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Swift Spark and the Defense Five: Pre-production!

An indie animated superhero series with action, comedy, and mystery - pre-production for Season 1!

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Swift Spark and the Defense Five: Pre-production!

Swift Spark and the Defense Five: Pre-production!

Swift Spark and the Defense Five: Pre-production!

Swift Spark and the Defense Five: Pre-production!

Swift Spark and the Defense Five: Pre-production!

An indie animated superhero series with action, comedy, and mystery - pre-production for Season 1!

An indie animated superhero series with action, comedy, and mystery - pre-production for Season 1!

An indie animated superhero series with action, comedy, and mystery - pre-production for Season 1!

An indie animated superhero series with action, comedy, and mystery - pre-production for Season 1!

Peter Houtman
Peter Houtman
Peter Houtman
Peter Houtman
1 Campaign |
-, Netherlands
$538 USD $538 USD 3 backers
6% of $8,202 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Swift Spark and the Defense Five: The Animated Series is an action-comedy animated series created by Peter Houtman, a freelance storyboard artist and character designer. Swift Spark started in 2016 as a webcomic, and since 2020, I’ve been working on turning it into an animated series.

In 2022, I put my all into writing, directing, and animating my own pilot - solo!

Starting off with little funding, I decided to take whatever money I could scrape together through hard work, and show the world that this idea is worth a shot!

I worked my butt off for a year straight to release a proper 22-minute pilot. I collaborated with the most amazing voice cast you could imagine, and together we’ve made something amazing happen.

Now, I want to share a piece of that amazingness with others – including you.

So… you might ask yourself – what the hell is a Swift Spark and what is he defending?

About the show

James Riverdale is 15 when he discovers he has superpowers. What’s more, he discovers there’s more to his father’s disappearance than meets the eye – nefarious supervillain organization VIPER is behind it all. And now… they’re coming after him.

James is on a mission to find his father and stop VIPER from reaching its goal of creating an army of super-powered soldiers.

But VIPER and their antics aren’t the only problem James has to deal with – James is both the youngest in his high school class and in his superhero team. Like any teenager, James is in a supersonic rush to grow up and prove he's an "adult", and that comes with mistakes - and consequences. Luckily, his best friend Anna always has his back; when stuff goes wrong, she’s always around to drag James back down to Earth.

How will James go about balancing high school and superhero responsiblities? Will he choose fighting crime, or passing his final exams? Can he keep his secret identity from his classmates?

Each episode is 20-25 minutes in total. To lower the wait between episodes, the pilot was split into 2 11-minute halves. Ideally we wouldn’t be doing this for every episode – more funding would solve this issue.

The Cast

I’m proud to say that Swift Spark and the Defense Five is a SAG-AFTRA signatory show. And we’d like you to meet the cast that has voiced some of the characters in the pilot!

Vincent Martella (Phineas and FerbFinal Fantasy)  is our lead -  James Riverdale, AKA The Swift Spark! Our neurodivergent main protagonist. 

He is determined to find out the truth behind his father’s disappearance, treading into his footsteps as a superhero.

James has trouble focusing his attention on one specific thing, preferring to do many things at a time - this tends to get him in trouble. He also has a tendency to bite off more than he can chew, and is hesitant to admit it whenever he does so. Luckily, his super-friends are always by his side to help him.

Hayley Nelson (Murder Drones, Meta Runner)  is Samira Riverdale, AKA The Ebony Assassin! She's James's older sister and primary caretaker whenever their mother isn't around. Because she's often been left alone with her brother, she's become rather protective of him - sometimes even too much so. Samira at times fails to see him as his own person, rather than a mission. Hopefully, by working with her brother, she'll realise that he’s more than capable of holding his own - even if he still needs his sister’s help sometimes.

David Errigo Jr (Detective Pikachu, Tiny Toons Looniversity) is playing Thomas Bennett, AKA The Phantom! On the outside he seems cynical and sarcastic, but he has a soft spot for his friends. He lives with his father; his mother moved back to the UK after a messy divorce. He somewhat resents her for this, but loves her no matter what, never refusing a phone call from her.

