White Belt
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
Rocky meets Step Brothers + Jiu Jitsu. The movie has a minimum goal budget of 250k. 100k has already been raised. Now we hope to raise the rest here. We have four donation budget options: The minimum - The Kia Version 50k, The Ford 100k, The BMW 150k, The Ferrari 150--500k. Every $1 goes a long way!
White Belt
Los Angeles, California | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $105,768 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
70 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Rocky meets Step Brothers + Jiu Jitsu. The movie has a minimum goal budget of 250k. 100k has already been raised. Now we hope to raise the rest here. We have four donation budget options: The minimum - The Kia Version 50k, The Ford 100k, The BMW 150k, The Ferrari 150--500k. Every $1 goes a long way!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
White Belt is fiscally sponsored by The Film Collaborative, a 501(c)3 organization. ALL donations to this campaign are tax deductible. You can also transfer stock paying no capital gain.
THE STORY
Set in present-day Los Angeles, this Dramedy follows Rick Dale, an ex Jiu Jitsu World Champion as he pursues his passion of becoming a writer. When an unwanted new student Tay comes in and upsets the balance of gym. Although Rick is legally forced to allow her to train he does everything he can within his power to force her to quit. But that all changes when he discovers who she really is...
Why now?
We believe in the power of a good story. Most of Hollywood has turned into a propaganda machine. We'd like to honor the days where a movie was just a movie.
We believe that it doesn't take millions of dollars to make a good movie, sure you have to have some money (hence us being here :) but if you have a solid script and some banging acting we believe we can bring a good story to life.
The world of Jiu-Jitsu hasn't gotten much attention in the past but recently thanks to sports like MMA and serious fighters like Gordon Ryan and famous figures like Joe Rogan it has really made it on the map. And if you haven't joined a BJJ gym recently ... It's a funny sport. Severely effective when it comes to real conflict, the intimate nature of the art allows for much awkwardness and comedic moments.
Although it's appearance on the surface is that of a niche film, it is very much accessible and relatable to all walks of life, it carries a deeper message and arguably marries the Comedy genre and a Drama nicely.
Why us?
Well for starters, we know Jiu-Jitsu (helpful in a BJJ movie).
It goes without saying that Kit Dale's reputation precedes him. The man knows Jiu-Jitsu. Arguably one of the best black belts in the world, he has won multiple world pro championships, including a Brazilian nationals title and has competed against the best in both IBJJF Gi and No Gi and ADCC and continues to teach his nuanced and progressive style of learning the fighting art.
Not only is he the Jiu-Jitsu master but one hell of a writer. Kit got into movie-making a long time ago in the form of sketch comedies with his brother SK Dale (now big-time Hollywood director) and went on to star in large-budget movies.
Kit began writing a few years ago full time under the mentorship of well-established Golden Globe winner and Oscar-nominated writer Sheldon Turner. With five solid features and one pilot under his belt, Kit has written White Belt as his best one yet.
Becca Buckalew although not as good at Jiu-Jitsu. (arguably) She still holds her own on the mats. Undefeated as a white and blue belt and JJWL world champion, Becca first joined the Jiu-Jitsu community just over three years ago and hasn't looked back since.
There was something always inherently funny about Jiu-Jitsu to Becca and when the opportunity arose she pitched Kit on the idea of writing about it. Becca's been in the film industry for 13 years studying at Groundlings and UCB and has worked domestically and internationally as an actress on TV shows, Feature Films and many many commercials.
We believe that their skills and expertise coupled together are going to bring us one hell of an entertaining movie.
Our Secret Weapon
Steve Brown has been kind enough to offer his incredible services to us in the form of stunt coordinating. There is not much worse than bad stunts in a high impact movie so we are lucky to have him. You may have seen some of his work on Wonder Women, Avatar, the newest Super Man and many more.
WHY DO WE NEED MONEY??
