Fistful Of Blood - It Begins
So finally the time has come to announce the next RED project. This one is pretty exciting as it's exiting the world of short format content for something a bit more meatier and definately more exciting. The signature still has to be put on the dotted line but I have been waiting for quite some time now to blog about it and as things are finally looking like this thing is going through, I wanted to compile what i know and create my first entry on what will be (fingers crossed) many more to come.
The project is in two parts but are both related. It consists of a trailer to be created as a teaser and promotional piece for a feature that will be made shortly after. The title of the movie is "Fistful of Blood". Fistful of Blood is based upon the best selling graphic novel created by Kevin Eastman whose “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ grossed over US$500 million box office sales worldwide and is widely regarded as one of the most successful multi-media franchise’s of all time grossing in total over 4 billion dollars. TMNT is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Fistful of Blood sold over 1 million copies worldwide since it’s release through Heavy Metal Magazine and the hardcover graphic novel– also created by Kevin Eastman and illustrated by Simon Bisley. Heavy Metal Magazine has a loyal and dedicated fan base with over 1 million fans aged between 18 yrs – 45 yrs old. Heavy Metal – the movie will be directed by David Fincher (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Fight Club”, “Seven”, “Zodiac” and “Alien 3”, “The Game” and “Panic Room”) is expected to start production this summer.
My obligatory copy and pasting from the official doc is almost done...here is the outline of the basic story line:
Fistful of Blood is an ultra action-packed Western Horror film in the tradition of Underworld, Evil Dead and From Dusk till Dawn. Using the latest (SPX) special make up effects and CGI computer generated imagery. The main filming is expected to be in Asia where production costs are low (and the budget can be maximized). Post production will be handled in Asia as well under western supervision.
And so ends the copy and paste session. So then... depending on who you are and what your tastes may be, there are a few things to keep in mind. This is very much an interpretation and adaptation of the graphic novel. A lot of work has gone into this with all the interested parties to update and modify a lot of the character development and plot lines in order to create a unique approach to best match all the artistic avenues. One of the major goals of this feature is to produce a feature movie in Asia but with the ideals of a Hollywood Production. We are trying to execute a stylized work of art here people, but we are trying to use the best of the talent pool in Asia. Lots of action, lots of sets, lots of "kick ass" and the target market for this movie is GLOBAL. We are not trying to create some added marketing appeal by trying to include a popular Asian actor into a western movie with hopes of crossover market appeal like many of the east meets west productions of the past.
There are going to be a lot of technical hurdles as this is looking to potentially be a stereo-scopic adventure. For those who aren't familiar with that term, it means it is probably going to be shot in 3D. I have yet to truly decide whether or not this is more gimmick or if it's a new approach to the artistic medium of film/video, but I have been aggressively researching and attending seminars to get to the bottom of this. I have gone from one side of the fence (being against it) to sitting on the fence. I am starting to lean towards in favor of it but the technical aspects of shooting CG are phenomenal and as it is still a growing and maturing medium, there is a lot yet to be discovered. I will be posting more on the whole 3D side of it and what it entails, as that is a series of posts all on its own. As the Director of Post Production on this film, I am conducting all the research into the CG (computer graphics) end, all the special effects required on the post end including compositing, morphing, wireform, environmental, particle, architectural and watever else. I will be doing the editing for this film all whilst co-ordinating all the other post aspects and being involved on the pre-production and production to make sure everything post related is followed through from the beginning. It's daunting but fun cuz you know I am getting kinda sick of working in the commercial world, I am dying to get my hands on something meatier that I can actually sink into some/all of what I have learned in my adventures. I am looking to kick ass, and what better than a "kick ass" film.
This whole thing is being directed by the infamous (at least on this blog) Digger T. Mesch. I guess this is where I copy and paste his credentials as I couldn't be arsed to type and hotlink everything.
Digger T Mesch was ranked in Cinescape magazine’s “POWER 100” of the most influential personalities in science fiction and entertainment genre alongside the likes of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Steven King. He has worked creatively with the likes of Marvel Entertainment, Lucas Film, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Clive Barker, Kevin Eastman, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss and Rob Zombie.
Films, Animation and Music Videos include:Largo Winch, Ultraviolet, The Body Guard, The Counting House, Big Daddy, Spy Kids 2, The Medallion, X-men Dark Tide, Batman New Times, The Medallion, The Twins Effect, Kodai Djinns, Maitreya/LotaLuv, Blind Generation, Dead Air SpaceFor any more information on Digger try this.
This is all a lot of typing, but now for some visuals. Below are a series of images from an assortment of sources. First off, here are some frames from the comic:
These are some characters that were developed from what I believe to be the development of the video game. As you can see the character design is really detailed and we are looking to maintain as much of this as possible in the film.
Finally... here are some on site pictures of a location we have been actively looking at for the shooting of the trailer. The trailer takes place prodimently inside a Chinese Tea House/brothel set in an old western town. Btw the trailer will be shown at Comi-Con in San Diego this July. The timing is tight but somehow we have to pull off this trailer by then.
sorry had to take these down as the location might still be changing, will have something back up on confirmation
Just a final note... this is all information that has be interpreted by my brain. My brain is not the most accurate of devices so I will most likely be updating content on this for mistakes, inaccurate information and for stuff I left out by mistake.
