Uncle Bertie's Botanarium

By Duncan Sarkies

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NZ $8,006 pledged


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This campaign was successful and closed on 11/05/2012 at 9:23 PM.

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About

Uncle Bertie's Botanarium

Project 2012-03-28 23:43:08 +1300

Salutations
Greetings seafarers, city slickers, country types, historians, botanists and lovers of the ridiculous.

What we are trying to do
Help us to make our dream of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium Episode I: Cheese Dreams in the Gravy Isles come true. We are planning, come hell or high water, to make Episode I of a radio podcast, scripted by Duncan Sarkies and featuring the music of Lawrence Arabia and performances by Jemaine Clement and Nigel Collins. The podcast also features sound design by Nic McGowan and illustrations by Stephen Templer.

We need your help
We will be recording the podcast in May and we are determined to do a really good job of it. This Pledge Me campaign is an important way you can help us to raise the minimum funds we need, and you will get something cool in return.  

[International Pledgers ... please add $5 to the rewards up to and including The Super-Duper Supreme reward OR $15 to the Art, Literature or Music packages to cover additional postage costs.  Thanking you in advance]

A little bit about the story - Episode 1: Cheese Dreams in the Gravy Isles
Mr Banks is a famous aristocratic idle botanist who is a lord in the ugly squalor of Damprot-Upon-Tyne, the jewel of the Gravy Isles. A varicose vein cheese dream leads him to the secret botanarium of Bank’s Uncle Bertie. Uncle Bertie was a laughing stock amongst botanists due to his belief in the existence of ‘Heaven's Clover’, a plant on the other side of the Boiling Ocean rumoured to offer a lifetime of pleasure. He disappeared in search of the plant, never to be seen again.

Mr Banks announces that he will set sail to the Boiling Ocean and beyond, to restore his family name and to rid the world of pleasure. He selects a crew of untrustworthy seafarers, botanists and dandys. As the sailors leave the port for pastures unknown and probable certain death they sing a moving farewell dirge, I Left My Heart in the Gravy Isles.

A little about us
Lawrence Arabia is a splendid musician. In 2010 he won the APRA Silver Scroll with Apple Pie Bed.  He has written many other songs worth crowing about: Talk About The Good Times, The Beautiful Young Crew and Auckland CBD. He has toured with Crowded House, Feist and Okkervil River and will soon be jetting to the UK to promote his forthcoming album The Sparrow.

Duncan Sarkies is a writer who is mostly known for working with brother Robert on Scarfies and their highly anticipated film Two Little Boys. He has written two episodes for the Flight of the Conchords and his novel Two Little Boys has been warmly received in New Zealand and the UK.

Stephen Templer is an illustrator, artist and amateur shaman. He has illustrated for Fatcat and Fishface on their short animated film The Wreck of the Diddley and designed props for The Hobbit. His artwork can be seen all over the country and is always in hot demand. See his website to get an idea of his style. Also, we've displayed some of his artwork below.

Our other collaborators are a superb bunch. Jemaine Clement is extremely well known for his HBO TV Series Flight of the Conchords, Nigel Collins has toured extensively with the Flight of the Conchords, the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra and much-loved theatre show Wheeler's Luck. Nic McGowan has produced radio plays, albums by many prominent Wellington bands and created sound designs for film and theatre. He is a perfectionist; he can often be found in the wee small hours rustling trees and sloshing around on boats to capture soundscapes for his many projects.


Where we have been and where we are going

Uncle Bertie's Botanarium
is a project that we have been working on for three years and has so far resulted in a short film, and a rollicking ten episode synopsis that we will turn into more radio podcasts and a grapic novel. After that, who knows, but we do salivate a little at the prospect of eventually creating a feature film…


Some of the art you can purchase to help us

Below are some of Stephen Templer's artworks made specifically for Uncle Bertie's Botanarium. You can purchase an A3 limited edition of Discovery of the Botanarium in 'The Art Package' for $120. The other images you can get are a set of 8 postcards ($25), or as part of the 'Super-Duper Podcast Package' ($40).



