SNEAK PEEK
Stop Motion Animation
Time: 49 secs

SNEAK PEEK

Here's a first look at a stop motion animated section of "Mythic Journeys". Based on the 1,000 year old Indian myth "Vikram and Beetal," it is interwoven throughout the chapters of the documentary. We figured we couldn't do a documentary on mythology without telling a myth! After researching literally hundreds of stories we found this darkly beautiful tale in which a king accepts the invitation of a stranger, finds himself in a spectral burial ground full of macabre magic and learns the secrets of the universe.

With original puppets designed and created by the amazing
BRIAN & WENDY FROUD

"The Tree Girl" inspired from the beautiful original by
VIRGINIA LEE

Music scored by talented composer
STUART BALCOMB

And the very patient stop motion artistry of
MICHAEL GRANBERRY

What you're seeing in the sneak peek is one of the early moments in the story as the king makes his way across the burial ground. Along the way he encounters various spirits and creatures. One of the most stunning images is that of "The Tree Girl" designed from the original piece by the wonderful Virginia Lee.	"Tree Girl" by Virginia Lee
Although the tale (which we've renamed The Bone Orchard) is set in the dark world of a burial ground we're approaching it from a place of sadness and pain rather than scary imagery with lonely creatures caught up in their own stories, unable to move forward.
Brian & Wendy Froud donated their incredible talents to design and build the main puppets. When we saw the puppets for the first time we were just stunned at how beautiful they were. Being familiar with their work we had high expectations from Brian & Wendy--but wow! And now seeing them come to life is just an amazing experience.
	If you would like to learn more about what it takes to create these mythical characters, Wendy will be teaching doll making workshops this April & May. To see if she'll be in your neck of the woods visit Wendy Froud Workshop Whether you're a pro or just would love to learn the art of puppet making, we highly recommend Wendy's workshop.
No movie would be complete without music and Stuart Balcomb, composer extraordinaire is not only scoring original music for The Bone Orchard, but the entire Mythic Journeys Documentary as well. You can hear some of his music or buy his CD on his website.
	Of course, none of this would be possible without the incredible patience and artistry of our stop motion animator Michael Granberry On a good day we are able to shoot about 10 seconds of animation. Our first week we were able to shoot a whopping 9 seconds total but things are running smoother now and we're picking up speed... of course the word "speed" isn't used much in stop motion! Be sure to vist Michael's website and support him as he runs the 2008 San Francisco Aids Marathon Go Michael!!
Although we'll eventually be posting the names of everyone who have donated their time, talent and energy to this project we just don't have the brain power at the moment to make sure everyone is listed on the website, so please forgive the omittance. But they are all wonderfully amazing people who have joined our journey and made it their own. So until we can thank everyone properly and publicly, please know how much we appreciate your help!