A Kickstarter for an action web series for those that like Modern Warfare 3, Act of Valor, and 24:
I can’t say I’m impressed by the above trailer. Looks really bush league if you ask me.
You can check out the Kickstarter project page if you want to find out more info and throw some money at the project.
I find it hard to believe that their $7500 Kickstarter goal is enough. What’s that going to pay for? Are the actors working for free? I don’t recall the director saying anything about that in the intro video on the Kickstarter page. Seems sketchy…
Thoughts?
Comments
23 responses to “BLACK”
Someone tell Mr. Warrior to get his finger off the trigger and load his pistol before he goes on mission. Maybe not combine his NODs with his white light. Get a helmet that fits? At least tighten the straps. Lot’s of nice airsoft gear though.
Another generic pew pew cowaduty indy movie flick that wont last more than 5/10 episodes.
IM AMAZED AT THE ORIGINALITY.
For real..
Without them even delivering a line i can already tell you those actors should be working for free. Fuck that sucked.
Greetings- this is the series creator. I saw this post and wanted to speak to some of your comments. First off: spot on. You’ve all identified some of the things that we now know are tactically incorrect. When we shot the trailer, we didn’t have our “real” talent signed on yet. None of the actors in the trailer are real soldiers. They are buddies of mine who worked for free because they wanted to help get the series going. Now that we have gotten a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger and other various ex-military personal on board, we can make sure that the action is as real as possible. Things like the helmet being loose, NVG with flashlight, pistol not already being loaded, finger on the trigger, etc. are proof that I’m a filmmaker, not a soldier. That’s why I’ve sought out real life shooters. As for budget, most everyone will be asked to work for very little pay and if the series does well they will reap the benefits on the back end. Most of our team is doing this because it’s their passion. We have a strong production team (most working for nothing) because they want to make something great. We’d love to have access to a top level budget, but we’ve got to start somewhere. As the quote goes: “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If I could ask one last thing: give me your thoughts, suggestions and feedback as to what can make the series better. Reach us at [email protected]. Thanks.
How about you think of something original? No offense but isn’t this whole “Theme” kinda.. empty?
Always has the same generic story line and plot..
No offense at all. I agree. The genre can fall flat. My take on it is to use a tactical approach combined with an uncommon enemy. By using a real deal mindset, we hope to get what Hollywood sometimes fails to provide. Our antagonist is also unique. The soldiers in the story aren’t fighting a nation, group or regime but a lone man set against the US. I’ll be working with my SEAL, Ranger and Delta contacts to get it as accurate as possible while still telling a compelling story. We know that if its not on the page, it won’t work on the screen (be it big or small).
The thing I noticed and question — every single operator was the only person in the scene. I was never in actual tactical ops, so take this with a lot of salt. I think most times unless the team is really short-handed for the mission, there will generally be two operators together, with maybe the exception of a pre-positioned sniper. And they will all be carrying the same rounds for the major weapons; all 5.56 or 7.62.
I could be wrong, so I’m sort of stating opinion and asking the question at the same time. Maybe your operators can shed some light on this.
Cool!
Good luck and the best wishes for you and your team.
To the series creator, be sure to focus on a compelling and realistic storyline and let the tacticool-action-gun porn be secondary to everything else. By the way, what do you mean by a “lone man set against the US”, because unless your villain has a group of minions to aid him then he wont last very long in a hunt by SOCOM operators.
I liked the part where they are all fat.
Same title and storyline as the videogame. Sounds like the same thing, but different names and locations, same as everything else in this ‘genre’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_%28video_game%29
OK…
1. Opening scene: a fat guy can’t be an operator.
2. The voice over guy sucks.
3. AK boy needs to get a helmet that fits.
4. 2:19 – You didn’t have one in the chamber?
Once the slow-mo stopped and went full speed it looked like it had potential… But with a lot of flaws.
Jesus front-towards-enemy Christ.
Chickenwings?
I always adjust my plates in plain sight, and then make sure there is a good 4 second time between slinging rifle for a unloaded pistol that I went to because its easier to clear a huge church?
NEEDZ MOAR GRATUITOUS LAZERS
Hmm, suprised no one noticed the folded stock on the AK, or that this trailer, never mind the low rent vibe has an incredibly negative feel to it, “a combination of soilder and assassin.”. I don’t even want to get into the toxic nature of that kind of statement.