Dan Stabb (Super Action Team - Exposition, Finding Magic Marc) is our main villan, Daniel Collins! He's the current CEO of VIPER, and the son of VIPER's former CEO, Andrew. He has made it his personal mission to find and capture James. Andrew disappeared on the same night James’s father disappeared. Daniel is out for revenge, as well as to take the power he believes is owed to him for all the work Andrew put into the serum. Like James, Daniel believes his father has gone missing, and also doesn’t believe Martin is dead, either. He is suspicious, conniving, and goes to great lengths to get what he wants.

Carolina Hoyos (Magnum PI, Street Fighter 6) will be taking on the role of Bella Garcia, AKA Occulta! Samira’s best friend and former high school classmate. She loves to dance and has competed in multiple nationwide competitions. She's cute, kind and bubbly, but when pushed, she gets snappy and can have a serious, no-nonsense attitude – which is important when it comes to keeping the boys’ shenanigans in check. She also gets along well with Anna, even though they don't get to interact that often. James had a crush on her when he was  younger, although he would never admit it. When something needs to get done, you can count on Bella.

This was just a quick grab from our pilot's cast - for our full cast list so far, visit our website's cast section!

 

Of course we're not just hiring talent in the voice department - our artists are a talented crew, too!

 

What We Need & What You Get

 

What we need, in short:

  • Your support, financially, but through word-of-mouth too.
  • Funds to keep the show going, speed up production, and upgrade the quality.

As I said before, production for this show is split into three phases. What does that mean exactly? 

 

Phase 0 - Preproduction

Writing, visual development, which includes character designs and location designs... then we do storyboards, layouts for the backgrounds (to ensure the characters fit on the background & don't look too big or too small, or like they're floating in mid-air!). Voice actors record their lines and demos for songs are produced.

Phase 1 - Production

Animation actually starts! Rough animation is the most labour-intensive part of the whole process, and also the most expensive. In the meantime, background painters are starting their work based on the layouts done in preproduction. Cleanup is the last element of this phase! Final versions of the songs are produced in the background.

Phase 2 - Production & Post-production

In the final phase, production and post-production get combined. The animation gets coloured, the backgrounds get finalized, and composition of the music should be underway at this point.

Finally, compositing of the scenes and sound design kick off the post-production process. After some final edits and audio mixing, the episode is complete!

 

In this pie chart, I’ll explain how much of the goal is spent on each step.

As you can see, production takes up almost three quarters of an episode's budget - hence the decision to split it up into two phases.

This campaign covers preproduction! But... not all of it.

Animation is a huge task, and expensive, too - and with a teeny tiny production crew (with this budget, Pan is still doing 70% of the work himself), we're not looking to overwork ourselves.

This campaign is limited to preproduction for 5 episodes, to get to know each other and to build a stable workflow. After that, we can look towards preproduction for the rest of season 1 - more episodes!

More on that below. First, let's talk rewards.

What you get, in short:

  • Get your hands on awesome & exclusive rewards - plus a chance to be a part of this adventure!
  • The more funding, the more resources; the better the end product will be.
  • A respectful salary for the hardworking people that will be lending me their talent.
  • Potential for more episodes & better and bigger rewards!

 

Rewards:

I understand you're curious about our rewards - and here are some of my favourites!

Our lovely, soft, and cuddly 40cm Swift Spark plushie!

 

A multitude of stickers - 6 of 7 or 5 of 12 cm!

 

Two different 7cm acrylic charms!

Five awesome buttons featuring the characters!

 

And of course - copies of our comics, both physical and digital! Each volume has over 200 pages!

For all rewards, check the "rewards" section! Most of these rewards, especially the physical ones, are available separately as well, so you can get extras for your friends, or make a custom pledge and just pick and choose the rewards you want if none of the tiers suit your fancy.

And to address the elephant in the room - you may be thinking: "You’re using the Flexible Goal option to run this campaign. That means this is a scam, right?"

