ASHES - A KUNG FU STORY
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Action
Being a stuntman, myself, I (we) don't get enough credit when it comes to story telling. We want to be able to deliver high level Kung Fu action that tells the story of a man who has nothing to lose. So follow along our journey as we dig deep into our character's psyche.
ASHES - A KUNG FU STORY
Los Angeles, California | Film Short
Drama, Action
Green Light
This campaign raised $16,813 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
147 supporters | followers
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Being a stuntman, myself, I (we) don't get enough credit when it comes to story telling. We want to be able to deliver high level Kung Fu action that tells the story of a man who has nothing to lose. So follow along our journey as we dig deep into our character's psyche.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A modern take on a classic kung fu story about revenge and redemption!
The theme of the film revolves around the choices that we make as people and the karmic thread it leaves behind.
A young man discovers martial arts as a way of discovering himself with the potential of being both positive and negative, Yin and Yang.
There's a balance to the complexity of how our protagonist deals with these new interactions.
Will he find his path to a life of peace, balance, and serenity?
Or stumble and fall, descending into the darkest depths of pain and sorrow?
Sleeping Dogs Action Short with over 8 million views!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WgWMgGrZDY&t=4s
Why are we doing this?
We are telling the story of the every man and woman, who are just going to the motions of daily life. We wake up, go to work, come home, go to sleep and repeat. There's usually only one way out of this soul-crushing cycle and that's through a passion, whether it be art, cooking, sports, etc. There are a plethora of activities that can help get us off our butts. The point is, don't let life just be living it. Built it, express it, share it.
Why me and my crew?
I believe that my decade plus experience in the industry will offer all types of nuances in story telling. Through dialogue, motion, choreography, and editing, my team and I have worked tirelessly in refining our craft. Essentially, my job as a fight coordinator, entails that I read scripts and character profiles, then design action based on those details. After the choreography is done, I shoot a pre-visualization of said choreography and edit it all together to present to the bosses (i.e. stunt coordinator, director, producer). It is very crucial that I not only design awesome fight choreography but tell the story as well.
Why are we doing this now?
As they say, the time to do it was yesterday. Being in the industry for so long, I believe it is time to move forward and explore new avenues. We are no longer just stunt performers, we're becoming directors, writers and producers. And with so many doors opened by the likes of Chad Stahelski and JJ Perry, whom were both stuntmen in their prime and now both blockbuster movie directors, there's zero excuse for those of my generation to not take that step through.
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Bak Mei Kung Fu was created by a former Shaolin student who was thought of as 1 of 5 elders of the temple but also as a traitor as well. There's no documentation of his real name or even his exact story. He's referred to as Bak Mei because of his white eyebrows.
Whatever the story is, Bak Mei was a feared warrior. In fact, his kung fu style was so brutal that it was banned from practice for decades. Malay, who is a 5th generation Bak Mei Instructor, has specifically chosen Bak Mei Kung Fu as the main fighting style for the choreography.
It also has a lot to do with the story in its fighting philosophy.
Generally, most martial arts were developed from war, but many ideas and theories have been changed for the practice of preservation, or health, or claimed self-defense tactics.
This is where Bak Mei Kung Fu differs.
The focus of Bak Mei is to have the intent to beat your opponent mercilessly. The mind must be switched to kill mode for the sake of survival. But this is where the contradictory also lies:
Evil intent in training, morality in practice.
5 Animals Kung Fu - A fun action piece we filmed on a whim because I had just bought a gimbal xD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt-4i_Y_L4M&t=3s
I STILL HAVE A SOUL, an HBO Boxing promo:
Concerning a nameless man, living on the streets, who would do everything he could to raise money for boxing lessons. Yard work, sell blood, hock his cheap jewelry, participate in underground fights; anything and everything to make a buck. His grit and determination eventually leading to his pro boxing debut.
This sparked the flame of inspiration inside Malay, our director/writer, who grew up in poverty, in a single mother home, didn't have many friends because he was constantly moving. The only thing that keeping him going? Martial arts and movies.
Malay's mom, not wanting him to get into trouble in the tough streets of Long Beach, would throw down her hard-earned money so that he could take Martial Arts lessons.
Our main character, LEO, is a quintessential reflection of Malay and his life journey of martial arts, movies, and discover your path in life regardless of the cards you've been dealt.
Gorgeous - A Jackie Chan and Brad Allan Tribute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzeOHwsEnvo&t=29s
We have an ambitious vision with an ambitious budget, 10 days shooting in and around Los Angeles, but we want to do this right!
