#crowdfunding - CONfessionals
A mockumentary Office-style web series about the fictitious careers of famous voice actors.
Watch CONfessionals here:
Why are you making your film?
We thought our idea for CONfessionals was incredibly unique – a scripted series about voice actors and starring voice actors. Fans of Japanese anime and cartoons are used to only hearing their favorite actors. Allowing them the opportunity to watch their favorite voice actors is a very exciting prospect and one that fans are already talking about.
Imagine I am a member of the audience.
Why would I watch this film? If you are a fan of Japanese anime this series holds a ton of value as it features many well known voice actors. But for those who don’t belong to that group, this still has entertainment value. Drawing comedic inspiration from shows like The Office, Parks & Rec, and Arrested Development, CONfessionals will have a familiar approachable feel. Plus it may even prove educational to those who don’t know anything about what it’s like to be a voice actor who attends anime conventions.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Everything about CONfessionals is comedic centered, but that doesn’t mean personal themes aren’t woven in. One of the lead characters serves as a punching bag or doormat which garners a lot of laughs. But we also see the human side of the situation and develop sympathy for him. He goes on a journey of learning to find his voice outside of the ones he does for cartoons, and also learns to speak up in order to have his voice heard.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
We are in the very early stages of pre-production as we are currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds. But during development the script was tweaked as we pulled in more voice actors onto the project. We wanted to feature as many voice actors as we could in a limited number of episodes without it feeling crowded. So story tweaks were necessary during development so everyone could be featured without sacrificing the balance of the story.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Passionate and exciting feedback from the anime community. In just 10 days the CONfessionals kickstarter page had more than 80 backers and had raised over $6,000. Many questions on which famous voice actor would be announced next, or anticipation on how these “characters” would interact with one another. Our support has been incredible.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
No. Just confirmed the market and interest for this concept. But the level of support and the amount these fans are pledging to this campaign to assure its production is very humbling.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are simply eager for as many people to learn about our project as possible. Grateful to anyone willing to place our story in the public eye. The more people know about CONfessionals, the better chance it has to escape the crowdfunding phase successfully.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All of the above. We are so early right now that anyone with these sets of skills can take our project to new heights. But probably the things we need right now more than anything are producers. Without them this project won’t get past pre-production.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We hope the same thing every aspiring TV show hopes for – insane popularity leading to a second season. But it would also be very cool to broaden the horizon of anime convention programming. Right now conventions only advertise one thing – anime (cartoons.) But perhaps we can create a new category of interest; combining the voice actors from anime into a live action media, giving conventions something else to advertise and promote.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The biggest draw to our show are the voice actors who star in it. They are the conversation piece. So questions like “who else is going to appear in the series” would get a conversation going.
Would you like to add anything else?
Just that we at CONfessionals are truly grateful to the support we have already received. Though we haven’t yet reached our goal, the response from fans has been incredibly encouraging. And we really hope to reach our goal so that this can become a reality.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
All the creative minds behind CONfessionals are dedicating all their efforts into promoting the Kickstarter campaign and raising funds. We are also beginning to recruit film crew and drafting mock shoot schedules so we are better prepared if our campaign is successful.
Interview: September 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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CONfessionals
A mockumentary Office-style web series about the fictitious careers of famous voice actors.
Length: 5 Episodes
Director: TBD
Producer: Jon Christie, Cherami Leigh, Bryce Papenbrook
Writer: Jon Christie
About the writer, director and producer:
Jon Christie is a playwright transitioning into his first original online series. His works have been produced in Dallas and Los Angeles, and has also been included in the Hollywood Fringe Festival and the Festival of Independent Theatres.
Cherami Leigh has been a voice actor for over ten years and has been in numerous anime shows including Fairy Tale, Sword Art Online, Sailor Moon Crystal, Steins;Gate, Soul Eater, and many more.
Bryce Papenbrook is a well known voice actor featured in numerous anime including Sword Art Online, Attack on Titan, Pokemon Origins, Blue Exorcist, and many more.
Key cast: Cherami Leigh, Bryce Papenbrook, J Michael Tatum, Jamie Marchi, Spike Spencer, Cassandra Lee Morris, Brandon McInnis, Jon Christie.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Producers
Funders: Kickstarter Supporters
Release date: Spring 2017
Where can I watch it in the next month? Episodes not yet available, but promotional videos can be found on our social media pages-
Twitter: @CON_fessionals
Facebook: CONfessionals