 Courtesy of Shooting Star Productions Max hires: A sample poster of "Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon."
TO THE POINT
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The motion picture "Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon," could create more than 300 jobs for Guam residents, film director Albert Pyun said.
Pyun arrived on island Thursday to begin work on the film, which will start shooting May 3. Cast and crew are scheduled to arrive at the end of this month.
Pyun and locally hired co-producer/unit manager Carlos Barretto were at the Agency for Human Resources Development Friday afternoon to meet with agency Deputy Director Joe R. San Agustin. San Agustin said the agency's goal is to meet the film's labor needs while providing jobs for the agency's clients.
A job fair will be held for the film, although Pyun said there are no details at this early stage of planning.
"We'll hire everybody in each department of the picture. All the categories will be covered," he said. "Camera, grip, electrical, makeup, wardrobe, art department -- every single department on the picture."
Two more films
A second "Max Havoc" film will be shot on Guam later this year, Pyun said, and a third film -- the title of which has not been released -- will be shot on island early next year.
Pyun said the goal is to bring in fewer people to work on the next two films, using local labor instead. "Curse of the Dragon" will help establish a base of skilled entertainment-industry labor on Guam, he said.
About 40 people are being flown in to work on the current film, Pyun said, and the goal is to bring in as few as five people by the time the third film is ready to be shot next February.
Sponsorship
Local sponsorship has been critical to the project, Pyun said.
"You couldn't do the movies here. The distance that Guam is away from any film center makes it almost impossible without the support of the hotels and the airlines and everybody," the director said.
Sponsors are providing discount air fare, hotel rooms, automobiles and beverages, among other things, he said.
"What's great about it is everybody is doing it not to promote their businesses, but to promote Guam and to help Guam. Time and time again, that's what they've all said is their motivation to do it."
When asked whether the film is seeking additional sponsors, Pyun said, "We still have a couple of areas that we are looking to identify. One of the biggest areas we still haven't locked down is lumber/hardware."
Pyun said film sets are easy to find in Los Angeles but must be built from scratch here.
Production
Independent distributor Rigel USA established the Guam Motion Picture Company, with the help of the Guam Economic Development and Commerce Authority, to shoot and distribute the films.
Local production company Shooting Star Productions will handle casting and will coordinate shooting locations.
The first film is about a former extreme fighter and will feature European actor Mickey Hardt, American actress Carmen Electra, Taiwanese actress Qi-Shu and American rapper "Fat Joe."