I can promise you it’s not – I produced the pilot with nothing but my own money, plus eventually some extra money from our Patrons. Animation is one of the most expensive industries out there. For as long as I’m able to, I’ll be continuing to contribute my own earnings to the show’s budget, and I’ll still be working in every role within the pipeline to fill in the gaps the money can’t cover. Getting this additional funding simply means I can get more hands, eyes and creative minds onto the project to take stress off of mine.

 

Stretch goals & Community goals:

In the event we reach our initial goal, it may be fun to do something extra, no? Here's our plans for that:

This current goal of €8000/$8700 allows us to finish preproduction on 5 episodes.

  • €16.000 / $17,200 would unlock a fun reward for all backers: a behind-the-scenes documentary accessible for backers only! Plus a FREE sticker pack and print for all backers!
  • €30.000 / $32,500 would unlock a FREE reward for $25 and up backers: An acrylic standee!
  • €50.000 / $54,200 would unlock a FREE reward for $50 and up backers: A T-shirt!
  • €81.250/$87,100 would fund preproduction for all 14 episodes of Season 1, intended to wrap in 2025!
  • €100.000 / $108,300 would unlock a FREE reward for all $100 and up backers: A 3D-printed figure!
  • €265.000 / $288,000 would fund full production for the first 5 episodes of Season 1, intended to wrap in 2028!
  • €280.000 / $303,500 would allow us to make an animated musical intro AND outro for Season 1!

And for those curious...

  • €546.200/$585,000 would cover a full production cycle for all of Season 1, intended to wrap in 2030! This involves Pan covering 70% of the production work himself and contributing his own money to the funds.
  • If we want to go full throttle and pay everyone the union rates they're worth, we'd need to raise €3.178.500/$3,407,000 - yup, animation's expensive! But... we'd also be able to release all of season one by 2027. In other words, non-union pay gets you 5 solid episodes in the same timespan as 3x as many for union rates. We're making sure nobody's getting overworked here (...except for Pan).

Of course there's a lotta ground to cover between those two goals, and the first one really is just the bare minimum at this point. We'll see where this goes!

Money talks, but community is just as important to us. That's why we've made a "stamp rally" with community challenges! Can we get them all?  The rewards listed are in addition to the stretch goal rewards!

The rewards on the far right are unlocked 1 of 2 ways: For every 4 goals we reach, or for every backer goal listed on the card. So for every 4 goals reached, a backer goal reward is unlocked early & the backer goal reward is replaced with something new! I'd honestly be shocked if we managed to get on trending, but... challenge accepted. ;)

 

In case they're hard to read:

  • 50 backers OR 4 goals: A super early behind-the-scenes look at ALL 14 upcoming episodes, plus some scrapped ideas!
  • 100 backers OR 8 goals: FREE magnets for all pledges!
  • 200 backers OR 12 goals: FREE buttons for all pledges!*
  • 300 backers OR 16 goals: FREE art commission for all pledges!
  • 400 backers OR all 20 non-backer goals: FREE (digital) art book for all pledges!*
  • 1500 followers on Twitter: A sneak peek stream, though not as elaborate as what we have planned for 50 backers.
  • 2000 followers on Twitter: We'll be giving away merch from our Fourthwall store - including the plushie!
  • 1000 retweets on the Indiegogo launch tweet: All backers get access to exclusive phone and desktop wallpapers! Remember the desktop buddy? We got one just for you ;)
  • Getting us on trending (any platform, really!): all backers are rewarded with a FREE comic book.*

*if you paid for these rewards and they end up becoming free, you'll be given an equivalent value extra reward. Stay tuned for those ;)

 

 

The Impact

I’ve proven I can make these episodes by myself. They’re far from perfect, and there’s so much potential for growth and improvement. Not to mention - it takes forever. This crowdfunding campaign can help us give that little push to make something good truly great. I feel truly humbled by the amazing talent that has offered to help out with this project – I mean – Phineas and Ferb?

And there may be more of that amazing talent on the way...

