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Photograph by Chad Pilster
Star Diner: Sue Vannasing reads from the script of 'Knights of the City' during a recent rehearsal, which took place at the Denny's restaurant on Bascom Avenue.
Day for 'Knights'
Martial-arts studio gets into movie biz
By Suzanne Barnecut
The Knights of the Round Table gathered one windy evening to discuss the condition of the kingdom. Or rather, they pulled up chairs around the small office of Campbell Martial Arts and Fitness on E.Campbell Avenue and talked movie production in the Silicon Valley.
Core team members Mark Saia, Chris Blake and Robyn Stewart join the founders of Silicon City Productions, Tim Norman and Joe Barcelone, to collaborate on the first picture from the self-proclaimed largest independent production company of the Silicon Valley. They are in the initial stages of producing a two-part movie titled Knights of the City.
As the first knight, so to speak, it was Norman who came up with the story. He was inspired during college by an article written by Jesse Jackson that discussed why kids in gangs didn't become chief executive officers or large corporations when they grew up.
Norman also raised his daughter alone and had the shock, at times, of being introduced to contemporary teenage culture. His daughter ran away several times and befriended gang members and kids of seemingly questionable character. He was moved by the isolation and neglect some teens feel, by their need to create their own families, and by how this need can overshadow race and economic status.
"The thing I find most compelling about this film," Stewart said, "is that everyone can relate to the overall need to be loved. There are all these tensions and there is something for everyone in the story."
Knights of the City focuses on Eric, a boy who has a troubled older brother and a mother addicted to heroin. Through a course of events I won't reveal, Eric finds himself alone and on the street.
Meanwhile, a wealthy director in Hollywood is unable to secure financial backing for his next project because of his bad-boy image. He agrees to mentor an underprivileged teen as a publicity stunt. Suddenly Eric finds himself in the jet set among rich kids who have as many problems as the squatters he lived with before.
There is also, of course, the requisite villain. The character Dave Richards, played by Saia, is a professional assassin hired by the Asian mob boss to kill Eric. The story is as intricate as any tapestry the Lady of Shallot might have woven in her high tower outside Camelot for her gallant Sir Lancelot.
While the story is complete, the script is not. Norman, with the help of Stewart, has written the first chapter (by hand!) and given specific scenes out to actors. The second portion still needs to be transferred from Norman's head to the page.
"I've been writing this script trying to keep up with the speed of this company," Norman said. Unlike many Hollywood studios where years might pass between the day a script is greenlighted and when, and if, it is actually produced, Silicon City Productions is off to a running start. It was only months ago, in December 1999, when Norman and Barcelone met and started talking of starting up a production company.
"Our whole idea is to showcase actors, musicians and technicians and give them an opportunity to break into the film industry that they wouldn't have had in Hollywood," Barcelone explained. "We believe it is possible to market amateur talent professionally. We have the capability to produce videos, DVD and compact discs on a professional level."
There is a wealth of experience within the assembled group. Stewart, though, stressed that the best thing they have going for them is their passion and enthusiasm.
Barcelone grew up on Paramount Studio lots where his father was a fast-gun artist and trainer. Barcelone is also a specialist in weaponry, though he is a commercial comic-book artist by trade and is now at work on the comic-book version of Knights of the City, as well as the story boards for filming.
Mark Saia is the owner of Campbell Martial Arts and Fitness, and will choreograph all the martial arts within the film. He also has experience in commercial modeling.
Chris Blake is a former student of London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and has a lovely English accent to prove it. He has played lead roles in Campbell's Gaslighter Theatre and teaches a weekly acting workshop at the fitness center, which is how they met Stewart. She signed up for the class and took a shine to acting.
"When we say that we want to welcome local talent and throw open the door for auditions," Blake clarified, "we know that everyone may not know if they have talent, but they want to try. We can put them in an acting class and polish them up. One minute you're in class and the next, you're in a movie."
Blake will be the acting coach on the set. Stewart is collaborating with Norman on the script and will also have a part, while Barcelone shamelessly promotes the company and their first motion picture.
Photograph by Chad Pilster
And ... Action: Melissa Krauss of Campbell auditions for a part in 'Knights of the City.'
Naturally, production of a movie can't begin without a director. Oscar Lugo, not present during the group interview, produced Saia's first tai chi video. He has 20 years of experience in commercial and news direction both in the United States and Mexico. He currently does work for Spanish -language television networks.
Lugo is also in the process of moving his company, Videcam Productions, from its Fremont location to 250 Dillon Ave. in Campbell. The company is seven years old. Though he has only done short projects during his career, Lugo is excited at the new challenge ahead.
"I think it's a movie that will be a good experience," he said. "But I'm not a Hollywood director. I want to use the movement of the camera and different filters to create something new, not just another movie."
Lugo likes the story, which is based on the realities of life. Although he is intrigued by special effects, he wants to avoid using too much technology for the film and to create higher energy scenes through the acting alone.
"I don't want to do a Jackie Chan scene where he is all over the screen," Lugo remarked. "I want the fighting scenes to be real, like it would be on the street."
Casting for the lead roles and extras will begin on May 1 and will continue through the beginning of June. The final cast is expected to include roughly 40 people.
The group should not be difficult to find since they have already packed the Campbell Coffee Roasting Company with interested actors. They also received early- morning phone calls the very day their press release was announced on local radio and television, as well as a short spot on Good Morning America. Aspiring actors can call Blake at 408.866.5588 or check their website at http://www.siliconcityproductions.com for more information.
The group can often be seen auditioning hopeful actors in the evenings at the local Denny's. Shooting time for the first chapter of the movie, an hour and a half of film, is six months and the lead actors will be paid in royalties.
"We're lucky that we're self-contained and not reliant on outside help," Barcelone said. "However, we are interested in obtaining financial support to expand our marketing capabilities."
The movie is budgeted at a quarter of a million dollars, which includes the costs of the equipment and facilities, all out of pocket. Filming locations include the fitness center in Campbell, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Francisco and a possible fight scene on Angel Island.
"We don't want people to think this is a martial-arts movie," Barcelone was quick to clarify. There will be fighting scenes, and the large fight on Angel Island will be done entirely by black-belt martial artists, but overall, the movie's focus is on the eclectic nature of youth.
The movie will be formatted for cable television and direct video production. The soundtrack will feature local rappers KidD-X, Michael Anthony and Crankcase, as well as the rhythm and blues of Delshaun.
Silicon City Productions is still looking for locations and sponsorship from the community. Thus far they have experienced the energy of meeting with the right people at the right time and watching word spread like wildfire.
"This is my dream!" Stewart sighed with the same starry eyes you might find anywhere on a Hollywood street, crowded by dreamers who have yet to find out that breaking into the business is hard. Maybe breaking out of it isn't such a bad idea.
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Campbell, California