The narration is painfully stupid. It looks like it will be a low rent Act of Valor, with no pretty gunfights or real heroes lurching through badly written dialogue to offset the stupidity.
New word: Tacti-sturbation.
That mag drop was badass
LOL @ NVG + eye pro
Looks like everyone will be safe though. The grenade launcher was airsoft, so the guns probably are too!
I like how you say that none of the guys you used a soldiers, but they have all watched enough Art of the Dynamic Carbine to spazz out and launch a mag out sideways at a hundred miles an hour.
This message is for BLACK team leader:
I am not current or ex-military, nor do I ever plan to join. I am a shooter, although it is only for recreational purposes. I have not ever been in a warzone, and I hope to never be in one. With that said, everything I just saw in that teaser/trailer made me have to say something, but know that this is from someone who is speaking to you as an action movie fan. As far as my being an action watcher goes, just know that I started on Charles Bronson as a kid, and watch whatever I can get my hands on.
That said, here is what I think is constructive criticism:
1.The teaser needs work. By that, I mean it needs to be rewritten and shot again. I would even recommend playing around with the camera and editing equipment a little more, to get what I should think you want to be a grittier look. If, however you were going for the “living neoclassical painting” look (something like the scenes in 300, which I only bring up because of the lighting and shots you used), you definitely need to play more with your editing techniques and lighting, as it came across too soft for that kind of thing.
2. If this is to do with BLACK, the video game, you should probably skip any Seals, Rangers etc., unless they have come from Afghanistan or Iraq. The way the soldiers do their jobs has changed a lot over the years, and especially so in the last 10-20 years. A lot of this comes from changing locations, enemies, and equipment, which leads me to
3. You should also look into getting some more equipment so, if the men you filmed in your trailer are part of any sort of team (as your closeups of faces with communications equipment would have the viewer believe), there is some sign that they are actually part of a team – give them the same type of equipment. You dont want someone with an AR-type (yeah I don’t know the specific nomenclature for what the military currently uses – I stopped caring when they stopped using wood), and someone else with an AK. Not just an AK, but an AK with the stock folded and a red dot or holographic sight on it. That just said “airsoft” to me, as did racking the pistol slide after it was removed from the holster.
I dont need to point out what others already have regarding what is “tactically acceptable”, as I don’t rightly know, but I do know what looks good and what looks like it needs improvement. 5 years ago I was an “actor” in a friend’s attempt at a similar project, but with their near-zero budget, they scrapped it. Thank God. They were airsofters, paintballers, and were STILL pumped up about “Equilibrium”. They did not have the actors, the budget, or the patience to pull something off the way they envisioned it.
So far, your trailer is worlds beyond that, BUT it still needs work. Whether or not you plan on keeping your cast, you need to find someone to help you write a better script. It’s not terrible, but I wouldn’t spend money on something with that narration. Also, regarding the cast, I would suggest you have them practice their expressions. None of their faces said they were fighters, or even trying terribly hard to pretend.
To recap: Rewrite the script (at least the narration). Get proper equipment for your actors (proper fitting, of course, and proper hardware to give a more professional and realistic appearance). Talk to some modern soldiers (if you don’t know any personally, you can always email someone) to get some input. Play around with your editing tools a bit more, and adjust your lighting and shooting-style to fit the exact vision you’re looking to share with the viewer. Once that is done, and this is the most important part, look at all the details. Obsess over them. Remember that what you are making isn’t real, but you can make it look as realistic or not realistic as you want, within the limits allowed by your finances. Time should not be an issue, however. Spend all the time you can polishing your work.
I hope that is in some way helpful, or at least more helpful than some of the previous comments.
If any of the above reads as harsh, I can only say that those were the thoughts that occurred to me while I viewed the video, which I watched after reading previous comments.
Good luck.
It should also be said that I am fully aware of how horribly unrealistic most Bronson movies are. Just trying to get across that I love all action movies, no matter how purely B-grade they may be.
For a second I thought this was going to a be a live action interpretation of the game BLACK. That was a fun game.
It’s all a bunch of herp-a-derp to me, yet it looks like it might actually get funded.
Whoever wrote the cast bios on the Kickstarter page should be a little more honest. If IMDB lists you as “Male Tenant (uncredited)” or “stunt performer,” you did not “star” in that movie.