We are shooting to raise 50k on Seed and Spark but also crossing our fingers in the hopes to make much more. 50k will allow us to make it. but 150k will give us the ability to make it much better. We are not taking a red cent from the donations (in fact we are losing money on this), your donations will help us pay for critical components of the film, including crew, gear, production design, editing, insurance, meals for the team, and Kit's mental therapy (kidding... he's beyond help). Our dream is to be able to pay the entire cast and crew (lofty ambitions, we know).
Where we are currently at in the production process is finalizing our cast, rehearsing alllll the stunt scenes, locking down our locations, with great hopes of rolling the first of September.
HOW YOU CAN HELP!
1. FOLLOW US ON ALL OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
Be sure to follow us here on Seed & Spark, but also on
Instagram (click me) and join our mailing list (click me). And encourage your friends to follow us too!
2. SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT #whitebeltmovie
Please tell your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors about our movie. Share our posts, campaign page, and our backer updates! We're pushing to shoot in September!
3. KEEP FOLLOWING OUR CAMPAIGN!
Regular visits to our Seed & Spark page keep you in the know AND increase our chances of being a featured project on the Seed&Spark homepage!
ALL donations to this campaign are tax deductible. In accordance with IRS regulations, The Film Collaborative (TFC) issues tax receipts. Crowdfunder admin fees and credit card processing fees are deducted before TFC receives the funds. TFC issues tax receipts on the amount they receive minus the fair market value of the incentive you select.
Please fill out your entire full name and address if donating to the movie !
THANK YOU!!!
-Team White Belt Movie
www.whitebeltmovie.com
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $11,000
Crew isn't cheap and we definitely want to pay hard working people for their time!
Equipment!
Costs $10,000
Rentals aren't cheap! Help us make it happen!
Post-Production
Costs $5,000
We all know a movie is nothing without a good edit!
Food
Costs $2,000
Someone is be bound to want crafty on set! We all know Kit likes to eat ...
Sound
Costs $7,000
You can't have a good movie without high quality sound, help us get the right person for the job!
Location!
Costs $5,000
We are hoping to get locations for free but will probably need to shut down a gym for a few weeks, help us pay them!
Cast!
Costs $10,000
Minus Kit and Becca, we are hoping to pay all our working cast members!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Kit Dale (writer, actor, director)
Kit brings quite an arrayed skill set to the team. Originally hailing from Melbourne Australia, Kit is a highly trained martial artist who received his black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu in just four years.
2X World Pro BJJ Champion, 2X World Pro Silver Medalist Brazilian National Champion, 2X Asian Open Champion, Copa Podio Grand Prix competitor, Copa de Bullterrior Champion, 14x Pan Pacific Champion, 12x Australian Cup Champion, Bronze Pan American medalist. His Jiu Jitsu is some of the best.
Kit is not new to the film industry, growing up he and his brother (Hollywood director SK Dale) developed comedy skits and has acted in multiple movies including the lead in a 22 million euro feature (which you probably never heard of cause it flopped... Iron Sky The Coming Race).
For the past few years he has been working 10-14 hour days to crank out some serious scripts. He developed this Jiu-jitsu film and the rest of his scripts under the guidance of writing mentor; Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe Winning writer Sheldon Turner.
We are confident in his skills as a writer and creator to bring this story to life.
Becca Buckalew (co-creator, actress)
Becca first jumped into jiu jitsu three years ago and has been bashed by men bigger than her ever since. Although she doesn't come near to Kit's achievements, she has yet to lose in her tournament's competing as a white belt and as a blue belt.
Originally from Monterey California, she's been acting since she was a kid and spent the last thirteen years in LA honing her craft.
She has studied comedy at UCB and Groundlings and been able to act in quite a few Feature Films, International TV shows, and many many commercials.
Gordon Ryan
Arguably the best.. Gordon Ryan is an American submission wrestler and black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ryan has won the ADCC five times, IBJJF two-time world champion, and four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion.
The short of it is he knows Jiu-Jitsu and is making his acting debut in our movie, we are the most stoked to have him.
Will Hirschfeld (producer)
Will is not new to a Hollywood passion project and holds a profound knowledge for what it takes to execute a successful feature film.
