GI Joe Fan Film - Operation: Red Retrieval - the epic full film by director Mark Cheng

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• published: 21 Nov 2011
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UPDATE 3: http://kck.st/1jzKLZQ Kickstarter with Larry Hama and director! UPDATE 2: Larry Hama, the godfather of the GI Joe mythology enjoyed the film and the creators of this film and him are now collaborating on 2 feature film projects. More at: www.PlanetNerdRage.com. UPDATE 1: Jon Chu (director of GI Joe 2) tweeted about this film: "Mad respect for the filmmakers who went out and made that fan film! So cool and the sign of true storytellers who just do it!" Listen to 1 hr interview with director and actor Mack Kuhr (Zartan). Segment starts 5 minutes in: http://generalsjoes.com/2011/12/02/episode-32-of-whats-on-joe-mind-is-online-now/ ================ Director's Statement This is NOT the GI Joe movie you've all been dying to see. This is NOT the GI Joe movie you're dying to unsee. This is the GI Joe movie I saw in my head more than 25 years ago. I watched the cartoons, read the comics, and collected the toys when I was a kid. Eventually I moved on from GI Joe but from that franchise came my love for war movies - Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Band of Brothers - and my deep respect for the armed services and the men and women who serve. Through working on this film - a process that took a year and a half - I realized the significance that GI Joe played in my childhood. Batman works alone, X-men was about strength in diversity, Transformers was pure awesome robots. But GI Joe was about a team of heroes working together, taking care of one another, never giving up, and staying until the fight was won. That's what I saw in my head, kept in my heart, and what I've tried to put into this film. As adults we've lost some of our innocence and, tragically, some of our idealism. We know heroes don't dodge bullets by doing cartwheels. Sometimes they get hurt, sometimes they don't come home. But under layers of dirt, grime, and blood, the hero is still there and he still sacrifices. And it's under those same layers of dirt and blood, that the spirit of GI Joe will always live. The other thing I wanted to capture is that feeling from when I was 8 years old lying the floor with my action figures. I'd line up my GI Joe figures next to my Star Wars figures next to my He-Man figures and next to my Autobot Transformers. It didn't matter that the toys were of a different scale, possessed inexplicable powers, came from different brands, or lived in different universes. The ONLY things that mattered was that Good was about to defeat Evil, and that it was going to be SOOOO AWESOMEEEE. So in a way, this is not the GI Joe movie I saw in my head 25 years ago. The film started that way, grew up like I did, got dirty like the world around us, but finds itself once again like the inner kid we all have within us. ~mark cheng ====== Operation: Red Retrieval is a 20 minute live action GI Joe fan film that was written, directed, and edited by Mark Cheng. Created over a period of 18 months, the film reflects a new paradigm in filmmaking. New technology gives rise to new techniques which in turn result in professional-level production values and visceral storytelling at a fraction of the studios' costs. Cheng enlisted professionals- actors, stunt men, make up artists, sound designers, and composers - from the PA, NJ, NY area and filmed the movie over a period of 5 days with a Canon 7D, a digital SLR camera. The production cost approximately $2500. Cheng single-handedly completed over 180 visual effects shots over the course of a year. A shot by shot break down of all the visual effects: http://gijoefanfilm.com/visual-effects WHO DO YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE SEQUEL? Tell me at https://www.facebook.com/GIJoeFanFilm Mark Cheng - director/producer/writer me@markcheng.com If you dug the cast of GI JOE Operation Red Retrieval, then click on the new Police parody webseries Justice & Control: Cop City Blues to see what Chris Miskiewicz, Alex Jones, and Mack Khur are doing next. Justice & Control: Cop City Blues http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB356BB79EDB57A97 Red Retrieval Credits: Mack Kuhr - actor (Zartan) mack.kuhr09@gmail.com Matt Hayek - actor (Flint) www.matthayekacting.com Alex Jones - actor (Road Block) mrajones@hotmail.com Joe Barbagallo - actor (Beach Head) Joe.Barbagallo.nyc@gmail.com Jae Greene - stunts jae.greene@gmail.com www.fearlesshyenasstunts.com Joey Min - fight choreographer thatguyjoeymin@gmail.com Jon Truei - fight choreographer & action supervisor Jontruei@gmail.com http://vimeo.com/jontruei David Campbell - composer davidthecomposer@gmail.com Tim Bennett - sound design timobennett@gmail.com