- Locations - This is one of the most crucial aspect to our film. We have multiple settings in our film; Kung Fu school, convenience store, an apartment and some exterior areas of LA
- Cast and Crew - We want everyone to get paid fairly and be fed well on set xD
- Production Insurance - Keeping everyone safe and covered is our number one priority
- Props, wardrobe, and set decoration - to complete the look of our Kung Fu school setting
Our promise to you!
Currently, we have been training, doing dialogue rehearsals, rewriting the screenplay, meeting with people to help move us forward. Our task is endless and it won't finish even after the short film is done. And with every update we do, we'll be sure to include you in all the details. Things like, when will it be available for online viewing, or if there'll be a screening near you. If there's any money in reserve from "over-funding", that will go into a budget for post production, promotions and even film festivals. That's right! We plan on running the film fest circuits to get the word out there and hopefully find investors to turn into a feature. No matter where our journey takes us, we won't forget those that got us started. You all will have been a huge part of this as anyone else. So biggest thanks from the bottom our hearts, we hope you join us in our mission.
Socials
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33503058/
https://www.instagram.com/ashes_kung_fu
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $500
One word...dynamic range!!! Okay that's two words. Wouldn't be much of a movie if we didn't have a camera to film stuff with!
Craft Services AKA "snacks"
Costs $1,000
Shooting a film, regardless of size, entails long hours. Have some snacks and coffee on hand make the work jus that much easier :)
LUNCH!
Costs $1,000
A diligent film crew must be fed... AT ALL COSTS :D This will make sure no one murders anyone!
Cast
Costs $3,000
Our actors are some of the best, and we want to make sure they're paid for their hard work!
Insurance
Costs $500
Gotta make sure things is always safe when you're doing awesome kung fu action!
Crew
Costs $10,000
Cant make a movie without a film crew and they gotta make a living too!
GEAR RENTALS AND PURCHASES
Costs $4,000
Movies are a complicated mishmash of movie parts, and we need to buy or rent those parts to be mished and mashed :)
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
MALAY KIM - DIRECTOR
Malay's career started out as a stuntman, inspired by the likes of Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen and many others from Hong Kong. He transitioned into the role of fight coordinator as is allows him to express his talents in fight choreography, shooting and editing. He's been a part of big action shows such as "Iron Fist", "Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", "The Continental", and recently "Mortal Kombat 2". During his off time, Malay pursues his passion for directing but creating his own action shorts.
ROBERT DILL - PRODUCER
Robert Dill is an award winning actor and producer, as well as, a martial artist and stuntman. He received a film making education from UCLA, and has spent over 20 years working in Hollywood. His award winning film "Stranger in the Closet", can be seen on YouTube.
JOHNNY YANG - STUNT COORDINATOR
Johnny is long time colleague of Malay's. He's now part of the world renowned stunt team, Hitz International. Johnny's role in the team is Stunt Coordinator and has recently joined the DGA while working on the hit show, "Warrior". An HBO production that's inspired by the writings of Bruce Lee, and produced by Shannon Lee and Justin Lin. Johnny's team was also Emmy nominated for "Best Stunt Coordination"
TARELL BULLOCK - CAST "LEO"
Tarell Bullock has trained martial arts all his life, starting at the age of 5 by his father, who also happens to be a kung fu master. Tarell started his career with Cirque Du Soleil and has since moved on to work on TV and Film as an actor and stuntman. Most recent notable work was on Knights of the Zodiac as a stunt double and fight choreographer. He's also appeared as the leading role in a short film titled "Twisting Tiger" directed by Joseph Le, which has over 1 million views.
DAVID SAKURAI - CAST "MARK"
Malay met David Sakurai on season 1 of Iron Fist, where David played the villain, Scythe, fighting against Danny Rand. They've kept in touch hoping to one day work on another project together. Now they've reunited to collaborate on this action drama. David's most notable roles continue into upscale productions such as "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of GrindelWald", The Man in the High Castle" and most recently, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" as the Earth Kingdom Spy.
ERIC "Z" ZARAGOZA - 1st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Eric Zaragoza aka 'Z' known for over 70 film credits expanding cross all genres, but action and science fiction being his ultimate favorite. It is in that epic genre where Malay and Z met on a show call "Sync". Both share their passion for action and uniquely driven stories. Z was inspired by Malay and his EMC stunt group that both himself and his friend went onto making films of their own, such "Dead Space", "Incoming" and other science fiction/action films. Z unites with Malay as his assistant director once again on this amazing journey we named "Ashes".
