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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Tournament Round 4 - The Climax

I have finally gotten to the climactic showdown between Captain Zorikh and his adversary, Lady Lee. I am very glad that I did as much editing on the other matches as I did before getting to this.

I took it in a slightly different direction this time. I wanted a different feel for this round, especially for the Big Showdown. I used flashbacks to help heighten the drama. I also used some Ry Cooder music from Streets of Fire (loved that movie!).

Yes, I have edited the end of the match, but you don't really think I'm going to give it all away right here,do you?



Sunday, July 26, 2009

Some more movies I should have watched before starting this project.

Bull Durham - Really good film technique, very good handling of the sports movie genre, its characters and tropes.

Run Fatboy Run - An excellent sports comedy about redemption that avoids the corny, unrealistic ending that Simon Peg's previous redemption movie, Sean of the Dead, fell into.

Never Back Down - Really not as bad as some folks have made it out to be. I especially liked the use of internet, video, and instant communication technology to advance the story.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Latest screening of "Redemption" footage a success!

Although the attendance of the "Redemption" cast was sparse, "Zombie Hunters" brought nearly 20 people to the "Movie Madness Hour" at Otto's Shrunken Head on Sunday.

This was the most satisfying film screening experience I have had so far. A bunch of people with no foreknowledge of the movie, and who may or may not have been fans of wrestling, grappling, or martial arts, gave all the right reactions at all the right points in the footage. They expressed amusement at Avery's identification with cartoon characters, laughed heartily at Vince's fear of commitment, gave a satisfying "ooh!" when Avery slammed Doug on the mat, appreciated the comedy of Kristi-Lynn's disqualification, and the resultant stop and restart of the tournament, and applauded entousiastically at the end of the tournament matches. Even the epilogue, the scene in the hallway between Vince and Kristi-Lynn, got the laughs and gasps in all the right places.

After a the decidedly mixed reactions that "Combat Twister" has been getting, this was very encouraging.

And in a completely unrelated note, there is a small bird clinging to the screen on my window.

Kimbo becomes a Role Model

So it seems that the second-biggest gimmick in mixed martial arts last year, Kimbo Slice, has joined the cast of "The Ultimate Fighter". In a report by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, it is reported that Kimbo said "There might have been a little more money elsewhere in the short run, but I’m looking at the big picture, and this is the right move for me at the right time."

Here's a guy who got 10 million views on YouTube and was the face of a major national network's MMA show, until he got beat by a last-minute replacement fighter in 14 seconds. He had beaten Tank Abbot, had won his first few legit MMA fights, and could apparently played his notoriety up by continuing to tour the top-level MMA circuit, fighting carefully-picked, past-their-prime fighters, maybe even done some pro wrestling like Tank, Ken Shamrock, and Dan Severn did. But no, he puts him in with a class of young up-and-comers, essentially admitting he has a lot to learn.

This is a role model. Someone who has a dream, a goal, and follows it. Also it is a very shrewd move. By being this kind of role model, he makes himself a more appealing figure, which may also make him more marketable. A big, mean, scary guy who is a good example to youth (Mr. T anyone?).

I want to be that kind of role model. But do I have what it takes to do it?

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Screening today at Otto's Shrunken Head

I edited down the "Getting to Know the Cast" video to a manageable 5+ minutes, added some music to Round 2, and will be screening those videos and Round 3 at "Captain Zorikh's Movie Madness" today at Otto's Shrunken Head.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Tournament Round 3

Round three has proven to be the easiest round to edit. The fight choreography and footage available lent itself very easily to chapter breaks and cutaways.

In this round we have the "heavyweight match" between Bundy and Willis, Joe finding it tough going against Kamakaze, and Lady Lee taking on the tattooed Derek, with Captain Zorikh watching intently.