Race (animated film)
Encyclopedia
Race is an independent computer animated sci-fi action film, produced by Hyper Image, a post production and animation studio located in Glendale, California
. Written by Rhonda Smiley and directed by Robert Brousseau, it stars James Hereth, Kevin Lewis, Russel Perryman, Jane Roberts, Terry Diab, Bill Mendieta, H.L. Cannon, J.J. Song, and Benita Marti.
It was first completed and screened for audiences at numerous film festivals in 2007, including the Winnipeg International Film Festival in Canada, the da Vinci Film Festival in Oregon, Philadelphia’s Big Bang Film Festival, Another Hole in the Head Film Festival in San Francisco, and Southern California’s FAIFF International Film Festival.
Following a pay-per-view run for RHI Entertainment
in early 2010, the film was released on DVD by Phase 4 Films
in Canada on May 18 and in the United States on May 25, 2010. It hit the US TV movie channels with a premiere on the Showtime Networks
on October 14, 2010.
The film is 99 minutes long and is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some suggestive images and action violence.
A victim of corporate betrayal, Team Earth manager Potter (Russel Perryman) still carries deep emotional scars from a long-ago catastrophic crash and has vowed to win again - without the aid of sponsorship. His rag tag crew consists of the only three people he trusts; himself, hardheaded driver, Trance Caldron (James Hereth) and mechanic, Stash (Jane Roberts).
At the same time, Planet Tagmatia’s charismatic leader, Lord Helter (Kevin Lewis), is secretly making preparations for a massive military strike against the peacekeeping Alliance leadership, utilizing his planet’s racing team as a convenient way to mask his nefarious machinations
That is, until Team Earth inadvertently stumbles upon his plan when they discover the Tagmatians smuggling military Shocktrooper robots through the Jumpgates, the strategically vital shortcuts through space.
Without help or proof of the plot, Team Earth becomes hunted prey for the war mongering Tagmatians. Potter's dream of winning the Star Car 5000 is fading as fast as his resources.
With a pair of adversarial energy beings (Terry Diab) and a duplicitous Alliance Chancellor (H.L. Cannon) complicating the proceedings, the situation turns more and more treacherous with each tick of the speedometer.
Ultimately, the prestigious Star Car Championship becomes a mach speed backdrop for a deadly cat and mouse game, with the fate of the universe hanging in the balance. Team Earth must push their car, their team, and themselves to the limit just to survive.
In a race between good and evil… Winning is everything.
for Sony, when they decided to tackle their own in-house feature.
When initial investors dropped out near the end of pre-production, the company decided to keep moving forward, self-financing the project and devoting whatever time and resources they could while continuing to function as a full-time post production house for outside clients.
According to director, Robert Brousseau, "We pared our staff down to about 4-5 full time employees and continued to work on the movie as a side project. I would say that 85% of the animation on the film was done by two individuals."
As a result, a production that was intended to last a couple of years stretched out to more than six. With limited funding and an expanding schedule, the ability to incorporate new technology as it became available proved impossible. "The length of time to update the assets would have taken 2 years to complete," said Brousseau. "We couldn’t chase technology we had to push what we had. That was our goal.
The film was completed and mastered in late 2006 and hit the festival circuit the following year. Unfortunately, the struggle continued as Hyper Image battled to find "Race" a spot in the marketplace. Ultimately, it would take another three years for "Race" to finally find direct-to-video distribution through Phase 4 Films
.
“Typically, when looking to acquire a film, we want something that’s gonna work… [We] work with the sales team to identify what kind of genres work for us,” said Jennifer Ansley, vice president of marketing for Phase 4 Films.
Promotion and marketing for the independent movie was largely done online, with write-ups and reviews on websites like Ain't It Cool News
, CraveOnline
, and Forever Geek.
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. Written by Rhonda Smiley and directed by Robert Brousseau, it stars James Hereth, Kevin Lewis, Russel Perryman, Jane Roberts, Terry Diab, Bill Mendieta, H.L. Cannon, J.J. Song, and Benita Marti.
It was first completed and screened for audiences at numerous film festivals in 2007, including the Winnipeg International Film Festival in Canada, the da Vinci Film Festival in Oregon, Philadelphia’s Big Bang Film Festival, Another Hole in the Head Film Festival in San Francisco, and Southern California’s FAIFF International Film Festival.
