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This is a short video I put together on a shoestring budget. My goal was to capture the essence and chemistry between characters within the Street Fighter universe. This short is actually an excerpt from my feature script. The scene follows Ken who is searching for his long lost pal, Ryu. His search crosses paths with Ryu's scorned ex-lover, Chun Li, who is preparing for an upcoming tournament known as the "Street Fighter" Competition. A WORD FROM CHRIS There is a lot that went into making this video and a lot of complications as well. For starters, Chase Coleman who plays Ken was actually cast 24 hours prior to filming this. The original actor who was cast had suffered a horrific injury only two days before the scheduled shooting date and was forced to quit. Not that he had much of a choice.... a broken leg in a cast and forced to be on crutches for four weeks will definitely ruin any immediate plans. But thanks to some incredible finagling, Chase literally stepped in last minute and conquered the role with incredible ease. But unfortunately the the intense fight scene that was suppose to follow the "getting to know you moments" between Ken and Chun Li had to be significantly reduced since there wasn't enough time. Now sure, I could have postponed the entire production for who knows how long, and I probably would have had I not already been a month late. I was expected to have a finished product by the end of August and there was no way I was going to waste anymore time. In the end, yes the fight was cut drastically, but the acting in my humble opinion was really top notch. Celia Au and Chase Colemen really understood the direction I wanted to take their characters and they truly embodied my vision. When a new martial arts tournament emerges, fighters from all around the globe come to compete. But only one will be crowned the World Warrior. A WORD FROM CHRIS This little teaser was shot in about an hour inside my dank, dark and decrepit basement deep with in the hallows of Jersey City. My actor, Kevin Kreider who played Ryu is actually a 6'1 model who had to do jump kicks under a 6'4 high basement ceiling. It was an interesting shoot. My budget was $70.00 which was spent on buying the karate gi, the kick boxer gloves and black belt which is unfortunately sold separately. The Hadouken effect was done by a good friend of mine named Ralph Henriquez. He is a very talented animator based out of the Bronx who does little favors for me like this on a whim. I am quite grateful. The purpose of this teaser was to demonstrate that with a little creativity, a few dollars in your pocket and the right look, anyone can make an accurate Street Fighter film. As we all know how well received the last two films where, I felt it necessary to try and show up my Hollywood counter parts in a way I knew they have yet to try. Source material- paying tribute to it is the most important thing when adapting a comic book, video game or intellectual property that isn't 100% your own. If you fail to keep what made the characters memorable in the first a constant theme throughout your adaptation, you fail period. Also, let it be known I am actively perusing the rights to Street Fighter as well as Final Fight. So if you're a true fan of these games and want to see some justice done for them, pass this trailer on. |