Director Øivind Jensen has issued the following:

"Most KISS fans still want to see the release of The Elder movie. Some have even tried making a full feature film, but it is no easy undertaking raising money or dealing with KISS copyright. Then there is the soundscape of The Elder, calling for massive sets. It is difficult – if not impossible - to recreate larger than life imagery and visuals on a tiny budget. Unless, of course, you can do everything animated. That is exactly what we plan to do.

I have previously made a series of 3D test renderings for KISS stage sets, which all resulted in fantastic feedback from The KISS Army. Approximately 100,000 people have seen those flicks on YouTube, alone! KISSonline published a feature story on those videos, and I received attention from many general rock websites.

With The Elder Live, I am moving ahead making a full feature movie including accurate character animation of Paul, Ace, Gene, and Eric. You will be able to recognize their faces under the make-up, gestures, poses, and the way they walk. Accuracy is pivotal – we will measure everything down to the diameter of Ace’s shoelaces…

Whenever a fan-project launches within the KISS Army, it does not take long before someone is throwing around accusations of fraud. I hope my previous work speaks volumes about dedication and pure fandom. I spent hundreds of hours developing my skills as a 3D artist creating those stage sets – without a penny in return. Additionally, taking the budget of The Elder Live into consideration one should easily be able to conclude money is not the motivating factor, here.

Realistically it is hard to compete with the big animation studios, but I know The Elder Live can become a powerful animated movie. To many fans, seeing KISS in action on the actual The Elder production stage will be worth a contribution in itself. In theory, only 10 cents from every person that saw my scenography-videos on YouTube will ensure the campaign reaching its goal. Most likely, the project will not receive monetary support from that many individuals, but 20 dollars from 500 fans will also do the job!

For anybody feeling indignation on behalf of KISS, thinking about copyright-infringement: KISS owns the rights to the KISS catalogue, logo, make-up designs and general KISS imagery. However, it is important to take note that this is a fan-movie production. We are not planning on – or intending to – distribute this movie commercially in any way. We are also thoroughly informing KISS’ management about every aspect of the movie. This campaign is all about making the movie. Of course, any contributions will be rewarded with an evaluation-copy of the movie: In effect the final version of the movie.

As a KISS fan and filmmaker, my level of excitement about this project is off the charts, but I still approach this with a sound grounding in reality: Should I fail to reach the campaign goal, there will simply be no movie. Regardless, during the campaign-period the social networking websites for the movie will be simmering with activity. Let us see how this plays out.

As an extra perk to you - our valued KISS-contact - we offer a promotional poster (27x40) for the movie. Obviously you are free to use the poster in any way that you choose, on your website. In the event you want/require more/other material, be sure to let us know."

More info at this location.