On this 50th anniversary of GI Joe, one fan meets The Maker to start something new
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If you're anything like me, GI Joe is more than just a Hollywood movie with Channing Tatum and the Rock; it's cartoons after school, action figures whose fingers occasionally broke off, comic books with amazing back stories, and endless afternoons lying on the floor creating EPIC battles.
You see, GI Joe is one of the great pillars of my childhood, upon which my character and adult self is built. Flipping through the pages of the GI Joe comic books is how this no-attention-span kid learned what heroes are made of. I learned that heroes never give up, they stay until the fight's won, and they never leave a friend behind. I learned that, sometimes, life may take everything away from a man - his family, his voice, his face - but it will not break him. No, through action and loyalty that man will find a new voice, a new face, and a new family.
This is what comic books are. This is what comic books do.
Flash forward decades. I'm a grown up, a parent to 3 boys, a filmmaker, and working for one of the largest kids' networks in the world. I decide to make a "fan film," a cinematic ode to the franchise I adore. As a reflection of a complicated world, I plan to do what sounds like such an oxymoron- simultaneously portray the Joes in a gritty, visceral way while capturing that feeling I had as a 10 year old lying on the floor with my action figures about to have the most mind-blowing battle.
My GI Joe fan film, Operation: Red Retrieval, was completed and launched on YouTube the week of Thanksgiving in 2011 and the reception was great! (It has nearly half a million views!). Youtube.com/watch?v=rAujkfxhxes GI Joe fans that I've never met started to email me with praise and many had the same suggestion: "Show this to Larry Hama"
Wait, what's that? What are you saying?? "Who is Larry Hama?" you ask? He is only THE man who wrote the GI Joe comic books, he created the mythology, he wrote the character biographies found on the back of the cardboard action figure packaging, he put the show on the map, but more importantly planted the franchise in our hearts. He is the Godfather of GI Joe. But how does one even contact Larry Hama anyway? Facebook!
I am sitting across from Larry Hama at a diner in New York City eating burgers and talking about the badass coolness of the movie Aliens. We talk about semi-obscure Hong Kong action movies. And then the conversation shifts to Operation: Red Retrieval. Larry wants to know how I made this film. I talk about how I studied film production and got my MBA in High Tech Growth. I tell him that new digital SLR cameras are giving indie filmmakers all the dramatic tools they need like critical focus and slow motion. And I tell him how the new, "micro-budget" approach to filmmaking hyper-focuses all resources to what is right in front of the camera. I tell him how I recruited working stuntmen, special effects artists, and actors that all loved GI Joe, and how I'm a self-taught digital effects artist that single-handedly made most of the costumes. He takes this all in silently and says after a bit, "Yeah… that's the way to do it."
And because things are going so well and because the protagonist in every story needs to take control of the action, I say to Larry, "What would it be like if we worked on a movie together?"
Epic Montage Ensues: On a handshake, we agree to exchange the material we've been working on. I read his novel, he reads my screenplay. We choose to work on Ghost Source Zero, my cyberpunk thriller wrapped in an action movie. An LLC is formed, papers signed, the story is reworked, the feature length story gets converted into an episodic serial- just like the comic books Larry wrote and still writes to this day. We make experimental films. We work on tone, visual storytelling, special effects. I edit while Larry creates concept art. We work on working together, creative collaborations. We pitch to investors. We shop things around. We start filming scenes. And finally, we decide to launch a crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter.
So I'm 10 years old lying on my stomach on the floor with my action figures. Snake Eyes and Gung Ho (my 2 favorite GI Joes) are pinned down behind my dirty socks and a sneaker. On the other side of the rug are Megatron, Boba Fett, 2 cobra guards, and a stupid Go Bot. The Joes are awesome but even they can't do it alone. They know this and they're not afraid to admit it. Gung Ho picks up his radio and calls in support, and immediately He-Man, Luke Skywalker, and one of the Voltron lions are en route. Back up is on its way.
Today, you can be our back up! Help Larry and I make this happen! Please consider supporting our Kickstarter campaign. Learn more at PlanetNerdRage.com
Kickstarter.com/projects/planet-nerd-rage/epic-cyberpunk-action-ghost-source-zero
The hero in each of us is the voice that whispers, don't give up. Stay until the fight's won. Find a way. Fear has killed more dreams than failure has. Don't let yours be another casualty.
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Mark Cheng is a filmmaker and self-taught visual effects artist. He is the Director of Product Development for Nickelodeon Games.
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