Local filmmakers earn entry into Seattle festival
Published on Thu, Jun 4, 2009 by Beckye RandallRead More Arts & Entertainment
What do you get when you mix four long-time buddies, a self-confessed addiction to Mortal Kombat-style video games, a healthy dose of testosterone and video equipment?
In the case of Jeffrey McGuire, Cody Young, Jesse Stevens and Jeremy Lewis, you get "Bad Kung Fu."
McGuire, an Arlington resident who co-produced and directed the feature-length movie, in addition to creating more than 650 visual effects, will have the pleasure of seeing his movie on local screens during the Seattle True Independent Film Festival (STIFF) in June.
The locally produced movie will be shown June 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Jewel Box Theater, 2322-2nd Avenue in downtown Seattle, and on June 9 at 7 p.m. at Central Cinema, located at 1411-21st Avenue. The showing on June 6 is for audiences 21 and over, but all ages are welcome at the Central Cinema venue.
"Bad Kung Fu" is the tale of Whitey, the Red-Haired Ninja (played by Young), who is sent on a mission for his master Chow Pow and returns to find everything he ever loved destroyed by the evil thunder god, Fud. Whitey must embark on a mission to stop Fud from annihilating the world, avenge his losses, and save a beautiful princess.
It's all low-budget fun, with the entire 82-minute film created on a $15,000 investment by Cody's father.
"It's considered a micro-budget feature," McGuire explained. "Even low-budget independent films usually cost between a couple hundred thousand and a million dollars to make."
McGuire was inspired by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez's first commercial film, the Spanish-language feature "El Mariachi," was shot for around $7,000 and went on to win an award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Its sequel, "Desperado," starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, was given a much more typical Hollywood treatment, and Rodriguez has gone on to produce and direct a number of cult classics and popular family films.
A 2001 graduate of Lakewood High School, McGuire graduated with honors from the Vancouver Film School in 2006. He started making movies when he was 11 years old, and has been experimenting with Adobe software products like FlashCut since the age of 13.
"I watch films like 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Trek' and try to figure out how they accomplished the effects," said McGuire. "By taking shots apart, I learned how to create visual effects like transforming modern-day Seattle into ancient China."
Incorporating the special effects into the movie, which was shot in chunks over a 4-year period, took McGuire a full year of 8-hour days compositing scale model sets and matte-painted backdrops with green screen action.
The technology of movie-making has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade, McGuire added. "What I was doing when I first started, with heavy camcorders and jury-rigged connections between equipment, can be created with a cell phone and a Firewire port now."
"The digital revolution has really democratized filmmaking," he continued. "The tools to make movies are more accessible, with commercial software taking the place of massive sets and dangerous effects."
Jeremy Lewis wrote the film's screenplay and plays the Emperor Chow Pow and a diabolical general onscreen. Lewis, who also composed the soundtrack, is a senior at the University of Washington and lives in Marysville.
Young is a professional actor who grew up in north Snohomish County but now lives in California. According to his bio, he has tackled roles ranging from cops and ninjas to cross-dressers and even a dancing banana.
Stevens, who lives at Lake Ki, co-wrote the story for "Bad Kung Fu" with McGuire and also tackles one of the principal roles in the film.
Although the scenery may be hard to discern, the movie was shot completely in the Seattle area and around north Snohomish County. An epic scene of the hero running up the steps of an ancient castle was actually filmed on the stairs at Lakewood High School.
"Washington is great for filmmaking," said McGuire. "We have deserts, forests, mountains, the ocean...you can find almost any kind of setting right here."
STIFF receives more than 1,000 entries for the 10-day annual festival, so McGuire and his team are excited about the inclusion of their film. "Bad Kung Fu" was even recognized with the STIFFY for Good Kung Fu Award.
To find out more about "Bad Kung Fu" and the local filmmaking team, visit www.badkungfu.com. For more information about STIFF, including schedules and ticket prices, go to www.trueindependent.org.
In the case of Jeffrey McGuire, Cody Young, Jesse Stevens and Jeremy Lewis, you get "Bad Kung Fu."
McGuire, an Arlington resident who co-produced and directed the feature-length movie, in addition to creating more than 650 visual effects, will have the pleasure of seeing his movie on local screens during the Seattle True Independent Film Festival (STIFF) in June.
The locally produced movie will be shown June 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Jewel Box Theater, 2322-2nd Avenue in downtown Seattle, and on June 9 at 7 p.m. at Central Cinema, located at 1411-21st Avenue. The showing on June 6 is for audiences 21 and over, but all ages are welcome at the Central Cinema venue.
"Bad Kung Fu" is the tale of Whitey, the Red-Haired Ninja (played by Young), who is sent on a mission for his master Chow Pow and returns to find everything he ever loved destroyed by the evil thunder god, Fud. Whitey must embark on a mission to stop Fud from annihilating the world, avenge his losses, and save a beautiful princess.
It's all low-budget fun, with the entire 82-minute film created on a $15,000 investment by Cody's father.
"It's considered a micro-budget feature," McGuire explained. "Even low-budget independent films usually cost between a couple hundred thousand and a million dollars to make."
McGuire was inspired by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez's first commercial film, the Spanish-language feature "El Mariachi," was shot for around $7,000 and went on to win an award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Its sequel, "Desperado," starring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, was given a much more typical Hollywood treatment, and Rodriguez has gone on to produce and direct a number of cult classics and popular family films.
A 2001 graduate of Lakewood High School, McGuire graduated with honors from the Vancouver Film School in 2006. He started making movies when he was 11 years old, and has been experimenting with Adobe software products like FlashCut since the age of 13.
"I watch films like 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Trek' and try to figure out how they accomplished the effects," said McGuire. "By taking shots apart, I learned how to create visual effects like transforming modern-day Seattle into ancient China."
Incorporating the special effects into the movie, which was shot in chunks over a 4-year period, took McGuire a full year of 8-hour days compositing scale model sets and matte-painted backdrops with green screen action.
The technology of movie-making has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade, McGuire added. "What I was doing when I first started, with heavy camcorders and jury-rigged connections between equipment, can be created with a cell phone and a Firewire port now."
"The digital revolution has really democratized filmmaking," he continued. "The tools to make movies are more accessible, with commercial software taking the place of massive sets and dangerous effects."
Jeremy Lewis wrote the film's screenplay and plays the Emperor Chow Pow and a diabolical general onscreen. Lewis, who also composed the soundtrack, is a senior at the University of Washington and lives in Marysville.
Young is a professional actor who grew up in north Snohomish County but now lives in California. According to his bio, he has tackled roles ranging from cops and ninjas to cross-dressers and even a dancing banana.
Stevens, who lives at Lake Ki, co-wrote the story for "Bad Kung Fu" with McGuire and also tackles one of the principal roles in the film.
Although the scenery may be hard to discern, the movie was shot completely in the Seattle area and around north Snohomish County. An epic scene of the hero running up the steps of an ancient castle was actually filmed on the stairs at Lakewood High School.
"Washington is great for filmmaking," said McGuire. "We have deserts, forests, mountains, the ocean...you can find almost any kind of setting right here."
STIFF receives more than 1,000 entries for the 10-day annual festival, so McGuire and his team are excited about the inclusion of their film. "Bad Kung Fu" was even recognized with the STIFFY for Good Kung Fu Award.
To find out more about "Bad Kung Fu" and the local filmmaking team, visit www.badkungfu.com. For more information about STIFF, including schedules and ticket prices, go to www.trueindependent.org.