Discovery of the Botanarium


Postcard images

Your own line, guaranteed

These are some of the lines on offer:

'Ow! Ow! Stop it! Please! Ow!'
'Nathaniel! Nathaniel!'
'I would like a delicious piece of gorgonzola and a pint of melted cat cheddar.'
'What a load of claptrap.'
'There is nothing beyond the Boiling Ocean. I know this as well as I know the world is flat.'
'This book is a nonsense. Burn the book! Burn the book!'
'Even calling it a weed is xenophobic to the extreme.'
'Speaking of shrivel, you should see inside my breetches.'
'You may be a woman Sheila, but you always have such interesting botanical points.'
'Ow! I love queuing. Ow!'
'Okey dokey, but remember to thrash him three times daily.'
'That's me your honour. I saw him on bended knee. Drool was coming out of his mouthal regions, and I saw him havin' his way with the chrysanthemum.'
'I don't like his widow's peak.'
'There's no such thing as Heavens Clover. That's just a sailor's fancy.'

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why do you need an illustrator for a radio podcast?
A. Stevie will influence what is created with his illustrations, and his illustrations will become a focal point in the project in the future. For the radio podcast Stevie will inspire the sound design with his illustrations. Think of him as like Terry Gilliam in Monty Python.

Q. Yeah, but Monty Python was a TV show. You could see it with your eyes.
A. Okay then. Think of him as like Andrew Ridgeley in Wham. Or that guy that never sang or played an instrument and just danced a lot in Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Q. Okay.
A. That wasn’t a question.
Q. Or was it?




Comments

Updates 2

Blimey ... Another NEW REWARD

08/05/2012 at 12:37 AM

Just added the opportunity for you to have Duncan Sarkies come and give a motivational speech! Aimed at Advertising Agencies ... but if the hat fits grab it quick as only one of these on offer.

NEW REWARDS

03/05/2012 at 5:04 AM

We've added a new reward ... the chance to be an Executive Producer.  It comes with some pretty cool opportunities so check it out.

And only one chance to secure an evening with Lawrence Arabia, Duncan Sarkies and Stephen Templer - the ultimate 'reward'!

    Pledgers 158

    Andrew Shaw
    11/05/2012 at 9:41am
    Brigit Kirk
    11/05/2012 at 9:03am
    Samuel Scott
    11/05/2012 at 7:18am
    Gemma Syme
    11/05/2012 at 7:06am
    Gemma Gracewood
    11/05/2012 at 6:37am
    Jo Hodgson
    11/05/2012 at 12:32am
    Simon Burgin
    11/05/2012 at 12:14am
    Katharine
    10/05/2012 at 6:58pm
    Carin Sundstedt
    10/05/2012 at 6:10pm
    Carin Sundstedt
    10/05/2012 at 6:06pm
    Robert Sarkies
    10/05/2012 at 5:48pm
    Henry Babbage
    10/05/2012 at 9:27am
    Rachael Boggs
    10/05/2012 at 12:12am
    Gareth Bradley
    09/05/2012 at 10:21pm
    Andrew Jack
    09/05/2012 at 9:05pm
    Emily Efford
    09/05/2012 at 4:44pm
    Sam Buys
    09/05/2012 at 3:21pm
    Anonymous pledger
    09/05/2012 at 3:18pm
    liardet
    09/05/2012 at 2:04pm
    Nicola Young
    09/05/2012 at 12:38pm
    Geoff Bentley
    09/05/2012 at 12:17pm
    Andrew Lumsden
    09/05/2012 at 11:51am
    Anonymous pledger
    09/05/2012 at 11:32am
    Mark Turner
    09/05/2012 at 10:45am
    Matthew Butler
    09/05/2012 at 9:42am
    Nic Marrison
    09/05/2012 at 5:27am
    Vesna
    08/05/2012 at 11:34pm
    virginia braun
    08/05/2012 at 9:12pm
    Anonymous pledger
    08/05/2012 at 9:04pm
    Turumeke Harrington
    08/05/2012 at 7:32pm

    Followers

    Followers of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium

    Uncle Bertie's Botanarium

    Project 2012-03-28 23:43:08 +1300

    Salutations
    Greetings seafarers, city slickers, country types, historians, botanists and lovers of the ridiculous.

