‘Tis the Season to be Royale. The LA-based motion design and production studio has launched its own interactive holiday fundraiser. All proceeds from the charity will be donated to The American Red Cross Disaster Relief in support of those affected by Superstorm Sandy. nnAt the heart of Royale‘s ambitious 25-day fundraising effort is “The Bell Ringer,” a delightfully humorous animated short about Edith, a sweet old lady who sets up shop on a busy street corner to raise money for charity.nn”Our goal is to raise $10K by January 11th, 2013," remarks Royale Partner/Creative Director Jayson Whitmore. "By the end of this campaign, we hope to present The Red Cross with a check — signed by Royale on behalf of our clients, family and friends — for an amount that exceeds our fundraising goal; and as an added bonus, we’ll even up the ante and create an alternate ending to ‘The Bell Ringer’ as a special thank-you to those who joined our cause.” nnnTo get the full digital experience of “The Bell Ringer” and make a donation, please visit: www.weareroyale.com.thebellringernnThe animated story of Edith, altruistic bell ringer, embarks in a faraway land on a wintry city sidewalk. After many fruitless attempts at ringing in the spirit of giving, Edith becomes so frustrated that she hurls her bell at the next uncaring passerby, causing a coin to curiously bounce her way. Ignored yet again, she throws her bell at another passerby, this time yielding even more coins. By the end of the film, Edith’s red canister is brimming with coins — even an engagement ring — as the pull-out reveals a row of victimless donors knocked out cold for a noble cause. nnViewers now have the choice to avoid a similar holiday fate. Clicking “No Thanks” prompts Edith to throw her bell at the screen (making it go black) before picking it back up and trying again; clicking “Yes” will direct users to a credit card page (hosted by stripe.com) where they may enter predetermined donation amounts of $5, $10, $50 or “other." A linear version of the campaign is hosted on Vimeo, which can be embedded on blogs and social networks such as Facebook to encourage sharing. nnHoliday animations and charity have become a Royale tradition. Following the viral success of last year’s holiday short, "Impossible Present," as well as their holiday party where art by the artists of Royale was auctioned off for charity, Royale saw a unique opportunity to do something special this year by incorporating a fundraising component that would reach the anticipated viewership of the “The Bell Ringer.” nn”With crowdfunding trending, and successful interactive campaigns like Old Spice utilizing the Vimeo platform, we thought, ‘let’s throw in our hat and take a different creative approach,’ which is to make a piece that calls the viewer to action," remarks Partner/Executive Producer Jen Lucero.nnRoyale helmed the entire project in-house, from story development, character modeling and animation, to creating all of the interactive components. To conceive the character of the Edith, the company partners invited their staff to submit their ideas, which were then developed into the final. Tony Morales composed the music and sound design.nn”This campaign is about doing something good for people with what our team loves creatively,” concludes Holman. “We feel very lucky for all of the love we’ve received from clients and friends. Any way we can give back to charity or the community — and have fun ourselves doing it — is definitely something we very much enjoy. That’s pretty much our whole M.O. as a company.” nnAbout RoyalenPartners Brien Holman, Jayson Whitmore, and Jen Lucero launched Royale in 2007 with an uncompromising mission: be passionate about what you do, find inspiration anywhere, and create a fun, relaxed environment where clients and talent can thrive creatively. nnSpanning all aspects of concept creation to execution, Royale integrates award-winning production, design and animation to weave rich stories across all screens, channels and media landscapes. nnFor more info about Royale, please go to: www.weareroyale.com.
Bryan Shrednick Director of Business Development Royale 1.323.337.9990 Contact Bryan via email
Contact:Media: Mark Tillman @Priya PR 323.989.1015 Contact Mark via email
Asian World Film Festival Reveals Asian Vision Program Lineup, Snow Leopard and Bruce Lee Honorees, and Jury Members
The 10th Annual Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) is proud to announce the lineup for its inaugural Asian Vision program, which was conceived to showcase new and exceptional Asian features that have participated in major A-list film festivals and/or garnered international acclaim. The program of eight motion pictures (see list below) will be held November 17-19, 2024, with the top film receiving the Asian Vision Best Film Award. The 10th Annual Asian World Film Festival takes place November 13 - 21, 2024, at the Culver Theatre in Culver City, CA. This year’s Snow Leopard Lifetime Achievement Award, the Festival’s highest honor, will be presented to acclaimed director, screenwriter, and producer Sergei Bodrov in celebration of his remarkable 50-year career. Bodrov established his reputation as a visionary filmmaker with “Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan” (2007), nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film, and “Prisoner of the Mountains” (1996), also an Oscar® nominee as well as a Cannes Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize-winner. The Snow Leopard Outstanding Cinematic Achievement Award will be presented to director, producer, and screenwriter Peter Ho-Sun Chan, one of Hong Kong’s most critically acclaimed and accomplished filmmakers. Known for his versatility and the scope of his work, Chan’s landmark films, including “Comrades: Almost a Love Story” (1996) and “The Warlords” (2007), have earned him a remarkable 233 awards from more than 400 nominations. As previously announced, AWFF will screen “Comrades: Almost a Love Story,” followed by a Q&A with Chan. Multi-award-winning actress Kathryn Bernardo will receive the Snow Leopard... Read More