Greetings!
My name is Falco Verholen and I'm a video designer from the Utrecht School of the Arts in Hilversum, the Netherlands. Honeyblood is my graduation project and I need your help to bring it to life!
About Honeyblood:
Honeyblood is a music video that tells the story of Daniel, a quiet and rational young man who isn't all that interested in love (or sex, for that matter) until he meets Alistair, a charismatic male collegue who triggers a sudden and unexpected desire in him. However, Daniel's fear of these intense feelings drives him to imagine all sorts of unsettling assumptions about Alistair. In the end, Alistair himself pulls him out of his paranoid trip and shows him that there's nothing to be afraid of.
About the artist:
I'm a 28 winters old explorer and lover of the odd and surreal. I am fascinated (and sometimes confused) by how the human mind and heart work, why we do the things we do, and why we can be so afraid of things that perhaps aren't nearly as dangerous as we think they are.
Alongside my video design projects, where I usually (art) direct and write my films, I also work as an illustrator, painter, creator of graphic novels and short stories.
Among my other interests are nature, gaming, Haruki Murakami novels, listening to music virtually all the time, good walks and good talks, sushi and inspiring art books. I collect big cats, birds of prey and snails.
About the band:
The music for Honeyblood will be a piece from the US darkwave band Oneiroid Psychosis. I've discovered their work about ten years ago and the song Fleshmachine was an immediate favorite. When I went through music that would fit the rythm, language and tension of Honeyblood I found that I wanted to feature this track.
Feel free to listen to several snippets of Oneiroid Psychosis here (Fleshmachine can be found here, too):
http://www.last.fm/music/Oneiroid+Psychosis
About the funding:
For the realization of Honeyblood me and my crew will need financing for the following things:
- travel expenses and catering
- props and costumes
- payments and honoraria
- equipment (a good camera, lenses, lighting)
About the perks:
As you can see in the video and on my website, I do a lot of drawing and illustrating. This is why I thought of a special and very personal way to thank every contributor for his or her donation: I will draw for you! You can e-mail me your concept or idea, and I will turn this into a drawing. I will then color this drawing digitally and send you the high-resolution version so you can print the commission and put your very own Falco on your wall!
Of course, the more you donate the more time I will pour into your commission. I do draw pretty fast, so even with a relatively small donation I can create a nice sketch or drawing for you - but if you invest more the commission will become both larger and more detailed.
I would like to point out that, depending on the amount of small or large donations Honeyblood receives, it will take some time for me to finish every commission. A little patience is required.
For examples of my work and several commissions, feel free to visit my portfolio:
http://www.periferal.nl
The Impact
So why should you support Honeyblood? Personally, I believe that a lot of (young) men struggle with the concept of homosexuality - that being gay somehow is an attack or affront to their own masculinity. I've seen this happening not just with other people, both close to me or in the news and media, but also within myself. Daniel's reaction is, to some degree, based off my own irrational fear of being 'less of a dude' if I happen to fancy another man. Rationally speaking I know this is nonsense, but in terms of emotions or instinct it can feel quite different.
There seems to be a shift in the way we perceive things such as feminity, masculinity, gender and sexual orientation. Things certainly look different compared to a few decades ago. Still, there's a lot of work to be done and a lot of prejudice to overcome. Personally I identify strongly with the LGBT community and I want my graduation project to contribute, both emotionally and artistically, to more diversity in the art world and on the internet. There are not many music videos out there that deal with homosexuality or its emotional consequences. Honeyblood, I believe, is pretty unique. I want it to touch people, get them to think about their own preconceptions on the subject. At the same time, I want to draw the viewer into Daniel's journey and present a visually mesmerizing and intricating world.
About you!
What else can you do for Honeyblood? For one thing, it would be great if you could send the link of the campaign to your friends and family. Or you can put the campaign on your social media and draw some attention to it. Don't forget Indiegogo makes it easy for you to share!
Thank you for reading, and take care.
Yours, Falco Verholen / lifemachine