Tales From Shaolin is the first original series developed by 1193 Productions LLC. Weaving together the solo works of Wu Tang Clan members with pop-cultural influences ranging from 70s grindhouse cinema to modern video games, Tales From Shaolin constructs a unique, shared narrative universe out of urban culture. Kung fu flicks and hip-hop, anime and street crime – this genre-spanning pair of trilogies will be a fun and unpredictable medley of artistic influences from a variety of media!
The first half of the project, the “Tarantino Trilogy“, opens with “Shakey Dog” – the tale of a drug stick-up gone wildly wrong! Combining Blaxploitation cinema with John Woo-style gunplay, “Shakey Dog” will keep you riveted until its explosive finale! Using a highly-regarded Ghostface Killah song as a template, the short film approaches the works of the Wuas one would a modern-day reproduction of Shakespeare. While those familiar with the song may be prepared for the violent turn the narrative takes in the 3rd Act, everyone else will be in for a white-knuckled surprise!
So buckle up one time! Fasten your seat belts!
As of today, “Shakey Dog” is about 80% complete. The first two acts are in the can, with post-production on them near completion. All that remains is the grand finale – an apartment shootout worthy of the artists Tales From Shaolin draw inspiration from! We have the entire sequence storyboarded, budgeted, and ready to shoot – all we need is the financing.
We have researched and detailed two separate budgets – one on the low end that will allow us to finish the project without sacrificing quality, and one that will allow us to fully keep to our original vision. The scene will be complex, requiring a stunt coordinator, particle effects, soundstage construction, animal trainers, gun work, and more, as well as extensive time in post-production. The more funding we raise through this campaign, the bigger we can go with the grand finale, with any additional funding going back into polish for the finished product.
Another issue that will be handled through this crowdfunding campaign will be one of clearance. While our research and legal council has us confident that Tales From Shaolinconstitutes Fair Use, we would still like pursue full clearance for the lyrics of the Ghostfacesong referenced, as well as possibly obtaining the blessing of The Wu Tang Clan and its various members. While this process is already underway, it is both time consuming and arduous to undertake without dedicated assistance, and such assistance won’t come for free. Also, while the nature of the project would most likely keep clearance relatively inexpensive, any sum asked of us would necessitate crowdfunding to obtain. However, clearance would allow us greater flexibility in terms of where and how we can distribute the project, and hopefully insure further installments in the series.