Updates and Parnell Rise finished Video

Day off today, decided to enter Action on film festival via a script submission considering I haven't filmed anything else lately, so one act down, two acts to go! Definitely feels like the best stuff I've ever written. Short Film is called 'Away'. It's about a hit-man about to quit and leave town when his old employers decide quitting's not an option. Basically an excuse to stretch some writing muscles and paint some great action scenes I couldn't possibly film at this stage in my career. But one day, right? Will keep you all up to date with how 'Away' turns out.

 

 scene from Kung Fu Elliot doco

Feedback after watching Kung Fu Elliot a couple days ago? Well done documentary, I was literally clapping, some moments of unintentional humor in there with some laugh out loud moments as the wife and I could relate to some of the acting and location stuff. It was a great story, but definitely sickening in the end. This guy has the desire but goes about it the wrong way, love his passion to film stuff and hope he makes something of himself one day but he definitely has relationship issues. Great film to learn from anyway which was the intention, the lessons I gleaned from it is always stay true to yourself and your fans, family comes first, never forget your friends who get you there, and do things for the right reasons. Hope he did make it to China and wasn't just talking shit. Googled that but nothing came up so who knows?

Matial arts :) Lately as you can gather from my last blog's, have been looking at training again properly with other people, not just skipping/working out in my garage. Investigated Hardcore JKD as on the website says can be an instructor in 5 years, which is definitely something I'd be interested in, saw a facebook page in NZ, not sure if Legit, but will follow up on main website as a definite possibility, when I do my fights on screen, I don't want anyone to question my authenticity.At the moment what I do is my expression of myself based on my basic knowledge of karate I learned at GKR and JKD I've learned from DVD's, books and with sifu when I didn't work fulltime. Nice, but my tools are basic, I want to be able to do more than just punch and kick, wrestling and locks seem interesting, and I would like to broaden my artillery.

Been watching heaps of battle raps lately thanks to total slaughter for reigniting my love of hiphop battles :), Dizaster and Daylyt my fav two at the moment, Pat stay is funny as too. Been writing some songs again which is nice, maybe finally finish that one album this year and cross that off of my bucket list ;)

Check out the screenshot below!

 Steve vs Me again :)

Thats right, It's been a year since I've actually completed this, but finally decided to get around to adding the final touches to Parnell Rise!- the web series I abandoned last year due to budget/casting issues. The scenes that we had shot I've edited together to make a somewhat coherent story. But please bear in mind it was shot a year ago (before Ambush 2 and No way out and some other shorts we've completed since then) and I wanted to finish it so I could show the guys/girls that their efforts weren't wasted and they have been immortalized in film.

Check it out below (for those who want to watch just for the fight scene it's at 6minutes 30 )

Thanks again for your support :)

Getting scheduling done for Bulletlist shoot and Kung Fu Elliot

The Bullet List project is finally underway. All day at work I'm trying figure out what I can do on this project when I get home. Been reading 'Three feet from Gold' by the Napoleon Hill foundation and Greg S reid, its full of inspirational stuff and living your passion, so it's great I'm back to my old habits of staying inspired via reading/watching others who have achieved their dreams and it feels nice to get some motivation back, I was suffering from self doubt there for a little minute.

"The knowing. There is a big difference between believing something and knowing."

I know I can be an action star. So what am I waiting for? I've got to get out there and start training again, get mingling and network with other creatives, take any extra jobs I can, sign up for a real acting agency and do what it is I'm really here to do. Customer service pays my bills but my soul doesn't feed on cash. With that said I'll share the little progress I've made since my last post here on the project.

I've copied and pasted the six episode scripts together into one celtx file and it turns out this project will be an hour long!! (that's if the one page equals one minute of screen time ratio plays out, it won't, the action scenes will be cut much longer). Needless to say, for a simple project this still turned out to be something ambitious. This will be the longest project I've ever completed myself but I'll finally have something to call my own!. This is exactly what I need to do.

