A gritty western martial arts action movie featuring a strong gunslinging female lead character.
Black Creek is a dark, gritty, dystopian, western action martial arts film featuring a strong ‘no-holds-barred’ female protagonist portrayed by action film star Cynthia Rothrock.
The plot centers around a sheriff’s sister who seeks revenge against the terrifying leader of a group of outlaws after discovering he brutally murdered her brother, his wife, and other family members in a gritty southwestern town.
Black Creek promises to deliver an adrenaline-packed ride from start to finish. But to make this project a reality, we need your support! Let’s show Hollywood that there is a demand for female-led action films! Pledge today and help us bring “Black Creek” to the big screen!
What do we have on our side?
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An Amazing Cast: Well, for starters, we have several well-known cast members already attached to the project, starting with the action star and ‘Queen of Martial Arts’, Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Billy Blanks, Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Patrick Kilpatrick, Kevin Sorbo, Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez, Keith Vitali and Olivier Gruner to name a few!
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A Polished Script: We have a complete, edited screenplay that has received rave reviews from the director and attached cast members. Cast member Eliza Kelley said, “I am only about 35 pages in and absolutely love it! If I hadn’t been driving I would’ve already finished it by now because it is that good. I really love the grit this script has! I have already gasped with my hand over my mouth, been reading with anticipation, and even brought to tears. So I guess that means I am in! Well done!”
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An Award Winning Director: Shannon C. Lanier is an award winning director, cinematographer, actor and filmmaker. Known for his award winning performance in the 2016 feature film Lotus Eyes, he has experience equal success as an award winning director/filmmaker for his original film work. His short film work (Love Between The Sheets, Heidi and Rewind) have yielded a series of Best Director, Film and Cinematography awards and special recognition for his screenplay feature film November Lies are just some of the accolades he has accumulated. Working both in front and behind the camera, Shannon has an impressive line up project slated for production in the future.
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A Highly Experienced Line Producer: We have a detailed 100+ page detailed budget breakdown and shoot schedule for the entire production to keep the project in-budget and on-schedule. Our line producer, who’s read hundreds of scripts, said, “I absolutely love this screenplay…it’s a page turner…I couldn’t put down.”
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Two Red Carpet Movie Premieres: There are two big screen red carpet movie premieres to be held on Los Angeles and Las Vegas confirmed to be hosted by Black Belt Magazine BlackBelt+.
- Initial Cash Investment: A major portion of the funding required for this production has already been raised though private funding sources. We need your help to get extra shooting days funded for the fight choreography scenes.
How will the funding be used?
Although this Indegogo campaign is not all the funds needed for this production, the target funding goal for this campaign will make a huge difference in making the film better, helping get extra shooting days funded for the fight choreography scenes and, enabling Cynthia Rothrock, for the first time in history, to make an action film with her vision and under her creative control. Cynthia will have the ability to oversee everything from character development, cast selections, stunt teams, costumes, shoot locations, and all of the fight scene choreography—everything needed to bring this bad-ass female gunslinger to the screen.
All additional funds raised in this campaign will go towards all areas of making Black Creek a world-class production, including:
Additional Shoot Time – The funds we receive from this campaign will enable us to add more days to the shooting schedule, which means Cynthia can film more setups and allot more time to the fight choreography with as much attention to detail as possible.
Cast & Crew – A successful campaign will help us bring on the highly-skilled film crew we need and more well-known cast members.
Equipment – Investing in our equipment, such as lenses and lighting, will make the movie more polished. We’ll also need plenty of lighting, because some scenes require us to shoot at night.
Improved Sets & Effects – We’d like to build some of our sets on a soundstage and unique shooting locations. This will enable us to record cleaner sound and control the lighting and environment better, enabling us to achieve a more polished look and sound to these scenes.
Locations – The funds we raise will help us invest in the best possible locations such as Old Tuscon Studios or a comparable old west town. Hourly rates for some locations can run high, making it prohibitive to film there or meaning we have to limit our time and shots.
