29 Days of Vengeance Trail - Countdown to Memphis Premiere on April 23!

Each day, I'm going to post a little behind the scenes on: The Making of Vengeance Trail, or The Remaking of the Movie using Artificial Intelligence. As well as an update on progress planning the theatrical premiere on April 23 and sharing connections local to Memphis, TN.

You probably didn't get a chance to see Vengeance Trail the first time around. Who remembers Blockbuster? Blockbuster and Walmart is as far as Vengeance Trail got distributed, so I'd love to meet someone who saw it on the shelf and rented or purchased it.

If you like period-accurate Westerns, you're going to love this classic tale of good vs. evil! Nominated for the 2006 Golden Boot Awards "Best of the West." Al Frisch of Hollywood Guns and Props has all the props, costumes, screenplays, and even some horses and standing sets, to make many new Westerns. 

Tomorrow, I'll tell of how a film professor persuaded a historian and collector that Western movies can't lose and that he and his students could make a $10K feature with the resources of two Western buffs and their friends. Lot's of dreams were on the line!

Today's challenges:

• Start the process of building relationships with Memphis influencers by polishing and updating the EPK (electronic press kit).
• Then, I can approach media and bloggers for guest articles.
• Create the art for the t-shirt from the poster art, and send for a test print.

Which t-shirt design do you prefer? 

Today's Successes:

• A Memphis podcaster wants to interview me, stay tuned.
• I submitted the premiere screening event to HappeningNext for $5. 
• I negotiated with The Auteur Club for them to show my promo April 14, in return for showing their promo before Vengeance Trail on April 23.
• I booked a talk show with Anfra Boyd: April 21, 7pm Central on YAMS TALK RADIO.
• I also booked Anfra to live-stream the Premiere. She will bring so much energy!!!

Time to enjoy my family and get to bed on time!

Thanks for your support!

Ian Max

30 Days of Vengeance Trail - Countdown to Memphis Premiere on April 23!

Over 20 years in the works, Vengeance Trail is going to receive its first theatrical exhibition. I'm so excited to see and hear it on the big screen!

If you haven't followed the journey so far, Vengeance Trail started out as a student film, then grew. But, as you can imagine with a bunch of first time filmmakers, me included, plenty of mistakes were made. After several years, the movie was released in Blockbuster and Walmart, but it only made a fraction of its budget in return. I was always bummed that the investors were never made whole and the movie didn't find a large audience. When artificial intelligence tools became available, I started to wonder if the movie could be rescued and improved. And now, this epic-feeling Western, shot on a prosumer miniDV camera, receives the royal treatment at a theater in Memphis!

Now that the movie has been digitally enhanced, follow along on its self-distribution journey. For various reasons, traditional distribution isn't the best option for the movie. The first theatrical screening of Vengeance Trail happens 29 days from today. This daily blog series for 30 days will chronicle the journey to throw a memorable event.

What we have:

• A bonafide, feature-length movie! See the trailer at VengeanceTrail.com.
• Venue, a 165 seat theater at Malco Cordova Cinema Grill, on April 23, 2024 at 7pm. 
• Food and drink available at the event.
• Movie poster from which we will have t-shirts made.
• Stars of Vengeance Trail attending.
• Invites to be a guest on a podcast and a movie review website.
• Local advisors who have hosted theatrical premieres.
• Potential talent to live-broadcast the event.
• Potential musicians to entertain before and after the movie.
• Sound system for Q&A - the theater provides a house microphone.
• Camera and lights for the red carpet.

Needed:

• Update the EPK (electronic press kit).
• Printer for banners, posters, t-shirts. Lead time and quantity decisions. 
• Design completion for banners, posters, t-shirts.
• Possible DVDs, BluRays and 
• Decisions on a website for collecting ticket sales and emails for the future; Eventive vs. Kinema.
• Lock in musician and hosting talent for the event.
• Write a first draft of a guest post article for the movie review website to give notes.
• Decide how many posters to print, based on price-break and budget for inventory.

Today's successes:

• Two Memphis filmmakers, LaDell Beaman and Rex Oatis, have recommended sources for a red carpet backdrop for guest photos. Stickers & Banners drop ships within 24 business hours, and an 8'x8' vinyl banner is $98 plus S&H. I can borrow stands to hold the banner up. Another option is Central Imaging & Printing, which excites me because I really want to hire and spend locally, so I'll compare their quote when I get it. 
• I met Memphis Wrestler, K Toomer aka Fatjitsu, for the second time on Saturday. He and I were invited by LaDell to present our careers (stunts and professional wrestling) at a Heel the Hood Foundation Memphis event, and he prints the t-shirts for Memphis Wrestling at such an affordable price that there's actually still room to make a profit. So, I'm going to have him print a sample shirt with the following image as a test. 

Hope you like learning filmmaking with me!

