The Telescope

'The Telescope' is an upcoming, Kiwi-made, animated short film.

After the death of his parents, our main character Harold develops an obsession with star gazing which leads him to convert the family home into a giant telescope.

Nestled in the midst of suburbia, Harold navigates the surrounding nuisance of society as best he can. That is until one night he discovers a new star in the night sky which will change his life forever.

Follow one man's journey as he opens himself up to the universe whilst simultaneously closing himself off to the world..

'The Telescope' is the brainchild of Tim Hunt, an animator and illustrator with over 30 years experience in the creative industry. 

I have over 9 years experience as an animator working on children's TV shows for studios including Disney, Nickelodeon and Warner Bros. For the past 25 years I have storyboarded TV commercials for advertising agencies, illustrated children's books, and animated TVCs and corporate videos amongst other projects!  (www.diddleysquatt.com)

I am currently working in collaboration with a well-renowned animation producer, as the success of ‘The Telescope’ comes about from not only completing this film but getting it on the world stage.
Successful funding will enable me to collaborate with other NZ animators and creatives, of which I have many contacts.

I am quite conscious of the enormity of this project. Animation is a very laborious artform.

I have set the goal of this campaign to $15,000, but I am hoping this amount is substantially exceeded (this crowdfunding platform only works if my goal is reached). 

This is my first crowdfunding campaign for 'The Telescope', and will go towards pre-production and making a teaser length sequence to help with further funding. I have been working for the past few months developing 3d assets to be used in the film, and building the neighborhood it is set in. However there is still a huge amount of work left to do including creating new and more detailed environments for mid/closeup scenes, characters and rigging, vehicles, and various objects.

I obviously have written an original script, and have begun storyboarding this (which will need to be finished).

Be a part of our journey - whether it be from a very much appreciated donation, sharing the campaign with your friends network, or if there's some other way please get in touch.

'The Telescope' is more than just an animated short film - it's the first step in establishing a viable NZ-based animation studio focused on producing well-executed, hand-crafted animated short films for an international audience. 'The Telescope' is the first piece in the puzzle, and hopefully the first of many animation projects.

It is my goal to create 'The Telescope' as efficiently and effectively as possible, using Kiwi creatives as much as possible (hopefully 100%). 

My experience of late has taught me that with the right people it is possible to collaborate as a team independently on creative projects. 

I have purposefully chosen to produce 'The Telescope' using the free 3d software Blender, not just because it's free to use, but also to tap into it's huge international following and the success of Blender projects such as the recent movie 'Flow' .  

And by documenting my journey through this process of producing a short animated film, I hope to be a source of help and inspiration for other budding Kiwi animators and creatives.

Feel free to visit my website www.diddleysquatt.com for more updates.

I enjoy films that are entertaining, unique and unpredictable. Films that I finish watching but keep thinking about. Films that are original and memorable.

I am hoping 'The Telescope' will be such a film.