All of this has doubled my resolve to make Swift Spark and the Defense Five one of the best indie shows out there. But we can’t get there without you.

Indie animation is cool, and we gotta get the attention of the big guys, let them know that there’s money to be made here. So many indie creators are eagerly waiting to breathe fresh air into the lungs of animation – and if we all work together, we can make it happen.

Risks & Challenges

Let’s be honest, the biggest risk here for you, the audience, is probably the fact that you're taking a chance on me – a 20-something nobody with no proven track record.

Over the past year, I’ve worked in lead character designer and storyboarding roles for Fountain’s Pen Productions, an animation apprenticeship run by animation veteran John Fountain. I’ve also acted as the casting director of the same apprenticeship, as well as directing the voice acting, sound design and composing of my own pilot.

So whilst you wouldn't be wrong to say I don't have a lot of experience – take into account that I have produced the pilot on my own, with no financial backing and even less experience. Should we unexpectedly come short on funds, I’ll jump in and finish whatever’s left to be done myself.

In crucial areas I fully intend on hiring folks with experience, so I can lean on them where needed and learn from them.

 

Other Ways You Can Help

I can’t contribute, but I want to help. What can I do?

You can tell all of your animation fan-friends, superhero friends, and just all of your friends and family in general that there’s this super awesome indie superhero show out there that needs support to get produced! Share the campaign online, spread word of mouth, watch and share our pilot – all of it helps.

Can we support you after the campaign ends?

Absolutely! Our Fourthwall shop sells merch that is produced at no cost to us, and our Patreon is used to share exclusive and early updates that backers of the campaign would also get. We also have a Ko-fi!

 

What's planned for the Future?

You thought we forgot, huh? Nope!

In the Stretch Goals section, you could read some of the astronomical amounts of money we'd need to finish one season - let alone a whole show. But to give you a general idea of where we hope to go:

With the budget currently listed, I do a solid 70% of the work myself. Ideally, we'd work up to expanding the team more so I can focus more on writing and directing.

Currently, the budget's around €39.000 / $40,000 per episode. 

This keeps the size of the team limited, meaning production's slow. Season 1 is currently planned to take as long as 5-7 years, not including the production time of the pilot, let alone pre-production before that! (Then it would be 10-12 - and 13-15 if you want to include the webcomic).

Should people like the show and our story pick up steam, we have 2 "ideals".

€116.500 / $126.500 is what we'd like to call our "full indie budget". This means a fully paid team, though still working mostly part-time. I would not be getting paid for my work on the show, but everyone else on the crew would.

€242.500 / $263.000 is what we'd like to call our "full final budget". This means a fully paid, full-time production that approaches an industry-worthy budget. I would be paying myself a flat fee of €3000 / $3260 for my work on each episode, and everything else goes to the crew.

At the current budget and crew size, we'd expect the full show to be finished by 2050. So... more than 20 years.

Sounds fun, but not incredibly realistic! That's why we'll be continuously promoting, crowdfunding, and finding new ways to grow our audience, budget, and team. With indie animation's current boom, you never know!

Will you help us get there? It all starts here - and teamwork makes the dream work!

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Choose your Perk

Defense High-Five!

Currency Conversion $5 USD
€5 EUR
Every donation counts! As thanks, we'll send you a little message and add you to the list of names that scrolls past at the end of the episode. You'll also get to watch the episode before anyone else!
Included Items
  • Personalized thank-you message
  • Name in episode credits
  • Early screening of the episode
1 claimed

Heroic Artwork

Currency Conversion $15 USD
€15 EUR
If you like art books, this perk's for you - you'll get a downloadable PDF of the art book based on the webcomic, pilot, and first two episodes.
Included Items
  • Personalized thank-you message
  • Name in episode credits
  • Early screening of the episode
  • Digital Art Book PDF
1 claimed

A literary introduction

Currency Conversion $26 USD $59 USD (56% off)
€25 EUR
Swift Spark's webcomic origins are available to read for free, but this PDF download includes the refreshed artwork plus bonus pages of the physical edition that was released in November 2023. Plus, digital copies of the two issues of the pilot comic! (To be completed in 2024!)
Included Items
  • Personalized thank-you message
  • Name in episode credits
  • Swift Spark: The Webcomic
  • The Adventures Continue #1
  • The Adventures Continue #2
  • Digital Art Book PDF
0 claimed

Heroic Artwork - In Print!