Ian Max

SNEAK PREVIEW of Vengeance Trail - First 12 Minutes

First 12 minutes of Vengeance Trail with live chat this Saturday, August 26 at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. Click on Notify Me for a reminder.

Hope you're not tired of me talking about my Western. My old partner thinks I'm putting too much time into it, but I keep finding new ai tools that can make little details better. I'm not being a perfectionist, but if a line of dialogue is covered by wind noise and there's a new Audio Enhance Tool, how can I say the movie it done if I haven't made the sound a little better. Right, Benny DeRose of Go Big Audio? After all, the sound quality is as, or more, important than the picture quality. And, I mustn't forget this Call to Excellence that crossed my eyeballs exactly a week ago.

I'm making my way through the movie with a fine-toothed comb, and I finished the opening sequence through the Inciting Incident, the event that will engage the reluctant hero and bring him out of hiding to face his giant. It certainly upsets his world, and it will upset you as well.

These first 12 minutes look and sound great! Like a real movie with a real budget! Which it is! NO DISCLAIMERS NEEDED! I'm very excited. A friend of mine just wrote this:

Bro how in the world did you get your footage to look like that? I've been using Topaz Ai and I can't get my footage to look brand new like you did. If you got a trick, please let me know, because we're trying everything, LOL!

I hosted a YouTube premiere of the Sneak Preview on Tuesday without much warning. A handful of people showed up and interacted in the chat. It was fun interacting with a few fans. And two days later, this video has over 1000 views, which is a better result than any of my videos for over 3 years!

Here are some comments from the Sneak Preview:

"This was really good!!! Great quality!!! Love it!!! Eager for more!!!!"

"Digging it!"

"Good stuff!! Made we want to be a cowboy lol."

"​Ohh, this is epic. I love everything about this."

How cool is that? 

So, join me in two days and let's Live Chat while watching the opening sequence.

Ian Max

P.S. If you worked on the movie or know someone who did, please contact me!

P.S.S. Subscribe here for the Eyre Films Newsletter. More info at Eyre Films. 

 

 

 

 

TBT: Career Highlight with a Fireball

Have I reached the pinnacle of my stunt career? I hope not. But this gag last year was definitely bragging rights for my future grandkids.

Ambulance Crash from Christmas Bloody Christmas.

See the movie if you must, but I recommend skipping the first half because of all the potty sex talk (exposition would be more interesting) leading up to the deed indeed (sweating while wearing undies). But once they get in the car to escape, the movie keeps its tension and the genre expectations of the trailer.

Speaking of exposition in an action movie, Garry Marshall's book Wake Me When It's Funny has a hilarious description; "You go there, I'll go here."

Christmas Bloody Christmas was my second movie for Joe Bezos and Josh Ethier. I do enjoy working for them. They are obviously opinionated about their stories and methods, and unapologetic about it. I appreciate that. They are also very generous and fair and run a safe, friendly, professional set.

We filmed in Placerville, CA, the original capital of California, nicknamed Hangtown for all the criminals they hanged. The locals had no idea of the movie being told on their quaint streets.

The challenges were many, especially due to the budget, from Special Effects and Transpo struggling to find and prep all the vehicles, to traction issues on a hilly, dirt road in snow and towing unmanned vehicles. But I got to work with two old friends, Special Effects Coordinator, Chris Bailey, and Stunt Coordinator, Tony Snegoff. It had been a while since I'd crashed a vehicle, and a much longer while since I'd been inside a fireball, so this career highlight was a combo. And the nice thing these days is everyone has a high quality video camera in their pocket, so I got to collect tons of coverage of my scene without asking.

After much thought about stopping a heavy vehicle on slippery flat steel (the gutted police car was chained to trench plate) before hitting the building and the cameras inside, all the prep (including a deceleration assist) and rehearsals (I could get the ambulance up to 25mph in the distance available, and stop in 15 ft with good traction) paid off. A week later, I parked the ambulance in front of a white wall so that the flashing lights would reflect onto me as I changed my wardrobe and yelled into the camera, so I could personalize the video. 

During the actual ambulance crash, I was actually wearing a Santa jacket and beard but the hat wouldn't stay on my helmet and I had to see. I also doubled Santa (Abe Benrubi) riding and climbing through the ambulance, up to another crash. Another time, I'll post about the other stunts, and give more credit where credit is due.

Ian Max Eyre

Creation Mandate - Take God's Good and Make it Better

I took am 8 week business course in January/February and loved it so much I'm leading the course this time around (We started this morning). FaithDrivenEntrepreneur.org has videos that challenge me to integrate my faith into every aspect of my life, including my finances, my relationships, my businesses and my community. 

https://www.faithdrivenentrepreneur.org/session-1-our-call-to-create

God cares about beauty. He partners with us to create, as we are created in his image. He gives us the raw materials and expects us to perfect what's in our domain as a reflection of Him. This guy created the coolest leather coffin so that when he dies people will see how much he cares about beauty, and why, hoping to point people to our Creator. He also provides free day care so that his employees' families can be whole.