MICHAEL LEHR - STUNT COORDINATOR
Mike "Lehr" Lehr is a 2nd Unit Director and Stunt/Fight Coordinator who has shared the indie action film space with Malay and the EMC Monkeys for many years and numerous projects. He designed and coordinated the fights for films such as Netflix's "Extraction," and "Day Shift" (Taurus World Stunt Award Winner for Best Fight), Universal's "F9", and the upcoming "Mortal Kombat II (2025)" which he fight coordinated alongside Malay. Mike's always excited to see a new project from this team, and is stoked to be a team member this time around!
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
A modern take on a classic kung fu story about revenge and redemption!
The theme of the film revolves around the choices that we make as people and the karmic thread it leaves behind.
A young man discovers martial arts as a way of discovering himself with the potential of being both positive and negative, Yin and Yang.
There's a balance to the complexity of how our protagonist deals with these new interactions.
Will he find his path to a life of peace, balance, and serenity?
Or stumble and fall, descending into the darkest depths of pain and sorrow?
Sleeping Dogs Action Short with over 8 million views!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WgWMgGrZDY&t=4s
Why are we doing this?
We are telling the story of the every man and woman, who are just going to the motions of daily life. We wake up, go to work, come home, go to sleep and repeat. There's usually only one way out of this soul-crushing cycle and that's through a passion, whether it be art, cooking, sports, etc. There are a plethora of activities that can help get us off our butts. The point is, don't let life just be living it. Built it, express it, share it.
Why me and my crew?
I believe that my decade plus experience in the industry will offer all types of nuances in story telling. Through dialogue, motion, choreography, and editing, my team and I have worked tirelessly in refining our craft. Essentially, my job as a fight coordinator, entails that I read scripts and character profiles, then design action based on those details. After the choreography is done, I shoot a pre-visualization of said choreography and edit it all together to present to the bosses (i.e. stunt coordinator, director, producer). It is very crucial that I not only design awesome fight choreography but tell the story as well.
Why are we doing this now?
As they say, the time to do it was yesterday. Being in the industry for so long, I believe it is time to move forward and explore new avenues. We are no longer just stunt performers, we're becoming directors, writers and producers. And with so many doors opened by the likes of Chad Stahelski and JJ Perry, whom were both stuntmen in their prime and now both blockbuster movie directors, there's zero excuse for those of my generation to not take that step through.
Bak Mei Kung Fu was created by a former Shaolin student who was thought of as 1 of 5 elders of the temple but also as a traitor as well. There's no documentation of his real name or even his exact story. He's referred to as Bak Mei because of his white eyebrows.
Whatever the story is, Bak Mei was a feared warrior. In fact, his kung fu style was so brutal that it was banned from practice for decades. Malay, who is a 5th generation Bak Mei Instructor, has specifically chosen Bak Mei Kung Fu as the main fighting style for the choreography.
It also has a lot to do with the story in its fighting philosophy.
Generally, most martial arts were developed from war, but many ideas and theories have been changed for the practice of preservation, or health, or claimed self-defense tactics.
This is where Bak Mei Kung Fu differs.
The focus of Bak Mei is to have the intent to beat your opponent mercilessly. The mind must be switched to kill mode for the sake of survival. But this is where the contradictory also lies:
Evil intent in training, morality in practice.
5 Animals Kung Fu - A fun action piece we filmed on a whim because I had just bought a gimbal xD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt-4i_Y_L4M&t=3s
I STILL HAVE A SOUL, an HBO Boxing promo:
Concerning a nameless man, living on the streets, who would do everything he could to raise money for boxing lessons. Yard work, sell blood, hock his cheap jewelry, participate in underground fights; anything and everything to make a buck. His grit and determination eventually leading to his pro boxing debut.
This sparked the flame of inspiration inside Malay, our director/writer, who grew up in poverty, in a single mother home, didn't have many friends because he was constantly moving. The only thing that keeping him going? Martial arts and movies.
Malay's mom, not wanting him to get into trouble in the tough streets of Long Beach, would throw down her hard-earned money so that he could take Martial Arts lessons.
Our main character, LEO, is a quintessential reflection of Malay and his life journey of martial arts, movies, and discover your path in life regardless of the cards you've been dealt.
Gorgeous - A Jackie Chan and Brad Allan Tribute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzeOHwsEnvo&t=29s
We have an ambitious vision with an ambitious budget, 10 days shooting in and around Los Angeles, but we want to do this right!
- Locations - This is one of the most crucial aspect to our film. We have multiple settings in our film; Kung Fu school, convenience store, an apartment and some exterior areas of LA
- Cast and Crew - We want everyone to get paid fairly and be fed well on set xD
- Production Insurance - Keeping everyone safe and covered is our number one priority
- Props, wardrobe, and set decoration - to complete the look of our Kung Fu school setting
Our promise to you!