Music – Licensing of some songs to use in the film alongside our score.
We are completely confident that Black Creek will be a great martial arts action movie, even on a limited budget. But, with your help, we can give Cynthia the opportunity to make history with the first film she is intimately involved in not only the story, the character development, but also the fight sequences.
Our desired shoot location is Old Tucson, a cinematographer’s dream! Old Tucson is a well-known film set located just west of the Tucson Mountains, AZ. Constructed in 1939 as a western film set, over the years Old Tucson has been used as a location for hundreds of western movies and TV shows such as The Outlaw Josey Wales, Tombstone, The Quick and the Dead, and Young Guns II just to name a few.
The vibe of an authentic rustic western town is unique and offers great production value opportunities!
FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY: When you want the best, you seek out the best. Our fight scenes will be choreographed by Cynthia’s personal stunt team—a group of veteran martial artists and stuntmen.
We currently have some of the best martial artists and veteran action-stars and film crew members in the business already attached to the project.
Cynthia Rothrock is one of the greatest martial arts/action film stars in the world. Few other performers can match her presence and energy on the silver screen. Cynthia has been featured on the cover of Black Belt magazine multiple times, and is a proud inductee into the prestigious Black Belt Hall of Fame, along with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. In 2016 she was the first martial artist (male or female) to be inducted into the prestigious International Sports Hall of Fame by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Robert Goldman. She is the undisputed “Queen of Martial Arts films” and her skills have earned her the respect of fans and peers alike.
Cynthia Rothrock is not only a great action star, but also an incredibly accomplished martial artist. She holds 5 Black Belts in various Far Eastern martial disciplines.
Her array of foreign and domestic action-films are as impressive as her martial arts and weapon talents. Cynthia has starred in over 60 action films and/or video productions (made for TV). Black Creek will be the FIRST feature film Cynthia Rothrock is producing where she has complete creative control of the production.
CynthiaRothrockOfficial.com
IMDb Profile
A powerful screen presence, Richard Norton wins the applause of international audiences with his engaging ability to play either the hero or the heavy. Rare versatility and focused work ethic have enabled him to build an expanding library of almost 100 film and television titles. Director Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon, Game of Death & China O’Brien) chose Norton to be one of the ensemble heroes in Force: Five, an international hit, and the young martial artist’s career in movies took off.
Richard Norton’s collaborations with Cynthia Rothrock catapulted them to a level of fame that inspired a British magazine to deem them the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of martial arts movies. The recurring partners graced the screen in two Rage and Honor movies, besides co-starring in China O’Brien and Lady Dragon, among other titles.
Taking the hits of his screen adversaries in those films earned Norton more Hong Kong work and, notably, Jackie Chan’s abiding respect. Norton has also done stunt work and fight choreography for numerous films, including Mad Max: Fury Road and Suicide Squad.
Don “The Dragon” Wilson is considered the greatest kick-boxing champion in the sport’s history. A native of South Florida, Wilson began fighting in the late 1970s. In a career which spanned 4 decades, he won 11 world kick-boxing championships, among them the IKF Title, WKA, STAR, WKC, PKO Lightheavyweight World Championships, WKA, STAR, ISKA World Cruiserweight Titles, and the WKA and STAR Super-Lightheavyweight World Championships.
Don has established himself as a hard working Hollywood action star, having starred in 30 films since his film career began in 1989. Don has never had a film that has not made a profit. He has had as many as five films released within a fourteen month period.
Kevin Sorbo is an American born actor best known for his lead role in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. He played the muscle-bound demi-god in the hit TV series that ran for 6 seasons. It became one of the highest rated syndicated television programs in the world. Sorbo also played the lead in the fantasy film ‘Kull the Conqueror’ and starred in Gene Roddenberry’s TV series, ‘Andromeda.’ He’s been in faith-based Christian movies such as ‘God’s Not Dead’ and ‘Let There Be Light.’