His movies include; Cult Killer, Bucky F*cking Dent, Parachute, Impulse and many more.
He is the man not only good with numbers but has access to some of the best crew Los Angeles has to offer.
Steve Brown (stunt coordinator)
Steve has been in the movie business for a long time and his stunt resume is impressive. He has signed on to help us make our Jiu-Jitsu fight scenes look flawless. His list of movies worked on include, Wonder Woman, Avatar, the newest Superman and many more.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
White Belt is fiscally sponsored by The Film Collaborative, a 501(c)3 organization. ALL donations to this campaign are tax deductible. You can also transfer stock paying no capital gain.
THE STORY
Set in present-day Los Angeles, this Dramedy follows Rick Dale, an ex Jiu Jitsu World Champion as he pursues his passion of becoming a writer. When an unwanted new student Tay comes in and upsets the balance of gym. Although Rick is legally forced to allow her to train he does everything he can within his power to force her to quit. But that all changes when he discovers who she really is...
Why now?
We believe in the power of a good story. Most of Hollywood has turned into a propaganda machine. We'd like to honor the days where a movie was just a movie.
We believe that it doesn't take millions of dollars to make a good movie, sure you have to have some money (hence us being here :) but if you have a solid script and some banging acting we believe we can bring a good story to life.
The world of Jiu-Jitsu hasn't gotten much attention in the past but recently thanks to sports like MMA and serious fighters like Gordon Ryan and famous figures like Joe Rogan it has really made it on the map. And if you haven't joined a BJJ gym recently ... It's a funny sport. Severely effective when it comes to real conflict, the intimate nature of the art allows for much awkwardness and comedic moments.
Although it's appearance on the surface is that of a niche film, it is very much accessible and relatable to all walks of life, it carries a deeper message and arguably marries the Comedy genre and a Drama nicely.
Why us?
Well for starters, we know Jiu-Jitsu (helpful in a BJJ movie).
It goes without saying that Kit Dale's reputation precedes him. The man knows Jiu-Jitsu. Arguably one of the best black belts in the world, he has won multiple world pro championships, including a Brazilian nationals title and has competed against the best in both IBJJF Gi and No Gi and ADCC and continues to teach his nuanced and progressive style of learning the fighting art.
Not only is he the Jiu-Jitsu master but one hell of a writer. Kit got into movie-making a long time ago in the form of sketch comedies with his brother SK Dale (now big-time Hollywood director) and went on to star in large-budget movies.
Kit began writing a few years ago full time under the mentorship of well-established Golden Globe winner and Oscar-nominated writer Sheldon Turner. With five solid features and one pilot under his belt, Kit has written White Belt as his best one yet.
Becca Buckalew although not as good at Jiu-Jitsu. (arguably) She still holds her own on the mats. Undefeated as a white and blue belt and JJWL world champion, Becca first joined the Jiu-Jitsu community just over three years ago and hasn't looked back since.
There was something always inherently funny about Jiu-Jitsu to Becca and when the opportunity arose she pitched Kit on the idea of writing about it. Becca's been in the film industry for 13 years studying at Groundlings and UCB and has worked domestically and internationally as an actress on TV shows, Feature Films and many many commercials.
We believe that their skills and expertise coupled together are going to bring us one hell of an entertaining movie.
Our Secret Weapon
Steve Brown has been kind enough to offer his incredible services to us in the form of stunt coordinating. There is not much worse than bad stunts in a high impact movie so we are lucky to have him. You may have seen some of his work on Wonder Women, Avatar, the newest Super Man and many more.
WHY DO WE NEED MONEY??
We are shooting to raise 50k on Seed and Spark but also crossing our fingers in the hopes to make much more. 50k will allow us to make it. but 150k will give us the ability to make it much better. We are not taking a red cent from the donations (in fact we are losing money on this), your donations will help us pay for critical components of the film, including crew, gear, production design, editing, insurance, meals for the team, and Kit's mental therapy (kidding... he's beyond help). Our dream is to be able to pay the entire cast and crew (lofty ambitions, we know).