Following a pay-per-view run for RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment , formerly known as Hallmark Entertainment, is an American producer of television movies and miniseries, founded in 1979 by Robert Halmi Jr. and Robert Halmi Sr. as Robert Halmi Incorporated....
in early 2010, the film was released on DVD by Phase 4 Films
Phase 4 Films
Phase 4 Films is a Canadian film distribution company.Founded in 1996 as Telegenic Entertainment, the Company was then renamed KaBOOM! Entertainment in 2000. In 2006 kaBOOM! Entertainment Inc. was sold to Peace Arch Entertainment Group and was subsequently renamed Peace Arch Home Entertainment,...
in Canada on May 18 and in the United States on May 25, 2010. It hit the US TV movie channels with a premiere on the Showtime Networks
Showtime Networks
Showtime Networks, Inc. is the corporate division of media conglomerate CBS Corporation.The company was established in 1983 as Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. after Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment merged their premium channels, Showtime and The Movie Channel respectively, into one...
on October 14, 2010.
The film is 99 minutes long and is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for some suggestive images and action violence.
Plot
Far in the future, the interplanetary Alliance staves off threats of war by establishing the high energy Star Car 5000 racing circuit, thereby allowing potential enemies to act out their aggressions on the racecourse. The drivers become celebrities revered everywhere, but ruthlessness rules and the stakes grow ever higher.A victim of corporate betrayal, Team Earth manager Potter (Russel Perryman) still carries deep emotional scars from a long-ago catastrophic crash and has vowed to win again - without the aid of sponsorship. His rag tag crew consists of the only three people he trusts; himself, hardheaded driver, Trance Caldron (James Hereth) and mechanic, Stash (Jane Roberts).
At the same time, Planet Tagmatia’s charismatic leader, Lord Helter (Kevin Lewis), is secretly making preparations for a massive military strike against the peacekeeping Alliance leadership, utilizing his planet’s racing team as a convenient way to mask his nefarious machinations
That is, until Team Earth inadvertently stumbles upon his plan when they discover the Tagmatians smuggling military Shocktrooper robots through the Jumpgates, the strategically vital shortcuts through space.
Without help or proof of the plot, Team Earth becomes hunted prey for the war mongering Tagmatians. Potter's dream of winning the Star Car 5000 is fading as fast as his resources.
With a pair of adversarial energy beings (Terry Diab) and a duplicitous Alliance Chancellor (H.L. Cannon) complicating the proceedings, the situation turns more and more treacherous with each tick of the speedometer.
Ultimately, the prestigious Star Car Championship becomes a mach speed backdrop for a deadly cat and mouse game, with the fate of the universe hanging in the balance. Team Earth must push their car, their team, and themselves to the limit just to survive.
In a race between good and evil… Winning is everything.
Cast
- James Hereth as Trance Caldron / Bradford / Commander Chad
- Kevin Lewis as Lord Helter
- Russel Perryman as Samuel Potter
- Jane Roberts as Stash
- Terry Diab as Sola / Drayka
- Bill Mendieta as Frikes / Gortak
- H.L. Cannon as Chancellor Nedon / Partak
- J.J. Song as Chenti
- Benita Marti as T.E.S. Computer
Production
Back in early 2000, Hyper Image had just completed animation work on Roughnecks: Starship Troopers ChroniclesRoughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles was a CGI animated television series based on both the novel by Robert A. Heinlein and the 1997 film adaptation directed by Paul Verhoeven...
for Sony, when they decided to tackle their own in-house feature.
When initial investors dropped out near the end of pre-production, the company decided to keep moving forward, self-financing the project and devoting whatever time and resources they could while continuing to function as a full-time post production house for outside clients.
According to director, Robert Brousseau, "We pared our staff down to about 4-5 full time employees and continued to work on the movie as a side project. I would say that 85% of the animation on the film was done by two individuals."
As a result, a production that was intended to last a couple of years stretched out to more than six. With limited funding and an expanding schedule, the ability to incorporate new technology as it became available proved impossible. "The length of time to update the assets would have taken 2 years to complete," said Brousseau. "We couldn’t chase technology we had to push what we had. That was our goal.
The film was completed and mastered in late 2006 and hit the festival circuit the following year. Unfortunately, the struggle continued as Hyper Image battled to find "Race" a spot in the marketplace. Ultimately, it would take another three years for "Race" to finally find direct-to-video distribution through Phase 4 Films
Phase 4 Films
Phase 4 Films is a Canadian film distribution company.Founded in 1996 as Telegenic Entertainment, the Company was then renamed KaBOOM! Entertainment in 2000. In 2006 kaBOOM! Entertainment Inc. was sold to Peace Arch Entertainment Group and was subsequently renamed Peace Arch Home Entertainment,...
.
“Typically, when looking to acquire a film, we want something that’s gonna work… [We] work with the sales team to identify what kind of genres work for us,” said Jennifer Ansley, vice president of marketing for Phase 4 Films.
Promotion and marketing for the independent movie was largely done online, with write-ups and reviews on websites like Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
, CraveOnline
CraveOnline
CraveOnline is a male lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company AtomicOnline, the publishing division of Evolve Media Corp.- History :...
, and Forever Geek.