The day has come where I am finally writing a trailer post about a film that I worked on!
I have been a fan of Julia Ling’s since watching her kick ass and torment lessor beings as Anna Wu on NBC’s Chuck
So, after watching her last episode, I sent out a simple tweet telling her the fans loved her character and that we missed her on TV.
Little did I know that would spark an incredible collaborative friendship that has ballooned into more than I could have ever dreamed.
Flash forward to a few years later, and we have worked on a veteran appreciation web-series, “Tactical Girl,” I am now an official member of her Veteran Powered Films production team, and we are proud to announce this veteran fueled short film, Tango Down.
I say veteran fueled, because not only was the crew made up of mostly veterans, but hundreds, maybe even thousands, of veterans kept us going – dare I say they were the IV slowly pumping moto-juice into our veins every night and day we wanted to just give up and quit.
I had no idea how much work was involved in making even a short film!
So to call it “my film” is a major misnomer, there were so many people behind Tango Down that I honestly can’t list them. There were people that were only there in spirit, but kept us going when it would have been so easy to quit.
We had people who drove and flew from all over the world, not just country, but all over the world like our director, Roger Christiansen who wanted to be a part of this film because he recognized something real was happening here.
Our co-lead, Ryan was busy in Europe fighting off dragons and zombies, setting himself on fire, and for fun jumping out of perfectly good planes. We are humbled he took a break from that little show across the pond to be in our film.
My co-writer and fellow Marine veteran, Andy Dorsett kept the script as authentic as possible, and anytime we needed to get the word out about Tango Down, he would come back with even more people ready to help.
By far the glue that kept this production together was our producer, Micah Haughey. Micah got a crash course lesson in what it is like working with a bunch of veterans who have no film experience but a lot of heart and drive.
Take a look at all the people behind this project, and you will see what I mean by how amazing this experience was . . . and still is. I hesitated to write this post for so long, because I honestly didn’t think anything I wrote would suffice as a thank you for their service.
We started out with a simple idea, and it blew up into something fantastic.
Even if the film doesn’t shatter anyone’s soul or reach them like I have hoped, the experience of working with such passionate people will never be taken away from me.
And I have incredible news, you can finally see Tango Down on the big screen! We just got accepted into our first, of no doubt many soon to come, film festivals.
I wanted to thank Blackbird Anthem for letting us use their music in Tango Down, and we are actually working with them to produce a powerful music video that will be a solemn dedication to the fallen warriors who will never walk with us again.
And then there was this departed Drill Instructor deity who challenged us to “do it right”
We need to listen to our veterans and understand where they are coming from. We need to thank them for their sacrifices, and their families’ sacrifices, and remember that they are never alone in this plight.
We are all in this together, and together we will all come through to the end.
Synopsis: Tango Down tells the story of Sam (Julia Ling) and Russell (Ryan Stuart), two Marines in Afghanistan who are challenged by a choice that is made in a split second that will forever impact their lives and their bond. The story is a reminder that not everyone chooses the right path for the right reasons, and sometimes the wrong path is set in stone, because you made the right choice.
