bite of Pickle's Sandwich", but $15 will net you a digital download of the finished episode, or $20 for early access. Other available perks include behind-the-scenes material, animatics, and digital artbooks. $100 can get you drawn into the episode as a background character, $2,000 an Executive Producer credit, while if money truly is no object $5,000 will see you "declared canonically God In The Sludge Brothers Cinematic Universe".

The project runs until Sunday, March 10. It's an all-or-nothing campaign so it will only be funded if it reaches its goal. If you want to help make Sludge Brothers a reality, head over to the campaign page now.