FILMART 2015 - HONG KONG VIDEO BLOG

Last week was spent mostly with my producer and friend David Freedman in one of the most truly amazing cities in the world, Hong Kong. We were there for FILMART 2015, it’s basically the Cannes of Asia and it’s the world’s biggest market place for the buying and selling of action and martial arts films. The place for any self-respecting martial arts film producers to be… and somehow we made it! :-)

The event took place in the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, a gigantic building resting on the Victoria Harbour. We were blown away on arrival, FILMART has now grown into one of the top film markets in the world with many Hollywood and International film production and distribution companies also in attendance, and we were very privileged to have been there ourselves. Needless to say the event was a huge success for us. Not only did we hit it off with prestigious filmmakers and producers who otherwise wouldn’t have given us the time of day, but we also drummed up a fair bit of new business angles for our own movie. Things look good for us now and I can only look back to 2 years ago, when I was at a real loss with my production company, and be proud of how far we’ve come. But more importantly, excited at how far left we have to go. 

Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to take pictures of the inside of the event (probably would have looked amateur doing it anyway) but while in Hong Kong we managed to shoot our own little VLog of what we got up to. I say little, it could have been 30 minutes long if we wanted it to be, instead we’ve taken the most relevant bits of the trip and condensed it into a faster paced action packed 15 minutes of Hong Kong Phooey! The VLog also includes a bit of video we did manage to shoot on the sly while FILMART was closing down!

Follow our random adventures in the Orient through the link below. Hope you like them, peeps!

Improvise Films - Hong Kong Filmart Video Blog

THE LIBERATOR - A WORK OF ART

So the new poster is complete and online for all eyes to see! I felt compelled to write a few words about the man responsible for this awesome piece of work. The very talented David Ayling.  

It’s no easy task to create a movie poster under any circumstances, and when you’re pushed to work to a tight deadline it’s even more challenging. Not to mention that we had decided from the outset that we didn’t just want your standard action cover that you see on every poster these days and just walk right past. You know the one’s I mean. No we wanted something a little more special. Something a little vintage. And in true, 80’s Action style, David was just the man for the job.

What we wanted was something that was a bit of a nod to the greats like the iconic work of Drew Struzan, the guy who painted most of the posters you love but never knew who did them.

With maybe a hint of the bold and busy work of Brian Bysouth for good measure. And on top of that we still needed to honour a contemporary feel. This is a tough concept to deliver, hence why people cheat and tend to keep it more simple these days.

However, we couldn’t be happier with the style and structure of what David created. Personally, I am very impressed. Not only does it capture the feel of The Liberator so well, it also manages to tick all the aforementioned boxes above. We are all very excited to have this work of art as the image that represents the whole machine.

David was kind enough to provide me with a few words about his career:

“Background info-wise, ummm, let’s see… I trained in art & design and graduated from university with a degree in theatre design, but found myself working almost exclusively in the film industry, providing conceptual design, storyboards and more lately poster designs for a number of independent film projects (one or two of which actually have got made!). Film has always been my greatest love, so I don’t mind the direction my career has gone in at all!”

You can find more of David’s very cool artwork over at http://davimusprime.deviantart.com

Have a browse, you’ll be glad you did.

Thank you, David! We look forward to collaborating more in the future!

WE'RE BACK !!!

Here it is guys, the new official trailer for The Liberator. It's action all the way with some of the finest action/martial arts performers in the UK kicking butt and taking names! Die hard fans of Indie action films and hardcore youtube content creators will recognise the likes of Martin Wan and SG Action, along with the insanely badass fan favourite Robster Le Monster.

As we come closer and closer to completing the film and giving it a general release, I am so thankful to have reached this point and I want to express my sincerest gratitude towards Mark jeavons my producer and Dave Freedman my superhuman AD. There are so many of you who have given so much to make this work that I couldn't possibly thank you all, but you know who you are guys and you're the best!

I would also just like to express my appreciation for the exceptional work that the film's editor Ryan Axe  http://www.ryanaxe.co.uk/index.html did on the new trailer, along with good old Ricardo Elgardo https://soundcloud.com/ricardo_elgardo for creating a spectacular piece of score to add.

I look forward to the pick-ups this summer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3v0JztJul4

THE LIBERATOR pays tribute to JIM KELLY

I was deeply saddened today to learn of Jim Kelly's passing. Like many, I was unaware of his health issues and was sharing others hopes of one last cameo role in a film of some sort. But it's not like we needed one. The man was a legend! Not only was he an accomplished actor and, unknown to some, a world class tennis instructor but as a martial artist he was a seeker of truth. As well as being a respected Karate champion, Jim was also one of the first celebrities to recognise the benefits of and become a student of Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Like so many, my martial arts journey began with Karate lessons and of course right after my first time seeing Enter the Dragon. Naturally it was the phenomenal presence of Bruce Lee that inspired me to begin this journey... but at the same time I was also undeniably impressed by how truly Badass Kelly was in that movie too. Clearly he was an accomplished martial artist in his own right and despite not having the same level of ability as Bruce (like anyone ever did) it was still the only time I ever remember seeing someone in many ways match Bruce in terms of sheer coolness (maybe Chuck Norris too some might say I guess). As a child and a young man, Jim 'The Dragon' Kelly was certainly an idol of mine and I guess it's those idols of our youth who, whether we realise or not, inspire us most and help shape us into the people we become later in life. I realise this and so for that I am grateful to Jim and I know his memory will live on forever in the hearts of his fans. A true hero! May he rest in peace.

His official website is pretty cool and well worth checking out. It has some good videos on there including one of him fighting in an old school tournament.
www.jimkellykarate.com

WELCOME TO THE BLOG !!!

Thanks so much to all of you for your kind support this past week with the website, facebook page and twitter account. It means everything to me and those involved! You've helped create a positive start to our online ventures and I can assure you that it only gets better from here!

We are beginning to shoot some really cool videos which we will be uploading soon for your viewing pleasure! Both behind the scenes promos and special short character building episodes! This will be exclusive online content for all you great people to feast your eyes on and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to be doing this. I promise you some cool vids for sure!

The Liberator is all about having fun and we want to make sure that goes beyond solely the viewing experience so expect all kinds of 'Ass-Kicking' promotions and great opportunities for you to become as much a part of this world as possible!

STAY TUNED, PEEPS !!!

- Ben Lettieri