With the goal of producing high-quality animated films for the Vietnamese audience, author Huỳnh Thái Ngọc and the team from Sun Wolf Animation Studio have initiated the production of the animated series “Thợ Bẫy Màu” (Color Hunter). This project is funded through community crowdfunding, marking a significant milestone as there has not been a successful animated series of this nature in Vietnam.
The crowdfunding campaign began on November 15, 2022, and ran until February 22, 2023, aiming to raise 1.2 billion VND to produce the first three episodes of this animated series. The series is expected to consist of 10 episodes, totaling over 120 minutes of content.
Sharing with us, Mr. Nguyễn Tiến Sơn – the producer of the animated film “Thợ Bẫy Màu” – highlighted the challenges faced in securing funding for this project.
By February 7, 2023, just 14 days before the campaign concluded, the funding for “Thợ Bẫy Màu” had reached 50% of its goal. The production team had anticipated the worst-case scenario and announced two options for donors:
– One option is to refund the donated amount.
– The second option is for those who wish to continue supporting the project, with a plan to return funds to those who want a refund. The “Thợ” team will consider the budget for gifts (for those who donated) and the production of the episodes based on the funds raised (with a budget estimate of 400 million VND per episode).
In the face of challenges, the production team for “Thợ Bẫy Màu” is determined to explore other funding avenues to ensure the film’s release as planned.
On February 17, 2023, just five days later, the funding reached 65% of the planned goal.
“At that time, the animation was still far from completion,” Tiến Sơn stated.
By February 20, 2023, donations surged dramatically. Notably, two major contributions amounted to 250 million VND and 100 million VND from Coolmate, a brand under Fastech Asia Co., Ltd., and W2WCartoon, a YouTube channel specializing in animated film reviews, respectively, which were crucial for the project’s progress.
“This is entirely donation money from sponsors without any advertising requirements for the three episodes of ‘Thợ Bẫy Màu’ produced so far. Along with that, there is a strong affection from many fans of ‘Thợ’. As of 4:20 PM on February 21, 2023, the ‘Thợ’ team had received support from 4,955 donors, with funds totaling 1,374 million VND (rounded), achieving 114% of the target,” Tiến Sơn added.
“We are very happy and want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has cherished and supported ‘Thợ Bẫy Màu’ as we strive to produce animated films for the Vietnamese audience. We are committed to producing the first three episodes as planned,” said Nguyễn Tiến Sơn, representing the production team of “Thợ Bẫy Màu.”
This marks the first successful instance of an animated film being crowdfunded in Vietnam.
When asked about the plans for the remaining episodes in the 10-episode series, Tiến Sơn revealed that he and the “Thợ Bẫy Màu” production team are exploring other funding options to keep the project alive, with the goal of producing additional content. They are considering strategies such as seeking more donations from sponsors, searching for investors, or “taking the long path” by creating commercial products and advertising to raise funds for the animated film.