Currency Conversion $41 USD $77 USD (46% off)
€40 EUR
Get a copy of our physical artbook alongside a postcard set - you can choose whether or not you want blank postcards or signed ones with a handwritten message just for you! :)
Included Items
  • Everything listed above
  • Physical art book
  • Postcard set
Estimated Shipping
June 2025
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Heroic Thingamabobs

Currency Conversion $51 USD $93 USD (45% off)
€50 EUR
Do you want merch, but do you not have a lot of wall space, or are you worried about shipping costs? Then the Heroic Thingamabobs tier is for you - containing digital copies of all comics we've got, and three small merch items: -A 7cm double-sided acrylic charm -A 4cm acrylic pin -A sticker pack containing 5 12cm stickers
Included Items
  • Personalized thank-you message
  • Name in episode credits
  • Swift Spark: The Webcomic
  • The Adventures Continue #1
  • The Adventures Continue #2
  • Early screening of the episode
  • Digital Art Book PDF
  • Acrylic charm (keychain)
  • Acrylic Pin
  • Sticker pack (5x)
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Heroic Gizmoes and Gadgets

Currency Conversion $82 USD $149 USD (44% off)
€80 EUR
Want MORE merch? Choose the Heroic Gizmoes and Gadgets, and get a T-shirt, button pack, and signed print (choose your preferred size; we have different designs in different sizes available)! Print is signed by Pan-tastique.
Included Items
  • Everything listed above
  • T-shirt
  • Button Pack
  • Signed print
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Ultimate Hero Tier

Currency Conversion $164 USD $215 USD (23% off)
€160 EUR
ALL the merch from the previous tiers, plus a physical, hardcover copy of the art book, and the official 16" tall Swift Spark plush! Should it be unlocked, the 3D-printed figure will be included in this tier.
Included Items
  • Everything listed above
  • Physical art book
  • Swift Spark 16" Plush
0 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Background character

Currency Conversion $256 USD
€250 EUR
You, your loved one, or original character gets transported into the world of Swift Spark, in the background of an episode! Includes no merch.
Included Items
  • Personalized thank-you message
  • Name in episode credits
  • Swift Spark: The Webcomic
  • The Adventures Continue #1
  • The Adventures Continue #2
  • Digital Art Book PDF
  • Background character
0 out of 10 of claimed

Spoken Line

Currency Conversion $513 USD
€500 EUR
Give your background cbaracter 1-2 spoken lines in an episode of Swift Spark!
Included Items
  • Personalized thank-you message
  • Name in episode credits
  • Swift Spark: The Webcomic
  • The Adventures Continue #1
  • The Adventures Continue #2
  • Early screening of the episode
  • Digital Art Book PDF
  • Background character
1 out of 10 of claimed

Recurring character

Currency Conversion $1,025 USD
€1,000 EUR
Get your character a recurring role in the background for a couple of episodes!
Included Items
  • Background character
0 out of 5 of claimed

Become a Villain

Currency Conversion $3,589 USD
€3,500 EUR
You'll get to create the main villain for an episode +a producer credit, plus additional rewards from the Ultimate Hero tier!
Included Items
  • Ultimate Hero Tier rewards
  • Producer credit
  • Character with central plot
  • Swift Spark 16" Plush
0 out of 2 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Executive producer credit

Currency Conversion $5,126 USD
€5,000 EUR
Get an Executive Producer credit in every episode, plus the villain tier perk... plus ALL of our merch offered on this campaign.
Included Items
  • Swift Spark: The Webcomic
  • Everything listed above
  • Ultimate Hero Tier rewards
  • Character with central plot
  • Executive Producer credit
  • Swift Spark 16" Plush
0 out of 2 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

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