    What we are trying to do
    Help us to make our dream of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium Episode I: Cheese Dreams in the Gravy Isles come true. We are planning, come hell or high water, to make Episode I of a radio podcast, scripted by Duncan Sarkies and featuring the music of Lawrence Arabia and performances by Jemaine Clement and Nigel Collins. The podcast also features sound design by Nic McGowan and illustrations by Stephen Templer.

    We need your help
    We will be recording the podcast in May and we are determined to do a really good job of it. This Pledge Me campaign is an important way you can help us to raise the minimum funds we need, and you will get something cool in return.  

    [International Pledgers ... please add $5 to the rewards up to and including The Super-Duper Supreme reward OR $15 to the Art, Literature or Music packages to cover additional postage costs.  Thanking you in advance]

    A little bit about the story - Episode 1: Cheese Dreams in the Gravy Isles
    Mr Banks is a famous aristocratic idle botanist who is a lord in the ugly squalor of Damprot-Upon-Tyne, the jewel of the Gravy Isles. A varicose vein cheese dream leads him to the secret botanarium of Bank’s Uncle Bertie. Uncle Bertie was a laughing stock amongst botanists due to his belief in the existence of ‘Heaven's Clover’, a plant on the other side of the Boiling Ocean rumoured to offer a lifetime of pleasure. He disappeared in search of the plant, never to be seen again.

    Mr Banks announces that he will set sail to the Boiling Ocean and beyond, to restore his family name and to rid the world of pleasure. He selects a crew of untrustworthy seafarers, botanists and dandys. As the sailors leave the port for pastures unknown and probable certain death they sing a moving farewell dirge, I Left My Heart in the Gravy Isles.

    A little about us
    Lawrence Arabia is a splendid musician. In 2010 he won the APRA Silver Scroll with Apple Pie Bed.  He has written many other songs worth crowing about: Talk About The Good Times, The Beautiful Young Crew and Auckland CBD. He has toured with Crowded House, Feist and Okkervil River and will soon be jetting to the UK to promote his forthcoming album The Sparrow.

    Duncan Sarkies is a writer who is mostly known for working with brother Robert on Scarfies and their highly anticipated film Two Little Boys. He has written two episodes for the Flight of the Conchords and his novel Two Little Boys has been warmly received in New Zealand and the UK.

    Stephen Templer is an illustrator, artist and amateur shaman. He has illustrated for Fatcat and Fishface on their short animated film The Wreck of the Diddley and designed props for The Hobbit. His artwork can be seen all over the country and is always in hot demand. See his website to get an idea of his style. Also, we've displayed some of his artwork below.

    Our other collaborators are a superb bunch. Jemaine Clement is extremely well known for his HBO TV Series Flight of the Conchords, Nigel Collins has toured extensively with the Flight of the Conchords, the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra and much-loved theatre show Wheeler's Luck. Nic McGowan has produced radio plays, albums by many prominent Wellington bands and created sound designs for film and theatre. He is a perfectionist; he can often be found in the wee small hours rustling trees and sloshing around on boats to capture soundscapes for his many projects.


    Where we have been and where we are going

    Uncle Bertie's Botanarium
    is a project that we have been working on for three years and has so far resulted in a short film, and a rollicking ten episode synopsis that we will turn into more radio podcasts and a grapic novel. After that, who knows, but we do salivate a little at the prospect of eventually creating a feature film…


    Some of the art you can purchase to help us

    Below are some of Stephen Templer's artworks made specifically for Uncle Bertie's Botanarium. You can purchase an A3 limited edition of Discovery of the Botanarium in 'The Art Package' for $120. The other images you can get are a set of 8 postcards ($25), or as part of the 'Super-Duper Podcast Package' ($40).