Jesus' first miracle was an actor of beauty: turning water into wine. 

What is the Creation Mandate? Genesis 1:28 (ASV)

And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

Adam and Eve were the first entrepreneurs. They had a job to do, together.

God made everything good, not perfect. He expects us to co-create with Him!

I hereby declare myself Chief Steward of everything God has given me, my time, relationships, talents, skills and finances.

Ian Max.

Terrorist Rehab Center in Saudi Arabia?!?

I saw a documentary last night at a Libertarian film fest that came to Memphis (https://anthemfilmfestival.com). THE UNREDACTED follows a handful of Guantanamo prisoners sent to a rehab center in Saudi Arabia. It was really interesting to see jihad terrorists humanized. 

Guantanamo detainees are released into a year long program of de-radicalization in Saudi Arabia, with the eventual goal of finding jobs and starting families.

The movie got canceled by mobs at Sundance, SXSW, and everywhere else, so this was the only public screening so far, besides a screening at San Quentin Prison. Read about the journey and public outcry here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/23/jihad-rehab-documentary-making-unredacted-saudi-arabia 

The Q&A with the director Meg Smaker was fascinating. Her journey as a firefighter, to seeking to know more about the Middle East after 9-11, to moving to Yemen and learning Arabic, to working in Saudi Arabia and building relationships that led to filming interview with 150 terrorists, to narrowing it down to a handful of rehabees during the program and for a short while after, until her access was removed.

I did not think I would believe these terrorists could be rehabilitated so I didn't plan on seeing the movie. Then I learned how the movie was cancelled, predominantly because a white, non-Muslim woman made it. It seemed like a rare opportunity, and I'm against cancel culture.

These terrorists were teenagers when they were recruited to jihad training camps. They spent 15+ years in GITMO prison, with no access to the outside world. They were not charged with any crimes, nor did they go to trial. When they were released, they had no experience with the Internet or smart phones.

I don't agree with everything Meg said, but some things ring true: These men are searching for purpose and belonging. There are four motivations for these men joining jihad training groups; Cause or duty, Economic, Peer pressure or family, Adventure. I can relate to the person who seeks adventure. In fact, these four motivations are the same for American teens who join the US Military.

Some other thoughts by Meg:

The most powerful force in world is storytelling, because stories shape how we think and spend. 

Hollywood gatekeepers lack courage and principals. 

You can argue politics and facts but not a personal story.

The Diary of Anne Frank made 6 million Jewish deaths in Germany tangible. 

Vets connect with this movie because they miss the camaraderie of soldier life and feel more in common with enemy soldiers than the people who sent them to war. 

Cancel culture: The answer isn’t to cancel discussion, it’s to come up with better ideas. 

The inmates at San Quentin they saw themselves in the terrorists' stories. 

Saudi Arabia claims their rehab center is 85% effective. Meg talked to the head of the FBI in Saudi Arabia who said the US tracks all Gitmo prisoners who have been released and that 80-82% do not return to fighting. 

The reason for their success of the program is that a family member in Saudi Arabia must sign for them at the risk of getting jailed in their place if they skip country, and family shame is a huge motivator there. Also, after graduation, the Saudi government provides a house, car, job help and up to $30K dowry so they can get married because the likelihood of a former terrorist returning to terror diminishes when they have their own family. This is unaffordable in America, or for larger groups of criminals.

Torture in Guantanamo did the radicalization, at least against America. 

Empathy in America has been dropping. Every one of us has capacity for extreme good or extreme evil.

Rehab isn’t sexy, it takes time, longer than a political term. 

Thoughts?

Ian

Zack King's Greatest Stunts

Just yesterday I was planning on looking up all the Zach King Amazon Alexa spots that I stunt coordinated, as it's time to update my reel, and look what I found, Zach King's Top 10 Craziest Stunts!

Tony Snegoff and I tag teamed on coordinating most of these. Let me know if you can spot me or if you have any questions. Since Zach is giving away secrets of his magic, I guess I could too.

Ian Max

Credits:

Underwater: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Ian stunt rigger.

Upside Down (Basketball): Ian stunt coordinator/key rigger, Luke Berger, Josh Fapp.

35 Foot Fall: Ian stunt coordinator, Dallas training team - John Cann, Mark DeAlessandro +2, Los Angeles airbag safety - Mike Washlake, Christian Howard, Narayan Cabral.

Flying Backwards: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Jeff Constine stunt rigger.

Being Upsidedown (hanging by feet on "Stranded 2"): Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Ian stunt rigger. (Umbrella) Not me, I don't think. (Light bulb) Ian stunt rigger. (Rubik's Cube) not me, I don't think. (Zack in yellow hoodie) Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Elena Churinova stunt rigger.

Falling on a Car: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Vladimir Tevlovski stunt rigger.

Dropping a Car: Tony stunt coordinator/key rigger, Ian stunt rigger.