Where we are currently at in the production process is finalizing our cast, rehearsing alllll the stunt scenes, locking down our locations, with great hopes of rolling the first of September.
HOW YOU CAN HELP!
1. FOLLOW US ON ALL OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
Be sure to follow us here on Seed & Spark, but also on
Instagram (click me) and join our mailing list (click me). And encourage your friends to follow us too!
2. SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT #whitebeltmovie
Please tell your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors about our movie. Share our posts, campaign page, and our backer updates! We're pushing to shoot in September!
3. KEEP FOLLOWING OUR CAMPAIGN!
Regular visits to our Seed & Spark page keep you in the know AND increase our chances of being a featured project on the Seed&Spark homepage!
ALL donations to this campaign are tax deductible. In accordance with IRS regulations, The Film Collaborative (TFC) issues tax receipts. Crowdfunder admin fees and credit card processing fees are deducted before TFC receives the funds. TFC issues tax receipts on the amount they receive minus the fair market value of the incentive you select.
Please fill out your entire full name and address if donating to the movie !
THANK YOU!!!
-Team White Belt Movie
www.whitebeltmovie.com
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Crew
Costs $11,000
Crew isn't cheap and we definitely want to pay hard working people for their time!
Equipment!
Costs $10,000
Rentals aren't cheap! Help us make it happen!
Post-Production
Costs $5,000
We all know a movie is nothing without a good edit!
Food
Costs $2,000
Someone is be bound to want crafty on set! We all know Kit likes to eat ...
Sound
Costs $7,000
You can't have a good movie without high quality sound, help us get the right person for the job!
Location!
Costs $5,000
We are hoping to get locations for free but will probably need to shut down a gym for a few weeks, help us pay them!
Cast!
Costs $10,000
Minus Kit and Becca, we are hoping to pay all our working cast members!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Kit Dale (writer, actor, director)
Kit brings quite an arrayed skill set to the team. Originally hailing from Melbourne Australia, Kit is a highly trained martial artist who received his black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu in just four years.
2X World Pro BJJ Champion, 2X World Pro Silver Medalist Brazilian National Champion, 2X Asian Open Champion, Copa Podio Grand Prix competitor, Copa de Bullterrior Champion, 14x Pan Pacific Champion, 12x Australian Cup Champion, Bronze Pan American medalist. His Jiu Jitsu is some of the best.
Kit is not new to the film industry, growing up he and his brother (Hollywood director SK Dale) developed comedy skits and has acted in multiple movies including the lead in a 22 million euro feature (which you probably never heard of cause it flopped... Iron Sky The Coming Race).
For the past few years he has been working 10-14 hour days to crank out some serious scripts. He developed this Jiu-jitsu film and the rest of his scripts under the guidance of writing mentor; Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe Winning writer Sheldon Turner.
We are confident in his skills as a writer and creator to bring this story to life.
Becca Buckalew (co-creator, actress)
Becca first jumped into jiu jitsu three years ago and has been bashed by men bigger than her ever since. Although she doesn't come near to Kit's achievements, she has yet to lose in her tournament's competing as a white belt and as a blue belt.
Originally from Monterey California, she's been acting since she was a kid and spent the last thirteen years in LA honing her craft.
She has studied comedy at UCB and Groundlings and been able to act in quite a few Feature Films, International TV shows, and many many commercials.
Gordon Ryan
Arguably the best.. Gordon Ryan is an American submission wrestler and black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Ryan has won the ADCC five times, IBJJF two-time world champion, and four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion.
The short of it is he knows Jiu-Jitsu and is making his acting debut in our movie, we are the most stoked to have him.
Will Hirschfeld (producer)
Will is not new to a Hollywood passion project and holds a profound knowledge for what it takes to execute a successful feature film.
His movies include; Cult Killer, Bucky F*cking Dent, Parachute, Impulse and many more.
He is the man not only good with numbers but has access to some of the best crew Los Angeles has to offer.
Steve Brown (stunt coordinator)