Below is a screenshot of what my breakdown looks like for when I was figuring what scenes to shoot when so I can try make this achievable. I worked it out to be sixteen different locations.

And below is the first page of my script. Proof :)

Now that I have my jacket for the character of Mark Maxwell, I just need to find some nice kicks and design a simple Tshirt (so I can sell it via my merch site for any enthusiasts but also to stay unique) for him to wear.

Next for the project is the intended camera shots (Shooting script) Exact locations -Might get a camera on my next day off and go on a photo spree :) And then figure out some equipment. Sound is my biggest issue, and half the picture so a biggie!

This weekend I just realxed otherwise, caught up opn The Transporter TV series, definately not statham but an enteratining show nonetheless with some good action scenes, one liners, hot chicks, explosions and car stunts. Bought the wife a bike today and put it together, nothing more empowering than building something, even if I am following instructions ;) Tomorrow We are goign to watch a documentary I saw a trailer for since it's playign at NZ film festival this year. It's a docu on someone similar to myself. He's a big fan of chuck norris and 70's action films (like me lol) and canada has no action stars so he decided he would become one and has dedicated his life to following his dream, it looks funny and sad at the same time but hope for his sake he found happiness. I wanted to watch this in case there are any mistakes I can learn from and to stay realistic with myself. I know the chances of making it are small, but there's still that chance.

Anyway, the trailer is below for those who might be able to find it on netflix or something like that, til next time amigos!

Progress report: Football World cup, and Ideas for Bulletlist look and choreography

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." -Vince Lombardi

Since moving to our new place in April we have made it our home, with purchasing our new washing machine/fridge etc, some basic furniture and I have also finally got a gym set up in the garage! I'll share pictures of my workout space next post. All in all it's been a pretty busy move out/in process, had no idea going in how much it would cost and the time it would involve packing and unpacking, organizing and cleaning and re cleaning and whoa! Just happy it's done. Can finally live!

Trying to settle into writing the Fight me script, I have to do something, I feel my dream slipping from my fingertips. I'm 27, I haven't trained seriously in a year and in trying to do this I was getting feedback from potential actors who weren't feeling it. So shit. Maybe I'm being too ambitious. So I went to work on 'The Bullet list' instead. (posted below in this blog in May).

But then the world cup happened. Those who know me know I love football, so I've sort of had to take the month off working on my webseries to bet and watch some classic football matches, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium still in it to win so going good, its been a great entertaining tournament so far :)

 

But it's back to work, real work, not that 8-6 thing I do at the bank, but the make it happen from the ground up thing I decided do 4-5 years ago. I have all 6 scripts finsihed, and I'm in the middle of finalising them now before I can schedule them and start casting/crewing up and finding the locations to shoot them in. I have heaps of leave so might take a couple weeks off to do this? Otherwise juggle it on my days off? Depends on the cast I end up with.

My friend Chris works with me now, wish is awesome, you may recall seeing him appear in JKD1 and JKD2 , anyway, he has been over to Aus recently with Sifu for some JKD training and he's taught me some lockflow techniques, so good news for watchers of our stuff, it won't just be all striking this time round, also I hope to make the show have some fights in each episode and with us playing actual characters I've created for this show they should be more enteratining with things on the line. High stakes :)

Was shopping with the wife today and finally saw the jacket I was looking for, My character Mark Maxwell needs something to make his character, I saw a gold jacket and a slim black jacket, I think gold will be great but is it too out there? I'm thinking it compliments the charcter since he is a 'talk out loud' sort of guy but we'll see, will do a promo shot next post for you to judge.

Anyway, will try finalise another script, have work tomorrow morning (yay *sarcasm*) so better be fresh for that, after all, it's what funds our lifestyles and allows me to chase my dream no matter how wispy it seems these days, we have to make our own motivation!!! :)

The Bullet List - Announcement of my current project.

Hello Everyone!

It's been ages since my last post. My life has lately been consumed by my job and meeting it's targets, settling into our new place, (many DIY projects and shopping) financial planning and figuring out how to keep my action star dream alive when it seems to be all but limp and dying. CLEAR!

