Raising Hell
Raising Hell is dark humor tale that follows a small demon named Ziggy who is in pursuit of earning his horns. To achieve his official demon status, Ziggy must reap the soul of a sleeping nursing home resident. But when a supposedly quick murder goes awry, Ziggy finds himself and the other nursing home residents in a heap of chaos.
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Michelle BultDirector
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Jessica MatsonProducer
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Winnifred WestStory Lead
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Michelle BultVisual Development Artists
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Tina FengVisual Development Artists
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Ciara GoughertyVisual Development Artists
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Jessica MatsonVisual Development Artists
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Nicole MatthewsVisual Development Artists
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Carlos MedinaVisual Development Artists
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Catt OliverVisual Development Artists
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Mike PagliaVisual Development Artists
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Link SimonVisual Development Artists
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Christina SwanstonVisual Development Artists
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Winnifred WestVisual Development Artists
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Michelle BultStoryboard Artists
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Tina FengStoryboard Artists
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Carlos MedinaStoryboard Artists
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Mike PagliaStoryboard Artists
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Winnifred WestStoryboard Artists
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Michelle BultLayout Artists
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Tina FengLayout Artists
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Mike PagliaLayout Artists
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Erica TraviaLayout Artists
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Winnifred WestLayout Artists
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Nicole MatthewsAnimation Lead
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Michelle Bult2D Character Animators
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Alex Karavolos2D Character Animators
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Jessica Matson2D Character Animators
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Nicole Matthews2D Character Animators
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Carlos Medina2D Character Animators
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Catt Oliver2D Character Animators
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Link Simon2D Character Animators
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Christina Swanston2D Character Animators
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Carlos Medina2D Effects Animators
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Christina Swanston2D Effects Animators
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Michelle Bult2D Cleanup Animators
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Brandon Leba2D Cleanup Animators
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Jessica Matson2D Cleanup Animators
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Nicole Matthews2D Cleanup Animators
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Carlos Medina2D Cleanup Animators
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Clare Murphy2D Cleanup Animators
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Catt Oliver2D Cleanup Animators
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Link Simon2D Cleanup Animators
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Mary West2D Cleanup Animators
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Winnifred West2D Cleanup Animators
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Michelle BultColor Animators
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Brandon LebaColor Animators
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Jessica MatsonColor Animators
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Nicole MatthewsColor Animators
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Carlos MedinaColor Animators
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Catt OliverColor Animators
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Link SimonColor Animators
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Mary WestColor Animators
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Winnifred WestColor Animators
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Christina SwanstonCompositing Lead
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Kate GoramCompositors
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Alex KaravolosCompositors
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Jessica MatsonCompositors
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Christina SwanstonCompositors
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Ashley WadsworthCompositors
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Winnifred WestCompositors
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Christina SwanstonTitle Card/Motion Graphics
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Tina FengCredit Artwork
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Mike PagliaCredit Artwork
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Michelle BultCredit Layout
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Dyle FrettmanComposer
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Steven "BIBO" RigsbySound Designers
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Cas "CASUALRAD" Rodriguez-MirandaSound Designers
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Cas "CASUALRAD" Rodriguez-MirandaSound Mixer
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Steven "BIBO" RigsbyVoice Actor
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Michelle BultEditor
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Arantza ValdiviaPoster Illustration (Additional Help)
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Elysium "ZOO" Anselme3D Modeler for Character Reference (Additional Help)
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Rachel LeBlancPhotographer (Crew Photos)
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Project Type:Animation, Short, Student
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Genres:Comedy, Dark Comedy, Action, Fantasy
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Runtime:3 minutes 16 seconds
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Completion Date:May 12, 2023
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Production Budget:0 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital Animation
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - Savannah College of Art and Design
Michelle Bult is the director of Raising Hell and has taken on many other roles, such as visual development artist, storyboard artist, layout artist, and 2D character animator. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and studied animation and business during her years at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) from 2019-2023. She has previous production experience, from animating on two senior capstone films (Cabin Fever in 2021 and Ento in 2022) and producing a student-animated bumper (2022). Michelle thrives on collaboration, always eager to work with others to create engaging stories and visuals. Although Raising Hell was initially pitched as a sentimental story, she was open and excited to change the concept to a dark comedy - which was a curveball suggestion thrown at her by our capstone professor! With help from the nine other talented artists on the team, Raising Hell underwent extensive development over the course of a year to make the student short film humorous, heartfelt, and a huge success.
When not hovering over her drawing tablet or sketchbook, Michelle enjoys hiking outdoors, baking yummy treats with her dad, and picking fruit at rural farms!
Can a sentimental film be changed into a dark comedy in less than two days? Well, for the Raising Hell crew, yes, it is possible! In reality, this is precisely how the short film came to be. Initially, I pitched Raising Hell as a sentimental story that followed a young demon pursuing to earn his horns – but minus the part where he kills people in the process. However, after re-pitching the concept to our capstone professor, he boldly suggested, "What if it was a dark comedy?" At the time, we knew our professor could see that Raising Hell had the potential to stand out and be a unique student short film; it just needed a shift in genre. The crew could have quickly declined the suggestion and moved forward on the sentimental story's clear path, but did they? Hell no! In the following day and a half, my producer, Jessica, and I rewrote the entire film, weaving in comedy and death, and thus Raising Hell (2.0) was born. Raising Hell could not be possible without the talented four visual development artists and six 2D animators of the crew. Our main style inspiration for the short film's textured backgrounds and cartoony, smear-frame animation came from some of our favorite television series: Courage The Cowardly Dog, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, and The Powerpuff Girls.