HIDARI: Stop-Motion Samurai Film
A project in Tokyo, Japan by Masashi Kawamura000days
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00hours
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Funding Successful
Making an action packed stop-motion samurai film about the legendary sculptor “Jingoro Hidari,” portrayed by wooden puppets.
Backers: 1419
Average Pledge Per Backer: ¥10751
Funded: ¥15,255,294 of ¥2,000,000
Dates: Mar 7th -> Apr 25th (49 days)
Project By: Masashi Kawamura
Backers: 1419
Average Pledge Per Backer: ¥10751
Funded: ¥15,255,294 of ¥2,000,000
Dates: Mar 7th -> Apr 25th (49 days)
Project By: Masashi Kawamura
¥15,255,294
current pledge level
Last Updated: April 25 @ 11:03 -0400 GMT
762%
of goal
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Latest News
Stop-Motion Samurai Project 'Hidari' in Development
April 27th - via: firstshowing.net
Wooden puppet stop-motion samurai awesomeness! A must watch! Hidari is a stop-motion animated film currently in development in Japan under the direction of Masashi Kawamura. The film recently finished a massive funding round on Kickstarter, and they've released a 5-minute pilot short to show everyone how this will look. (Read More)
Crowdfunding campaign is nearly at its end! Here's what the exhibition in Tokyo looks like! 
April 23rd - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語はこちら Tomorrow marks the last day of our crowdfunding campaign. We would like to thank all of you who have supported us, considered supporting us, and have sent us heartwarming comments on our Kickstarter page and social media. As... (Read More)
Message from the Director
April 20th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語はこちら To everyone who has backed HIDARI's crowdfunding campaign, thank you so much for your support on this project! We've received tremendous amounts of support from people all around the world, as well as numerous passionate... (Read More)
Sounds Only In This World
April 18th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら In the world of puppets made of wood, what sound would they make if they were cut, and what sound would their prosthetic hands make? Since wood is an important element in this work, Director Kawamura wanted to emphasize the... (Read More)
The Last Magician
April 16th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Hoashi, the editor, occasionally visited the shooting site to check on the progress. As he witnessed the incredible form of the puppets and sets up close, as well as the exceptional passion of the crew, he felt more and... (Read More)
Breathing Soul into the Puppets
April 14th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Okada, who joined the team after the Jingoro puppet was completed, was first very surprised to find that the Jingoro doll was too unsuitable for stop-motion animation. His first impression was, "This puppet can be used for... (Read More)
Pilot film theater screening + puppet exhibition!
April 12th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Thank you for your continued support of HIDARI! We have 2 huge pieces of news to share with you today! The pilot film will be screened in theaters! Since the release of the pilot film, we’ve received many comments from... (Read More)
Inventing the Genre of “Stop-Motion Action”
April 9th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Everyone thought that a difficult project like this, where wooden puppets act out action scenes and are shot with moving cameras, would be a new challenge for any animator. However, at the next meeting, animator Inazumi,... (Read More)
Bringing the Puppets to Life with Lighting
April 4th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら As the construction began, the first challenge for lighting technician Kato was how to light Jingoro's face. While Jingoro's silhouette always looked impressive, lighting his face for close-up shots was a challenging task... (Read More)
Set Design with Old Wood
April 2nd - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語はこちら When we started talking about the set design, the plot was still not quite the size of the pilot film, and various locations such as a gambling hall, enemy's headquarters, and a warehouse-like space were being considered as... (Read More)
Complete Dissection! Jingoro's Toolbox
March 28th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Right from the beginning, Director Kawamura had shared with his team the idea of Jingoro carrying a large toolbox that would transform and open with a clank, and inside are his everyday tools and about three secret... (Read More)
The Story Behind the Armchair Dog
March 26th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら While working on the Inumaru puppet, we saw Ogawa's sketch and discussed the need for an armchair and a smoke tray for Inumaru. We talked about whether Takeuchi, who was in charge of the Inumaru robot, or Yashiro, who made... (Read More)
Sculpting the Sleeping Cat
March 24th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら From the outset, it was decided that the cat would be modeled after the Sleeping Cat at the Nikko Toshogu Shrine. Since this was the only character in the pilot film with a model, we had to discuss how closely it should... (Read More)
Sculpting Inumaru and His Minions
March 21st - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Yashiro referenced traditional Japanese Noh masks when sculpting Inumaru. Noh masks are known to create different facial expressions based on the way light hits them. Facing masks upward is known as "terasu (shining them... (Read More)
New Rewards Added as a Token of Our Appreciation!
March 21st - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Dear Supporters, Thank you so much for your continued support! Your comments on Kickstarter, social media, YouTube, and other platforms have been extremely encouraging, and have empowered us to keep on pushing towards... (Read More)
dwarf studios' Hidari Stop-Motion Samurai Film Pilot Takes the Internet By Storm
March 20th - via: animenewsnetwork.com
A stop-motion samurai film featuring wooden puppets is wowing the Internet. dwarf studios' HIDARI pilot film has gained over 140,000 views on YouTube in just under two weeks. The project's Kickstarter campaign has also more than doubled its two million yen (about US$15,160) goal to create a full-length feature film. (Read More)
Inumaru’s Character Design and the Inumaru Robot
March 19th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら In Edo-period Japan, repeat offenders were branded with the Japanese character for "dog" on their foreheads. Fast forward to modern times, Director Kawamura tasked Ogawa with bringing to life the character of Inumaru, a... (Read More)
The craftsmanship in wood-carved puppets
March 16th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら As you can see from the previous episode, there were so many points that Yashiro focused on in creating the puppet in the film. One example that stands out would be how he made the joints out of wood. The legs of most... (Read More)
Character design and modeling of wood-carved puppets
March 14th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら To bring Jingoro to life through wood-carved puppets, Director Kawamura enlisted the talents of Kenji Yashiro. Yashiro, renowned for his animated films featuring wood puppets such as "GON, The Little Fox" and "Pukkulapottas... (Read More)
Jingoro’s Character Design
March 12th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Jingoro Hidari is said to have made his name during the Edo period. There are various stories as to why he was called “Hidari (Left)”. A local carpenter was so jealous of his skill that he had his right arm cut off,... (Read More)
How did you arrive at this project?
March 9th - via: kickstarter.com
*日本語版はこちら Thinking back, the first time I encountered the character of Jingoro Hidari was when I was a university student. I started to learn about creating things when I joined Masahiko Sato's lab, and studied the works of... (Read More)
Thank you for your support!
March 9th - via: kickstarter.com
Thank you all so much for your support! The entire HIDARI team is thrilled to have received a number of wonderful comments from people all over the world on Kickstarter and social media since the release of the pilot film. Thanks to your warm... (Read More)
We’ve started crowdfunding!
March 7th - via: kickstarter.com
Hello everyone! This is Masa, leading the "HIDARI" project. We thank you for your interest in “HIDARI”, and our deepest appreciation goes out to everyone who has already backed our project. In the “Updates” section, we will be sharing the... (Read More)
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