I spent any time I had outside of work and regular life writing my feature film script. Writing it again and writing some more. They say great scripts aren't written, they're RE-written. I hate that quote so much because it's true. But I can't wait anymore or re-write. I need a distraction to clear my head, so I'm going to do what I originally set out to do and then come back to the main dream of making a feature film, so here is my announcement. I'm making a webseries, for real this time. (Yeah, Parnell Rise is on the backburner too)

THE BULLET LIST is my latest project. It will be a six part web series telling the story of Mark Maxwell,(Matt Kinsman) a burned SIS analyst who is reined in by a secret russian faction to kill people for them, or his kidnapped sister dies.

It's genre is comedy/action and has been specifically written by myself to show case my action side, achievable locations and cast, (a visual CV in essence) and have a finished product at the end of it.

After being premiered on youtube I plan to release a DVD with the uncut version's, making of and copies of the blog. Maybe a prequel episode? Who knows.

I have 3 scripts in the can and 3 to finish fleshing out. Anyway, that's it for me for now, just letting you know I'm still around and this dream is very much, still alive, check back in a couple of months and hopefully the first episode should be completed and online :)

The official facebook page for this webseries is here at www.facebook.com/thebulletlist  ,like for up to date news :)

Ambush 2 - Finished Video and Making Of

 With a couple days off in a row lined up and a much needed break from writing the 'Fight Me' Script needed I contacted Steve and Ben and we came up with an idea to shoot Ambush 2, a sequel to this years earlier short film Ambush. Steve plays the same terrorist type figure (or is he?) and this time he is hunted down by a different spy.

Like all film making endeavours something bad always happens and we have to hurdle it, this time it was getting lost trying to find totara park, thanks to most of south auckland looking alike. anyway, a couple of hours later me and ben made it and met Steve and his friends at the park. It was a fun shoot, alot of it was improviosed, dialog, half of the choreography and shots. But the end result looks cool. The purpose of this was to build a body of recent work that I caqn use in my pitch for funding/sponsorship when I come to start 'Fight me' Later this year, just have to finish building this script!!!

It's amazing how hard it is to write words on blank pages sometime knowing that this will be the skeleton you build the muscle on later, one wrong move and the thing collapses and you have days of rewrites ahead. Ah, it breaks my heart, but I must fight on!!

Anyway, here is the little 'break' project AMBUSH 2 and a couple of random outtakes, hope you enjoy :)

27 now, about time things got real.

11 September 2013

 Took the day off work for my birthday and went to the new minigolf place in town with the wife and basically spent the day chilling out. It was pretty fun, nobody else was there and we had the whole course for ourselves. Here's some photos below I've taken I can share, almost as if playing golf while a T Rex stalks you is entirely natural haha

Other than that nothing terribly exciting has happened over the last few weeks, learnt a new role at my job so I'm more senior now which is awesome. Job security had always been a big point for me when I applied so that makes me happy, now do I chase a new role at the end of the year? I discussed with my wife and my bosses that I will wait til the end of the year, see if I get my movie off the ground and re-evaluate my position...

Chelsea!! Thanks to Premier League being back on I've been playing a ridiculous amount of football/futsal myself. Tues mixed, weds outdoor on artificial turf with friends, friday league, and mon/thurs if needed. So much so I feel as though I'm doing nothing towards my goal of getting ripped and being an ass kicking machine, on the court I'm scoring which is awesome, but I want to be pounding fighters in the gym and building my character. I never entered the Sanda competition, as I knew people training everyday for that, I've been training zero. But I will try support the boys next week when they go out swinging.

So here I am, procrastinating again, before tackling my script again for 'Fight me', I've written the first 10 pages and seems fun/do-able at the moment. I'm also planning a sequel to Ambush, Just a short film to stay in shape, Steve again, except fighting me, stay tuned for screenshots of that when I shoot that next week :)

But now to work on my career! So boxing/filming/writing/self promo here I come! I found a cool spot when we were walking back to the car from the golf place and asked the wife to take a photo for my website, I looks pretty pro huh ;) Anyway til next time, never give up!!