Currently, we have been training, doing dialogue rehearsals, rewriting the screenplay, meeting with people to help move us forward. Our task is endless and it won't finish even after the short film is done. And with every update we do, we'll be sure to include you in all the details. Things like, when will it be available for online viewing, or if there'll be a screening near you. If there's any money in reserve from "over-funding", that will go into a budget for post production, promotions and even film festivals. That's right! We plan on running the film fest circuits to get the word out there and hopefully find investors to turn into a feature. No matter where our journey takes us, we won't forget those that got us started. You all will have been a huge part of this as anyone else. So biggest thanks from the bottom our hearts, we hope you join us in our mission.
Socials
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33503058/
https://www.instagram.com/ashes_kung_fu
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Package
Costs $500
One word...dynamic range!!! Okay that's two words. Wouldn't be much of a movie if we didn't have a camera to film stuff with!
Craft Services AKA "snacks"
Costs $1,000
Shooting a film, regardless of size, entails long hours. Have some snacks and coffee on hand make the work jus that much easier :)
LUNCH!
Costs $1,000
A diligent film crew must be fed... AT ALL COSTS :D This will make sure no one murders anyone!
Cast
Costs $3,000
Our actors are some of the best, and we want to make sure they're paid for their hard work!
Insurance
Costs $500
Gotta make sure things is always safe when you're doing awesome kung fu action!
Crew
Costs $10,000
Cant make a movie without a film crew and they gotta make a living too!
GEAR RENTALS AND PURCHASES
Costs $4,000
Movies are a complicated mishmash of movie parts, and we need to buy or rent those parts to be mished and mashed :)
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
MALAY KIM - DIRECTOR
Malay's career started out as a stuntman, inspired by the likes of Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen and many others from Hong Kong. He transitioned into the role of fight coordinator as is allows him to express his talents in fight choreography, shooting and editing. He's been a part of big action shows such as "Iron Fist", "Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", "The Continental", and recently "Mortal Kombat 2". During his off time, Malay pursues his passion for directing but creating his own action shorts.
ROBERT DILL - PRODUCER
Robert Dill is an award winning actor and producer, as well as, a martial artist and stuntman. He received a film making education from UCLA, and has spent over 20 years working in Hollywood. His award winning film "Stranger in the Closet", can be seen on YouTube.
JOHNNY YANG - STUNT COORDINATOR
Johnny is long time colleague of Malay's. He's now part of the world renowned stunt team, Hitz International. Johnny's role in the team is Stunt Coordinator and has recently joined the DGA while working on the hit show, "Warrior". An HBO production that's inspired by the writings of Bruce Lee, and produced by Shannon Lee and Justin Lin. Johnny's team was also Emmy nominated for "Best Stunt Coordination"
TARELL BULLOCK - CAST "LEO"
Tarell Bullock has trained martial arts all his life, starting at the age of 5 by his father, who also happens to be a kung fu master. Tarell started his career with Cirque Du Soleil and has since moved on to work on TV and Film as an actor and stuntman. Most recent notable work was on Knights of the Zodiac as a stunt double and fight choreographer. He's also appeared as the leading role in a short film titled "Twisting Tiger" directed by Joseph Le, which has over 1 million views.
DAVID SAKURAI - CAST "MARK"
Malay met David Sakurai on season 1 of Iron Fist, where David played the villain, Scythe, fighting against Danny Rand. They've kept in touch hoping to one day work on another project together. Now they've reunited to collaborate on this action drama. David's most notable roles continue into upscale productions such as "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of GrindelWald", The Man in the High Castle" and most recently, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" as the Earth Kingdom Spy.
ERIC "Z" ZARAGOZA - 1st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Eric Zaragoza aka 'Z' known for over 70 film credits expanding cross all genres, but action and science fiction being his ultimate favorite. It is in that epic genre where Malay and Z met on a show call "Sync". Both share their passion for action and uniquely driven stories. Z was inspired by Malay and his EMC stunt group that both himself and his friend went onto making films of their own, such "Dead Space", "Incoming" and other science fiction/action films. Z unites with Malay as his assistant director once again on this amazing journey we named "Ashes".
MICHAEL LEHR - STUNT COORDINATOR
Mike "Lehr" Lehr is a 2nd Unit Director and Stunt/Fight Coordinator who has shared the indie action film space with Malay and the EMC Monkeys for many years and numerous projects. He designed and coordinated the fights for films such as Netflix's "Extraction," and "Day Shift" (Taurus World Stunt Award Winner for Best Fight), Universal's "F9", and the upcoming "Mortal Kombat II (2025)" which he fight coordinated alongside Malay. Mike's always excited to see a new project from this team, and is stoked to be a team member this time around!