Billy Blanks is a multi-talented actor, martial artist, sports star, fitness guru, and inventor of the phenomenally popular “Tae Bo” fitness system, derived from his extensive martial arts training. Blanks first popped up on movie screens in the mid 1980s in tough guy parts utilizing his athletic background and grim faced looks. Films roles included Tango & Cash, Driving Force and Lionheart. In the early 1990’s Blanks scored the role of drug addicted running back “Billy Cole” in the explosive The Last Boy Scout, and further work followed often sharing lead billing in high action fares such as Talons of the Eagle, TC 2000 and Expect No Mercy.
Olivier Gruner is a French former naval commando, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, martial artist and pilot. Born in Paris, France, he moved to the United States in 1988. His career began in 1987 at the Cannes Film Festival, France, where he was discovered. He has since appeared in over 40 films and four television series and is best known for his martial art and science fiction action films. Gruner is regarded as an “action hero” due to his portrayal of Alex Raine in Nemesis, Lt. Sean Lambert in the Interceptor Force franchise (2000–2002), and of Dirk Longstreet in The Circuit franchise. He also played Caution Templar in the film Mars.
Patrick Kilpatrick is considered one of the finest screen/television character actors of his generation, playing against a spectrum of Hollywood’s leading action heroes, Patrick Kilpatrick’s entertainment career has spanned more than 170 films and television shows as lead actor, producer, screen writer, director, and global entertainment teacher- from “Minority Report” with Tom Cruise to “Dark Angel” with Jessica Alba, from the largest production in Public Broadcasting history to the Los Angeles Theater Center with John Goodman and Academy Award winning British director Tony Richardson in Shakespeare’s “Anthony and Cleopatra”. He has appeared in over 75 hit TV shows such as “24”, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” and all “CSI”.
Eliza Kelley started acting at the age of 5 when a neighbor asked her to be in a local commercial he was producing. She continued in theatre in elementary school and eventually auditioned for and was accepted to a performing arts magnet high school in Atlanta, GA. In college she chose to focus on her languages and became a martial artist. Upon returning to acting after helping build a school, Eliza quickly turned from theatre to film and TV, working on independent projects, military projects, commercials, voice-overs, and true crime re-enactments. Eliza is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, has experience with weapons, riding horses, as well as scuba diving and is fluent in German and Spanish.
Shannon C. Lanier is an award winning director, cinematographer, actor and filmmaker. Known for his award winning performance in the 2016 feature film Lotus Eyes, he has experience equal success as an award winning director/filmmaker for his original film work. His short film work (Love Between The Sheets, Heidi and Rewind) have yielded a series of Best Director, Film and Cinematography awards and special recognition for his screenplay feature film November Lies are just some of the accolades he has accumulated. Working both in front and behind the camera, Shannon has an impressive line up project slated for production in the future.
Legendary Training Session
Get 3 hours of LIVE martial arts training via Zoom with 6 legendary martial arts action stars: Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Billy Blanks, Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez, and Keith Vitali. Online LIVE Zoom class.
Included Items:
- Digital Special Edition
- Behind the Scenes Experience
- Class Replay Video Download
- 3hr LIVE Zoom Training Class
Fight Scene in the Movie!
Your face on camera and you are in a choreographed fight scene with legendary action stars. PLUS, lunch with Cynthia Rothrock and cast, a personalized directors chair, and a photo with the cast and VIP RED CARPET PREMIERE TICKETS. (You are responsible for your travel arrangements to the set and your accommodations)
Included Items:
- Digital Special Edition
- Behind the Scenes Experience
- PDF Copy of Script
- VIP Day on Set
- Photo with the Cast
- Lunch with Cast Members
- Personalized Directors Chair
- IMDb Cast Listing
- Fight Scene in the Movie
From spending a day on the set in am amazing film location, to actually being in the film itself! We have it all!