This months project;

"If I design T-shirts, would anyone buy them? Let's find out!"

Introspection. To Act or not.

Monday. I'm sitting on the bus, running one hand through my hair, the other resting my mp3 player on my lap while listening to Skyler Grey's 'build a monster'. I'm staring past the window at the rain as it falls against the backdrop of a blur of shopfronts and suburbia and wondering how the hell did I get here again, is this a time travel bus? 10 years ago I was doing this damned same thing, busing to school, listening to Eminem on my Walkman, head full of dreams of being a famous rapper. Witty wordplay and interviews aside I would be seeked out for my knowledge, and summoned for my company. I would stare out that bus window at passersbys and be like 'That'll never be me, I'll never be a rat race player, I have dreams'. Yet here I am, ten years later. Same jerking bus, same beats, same attitude.

But I've got a lot to be thankful for, and I know why I never made it as a big time rapper. I didn't have a story, I never had a life or experiences that I could share and revel in. No rags to riches glory, no horrifying  upbringing but shit, its been 10 years, I've done a lot of living in that time believe me,  now I got a story.

                    Wednesday. Its my day off today, and like I joked with my customer a couple of days ago, it always rains on my day off. Its raining today, did I make that happen? Probably. Bad attitude.

I slept in this morning, then gambled with my car, driving it to the mechanic, risking the engine blowing up. Its been leaking coolant and DIY stop-leak couldn't fix it. I just had it warranted and registered a couple of days ago, premature celebration I guess. At least if it blew up I'd live my action star dream for a couple of minutes ;) (I just called the mechanic, hes sent the radiator away to get looked at, no car until tomorrow at the earliest, its been a week, one extra day wont kill us)

I arrived home, had last nights leftovers for brunch and watched 'Painted skin'. Donnie Yen was awesome as always, even if it wasn't primarily an action flick, the story was good and as tragic as most foreign films I used to like. With my job I don't really get to watch as much a spectrum of films as I used to, but I'm not a student anymore. I'm a career man. Pfffft. Forgive me for being cynical.

Sitting in front of My dusty computer ( I really should clean it) I stare at the screen. The cursor blinks at me. Again. and Again. I don't know what to write. This is supposed to be my screenplay structure. 30 to 40 beats of what should end up being the story of my feature film debut. Ive tentatively called it Fight Me. And I'm designing it so I can shoot it with my savings, the people I know, the locations I have access to and the abilities I have or can learn. Parnell Rise (my web-series) didn't really go to plan (budget/schedule and free casting being the main issue) But again, I'm stalling. Am I afraid of success? 

                    All of my dreams seem to burn and crash around me. I wanted to be an artist, I knew I was good at it, so I stopped trying and decided on something else. Logically, (really?) I chose Rapping. But its a social game, a macho game, a costly game. Things didn't work out. I changed paying jobs from store man work to sales. Sold Karate memberships for a while, learnt some Karate, decided being an Action Star was my true calling. INSERT: 4 YEARS LATER

I've done alot since making that decision and this dream is arguably the closest I've ever come to of achieving one of them, Instead of staring at the mountain and glory that awaits I need to just look at the steps in front. Finish the structure, finish the script, sort out locations and budget, sort out casting, shoot the film, edit the film, sell the film and reevaluate. So here I am, sharing with you my feelings. Am I ready for success or failure? Or am still scared to make the decision? More time is lost to indecision than bad decisions....

Who am I kidding? The decision was made for me when I moved to Auckland, every time I see the city I'm reminded why I'm here, to be a filmmaker, Though I've done some temp work and now work full time to make cash I HAVE done film work, and worked towards my career, yeah it was extra work, but hey, it's still immortalized. I been on TV, I've done work on a US film, I feel I've paid my dues, so screw it. Fight me, here I come :)