    Discovery of the Botanarium


    Postcard images

    Your own line, guaranteed

    These are some of the lines on offer:

    'Ow! Ow! Stop it! Please! Ow!'
    'Nathaniel! Nathaniel!'
    'I would like a delicious piece of gorgonzola and a pint of melted cat cheddar.'
    'What a load of claptrap.'
    'There is nothing beyond the Boiling Ocean. I know this as well as I know the world is flat.'
    'This book is a nonsense. Burn the book! Burn the book!'
    'Even calling it a weed is xenophobic to the extreme.'
    'Speaking of shrivel, you should see inside my breetches.'
    'You may be a woman Sheila, but you always have such interesting botanical points.'
    'Ow! I love queuing. Ow!'
    'Okey dokey, but remember to thrash him three times daily.'
    'That's me your honour. I saw him on bended knee. Drool was coming out of his mouthal regions, and I saw him havin' his way with the chrysanthemum.'
    'I don't like his widow's peak.'
    'There's no such thing as Heavens Clover. That's just a sailor's fancy.'

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q. Why do you need an illustrator for a radio podcast?
    A. Stevie will influence what is created with his illustrations, and his illustrations will become a focal point in the project in the future. For the radio podcast Stevie will inspire the sound design with his illustrations. Think of him as like Terry Gilliam in Monty Python.

    Q. Yeah, but Monty Python was a TV show. You could see it with your eyes.
    A. Okay then. Think of him as like Andrew Ridgeley in Wham. Or that guy that never sang or played an instrument and just danced a lot in Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
    Q. Okay.
    A. That wasn’t a question.
    Q. Or was it?




    Comments

    Blimey ... Another NEW REWARD

    08/05/2012 at 12:37 AM

    Just added the opportunity for you to have Duncan Sarkies come and give a motivational speech! Aimed at Advertising Agencies ... but if the hat fits grab it quick as only one of these on offer.

    NEW REWARDS

    03/05/2012 at 5:04 AM

    We've added a new reward ... the chance to be an Executive Producer.  It comes with some pretty cool opportunities so check it out.

    And only one chance to secure an evening with Lawrence Arabia, Duncan Sarkies and Stephen Templer - the ultimate 'reward'!
      Andrew Shaw
      11/05/2012 at 9:41am
      Brigit Kirk
      11/05/2012 at 9:03am
      Samuel Scott
      11/05/2012 at 7:18am
      Gemma Syme
      11/05/2012 at 7:06am
      Gemma Gracewood
      11/05/2012 at 6:37am
      Jo Hodgson
      11/05/2012 at 12:32am
      Simon Burgin
      11/05/2012 at 12:14am
      Katharine
      10/05/2012 at 6:58pm
      Carin Sundstedt
      10/05/2012 at 6:10pm
      Carin Sundstedt
      10/05/2012 at 6:06pm
      Robert Sarkies
      10/05/2012 at 5:48pm
      Henry Babbage
      10/05/2012 at 9:27am
      Rachael Boggs
      10/05/2012 at 12:12am
      Gareth Bradley
      09/05/2012 at 10:21pm
      Andrew Jack
      09/05/2012 at 9:05pm
      Emily Efford
      09/05/2012 at 4:44pm
      Sam Buys
      09/05/2012 at 3:21pm
      Anonymous pledger
      09/05/2012 at 3:18pm
      liardet
      09/05/2012 at 2:04pm
      Nicola Young
      09/05/2012 at 12:38pm
      Geoff Bentley
      09/05/2012 at 12:17pm
      Andrew Lumsden
      09/05/2012 at 11:51am
      Anonymous pledger
      09/05/2012 at 11:32am
      Mark Turner
      09/05/2012 at 10:45am
      Matthew Butler
      09/05/2012 at 9:42am
      Nic Marrison
      09/05/2012 at 5:27am
      Vesna
      08/05/2012 at 11:34pm
      virginia braun
      08/05/2012 at 9:12pm
      Anonymous pledger
      08/05/2012 at 9:04pm
      Turumeke Harrington
      08/05/2012 at 7:32pm

      Followers of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium

      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 11/05/2012 at 9:23 PM.