VIP Day on the Movie Set
You’re spending a VIP day on the movie production set with an amazing cast in a cool location! PLUS, you’ll get a photo with the cast … PRICELESS!!! PLUS, you’ll also receive the Digital Movie + Behind the Scenes Experience. (You are responsible for your travel arrangements to the set and your accommodations)
Included Items:
- Digital Special Edition
- Behind the Scenes Experience
- VIP Day on Set
- Photo with the Cast
- Lunch with Cast Members
Director’s On-Set Experience!
Shadow the Award Winning Director of Black Creek as a Production Assistant (PA). You will get a unique behind the scenes look at what it takes to direct, design shots, camera movements/techniques, lighting and the process of making a Hollywood action film.
Our behind-the-scenes indie filmmaking experience will offer an open, honest, no-holds-barred look into what it really takes to get an independent action film off the ground.
Whether you have a passionate love of filmmaking, are a die-hard martial arts action film fan, or just want to keep up with what Cynthia is doing, we believe this experience will bring immense value and entertainment.
Your behind-the-scenes experience includes:
Regular Production Updates – Cynthia and the team will provide regular, detailed filmed updates on the progress of the project, covering what is happening on-set and behind-the-scenes. We will share both the highs and lows of production and post-production, covering everything from storyboarding and fight choreography.
- Behind-The-Scenes Videos – We’ll have a cameraperson on set dedicated to capturing Cynthia and the team as they work. Potential material includes set building time-lapse footage, the opportunity to view select set and prep meetings, and footage of the filming process itself (don’t worry, we’ll be keeping it spoiler-free).
- Cast & Crew Interviews – We’ll be interviewing the cast and crew about their experiences on-set. Expect to hear from people performing a wide range of different roles, including camera-operators, lighting specialists, and even our composer.
- Q&As – We’ll be filming Q&As with Cynthia and the team throughout the process, providing you with a chance to hear the team answer your questions, which we’ll collect through our Black Creek community website.
- Two-way process – We will be actively engaging with the community and listening to what you want to see. If a particular element of the filming process interests everyone, we’ll try to include coverage of it.
Other Ways You Can Help!
We understand some people just can’t contribute, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help! Here’s how…
- Help get the word out and make some noise about this campaign on social media and to your friends!
- Use the Indiegogo share tools!
We have accurately portrayed our project as it stands at this point in time, however, creative projects are subject to change and ours is no exception.
By making a pledge you acknowledge that elements of the project, including but not limited to the artwork, cast, and content, is subject to change, and that the final project may differ from what is presented while the IndieGoGo campaign is active. Attached cast or crew members may change pending availability during the shoot schedule, final contract negotiations and other unforeseen events.
All backers who pledge for digital access are welcome to join our member community, where we will primarily distribute behind-the-scenes materials. Backers must conform to the community rules which govern appropriate behavior. Failure to act appropriately in the community will result in a ban.
Risks and challenges
BLACK CREEK is an ambitious project to say the least. The good news is that we are fully funded, have some of the most talented actors and martial artists EVER gracing the screen in our film, a polished kick-ass script and a detailed production budget, so that eliminates a degree of worry right away. We also have a percentage of our funding already secured, but need YOUR help in getting Black Creek to the level of production we know it needs and deserves. Some rewards may require additional paperwork (to protect us and you). Distribution is always a challenge with low-budget films, but we already have several interested distributors try to get the movie out there as widely as possible.
We can only hope that you feel as excited about this project as we do and join us to create one of the grittiest and visually stunning martial arts western action movies you have ever seen by helping get extra shooting days funded for the fight choreography. With respect to rewards fulfillment, we will be working with a professional fulfillment partner to get all your DVDs, digital downloads, and other goodies delivered safely and on schedule. Distribution schedule not finalized, but IndieGoGo backers at $25 and above will receive a digital version of the film within a few days of the theatrical premiere. Soundtrack is pending licensing agreements and may or may not be available for distribution.
I’ll be sending regular updates about our progress to all backers, so you’ll be the first to know about what’s going on.