Producer Jacqueline Quella with Mark Wooding Co producer and Joey Ansah Director and writer.
Today we have the pleasure of interviewing Oscar Nominated film producer Jacqueline Quella which is producing Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist and before we begin I would personally like to thank her on behalf of the UG411 Team for taking time out of her schedule so this could all be possible.
UG411 - To start tell us a little about your self for those readers that might not know who you are and your past work as a producer…
I’m an independent movie producer, credited with over 15 movies and several documentaries including the Oscar Nominated 'Don't Tell' and 'Romanzo Criminale' which received a 2006 European Film Academy Nomination.
I started by training as an actress, ran several theatre companies before moving into film and television and won a number of theatre awards including an 'Ingenuity Award' in association with the Royal National Theatre for the first 'virtual reality' play staged in the UK. I also launched the first web cast from the Edinburgh Festival in association with Apple. This early experience of all things web and interactive has been key in shaping my thinking about the distribution of 'Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist'.
UG411 - Now that the readers know a little more about you, what would you say attracted you to this project being as it is based on a video game and knowing the difficulty of pleasing from non gamers to gamers alike ?
Jacqueline Quella - Having been involved with the internet from it’s early years I recognised that the internet provided a channel to reach a significant audience that the traditional movie studio industry ignored as 'too small or too specialist'.
'Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist' is the culmination of that vision, a movie directed very strongly at the video game playing audience, and that can be true to the ethos of Capcom's classic video game, because we are not under pressure to 'put bums on seats' in cinemas by making the production a 'suitable for everyone' compromise.
I would also say that it was the passion and energy of Joey Ansah that attracted me to this project, and then when Joey introduced me to his writing partner Christian Howard (who also plays Ken) I knew there was huge potential to produce a version of Street Fighter that had real integrity. Not only are they both massive fans of the game but it was clear they had strong creative talent and vision. This in turn attracted like minded people to the project, people with real drive, commitment and generosity. We had built a team that most Producers can only dream of.
UG411 - What would you say it is like committing to a project like this and might you say of any similarities between SFAF and your past work such as Bob the Butler, ReDirected, and or the Tool box Murders.
Jacqueline Quella - Raising finance for any film project is always a difficult task. One might have expected that given that Street Fighter has such a high profile raising the money would be easy. In one sense it was, but it always came with strings attached such as 'I think we should cast [name of big star]' or 'we need more love interest'. Creative compromises that would have taken it away from the ethos of the game.
For those who were perhaps not looking for a 'one size fits all' solution they struggled to understand the distribution idea. They couldn’t get their heads around the distribution strategy of going out on the web first rather than going out in cinemas
The other problem was that people assumed that if it was shown on the web it couldn’t have the quality of a feature film. I believe that we have have achieved a completely cinematic look and feel to this production. Not only that, but we’ve achieved this on a modest budget.
UG411 - Knowing how busy your schedule must be, do you play video games on your free time and if yes which would you say are your favorite?
Jacqueline Quella - When I was a kid back in the 1970’s I remember playing one of the first computer games…. Pong! A two-dimensional 'bat and ball' game that simulates table tennis. Then of course Space Invaders came along and I spent many happy hours consistently being the player with the lowest score. I'm afraid my hand to eye co-ordination has never cut me out to be a superstar of the gaming arena.
Of course for the last five years I’ve been completely immersed in the Street Fighter Universe so it has to be at the top my favourite games list! Joey and Christian have demonstrated lots of moves for me…. but sadly I have to admit that I lack co-ordination.
With that said I'm probably one of the few people who has done a real 'Shoryuken' when we were filming on set!
UG411 - Have you ever played street fighter or seen any of the animated movies? And if you have who would you say is your favorite character and what attracts you to the story?
Jacqueline Quella - I loved the animated movies especially Alpha Generations. I guess my favourite character is Ryu. He lives for the fight and travels the world following the path that leads to becoming a true martial artist. However he he only searches for opponents stronger than himself, following the path towards becoming, "a true martial artist.” True strength comes from the battle.
Having succeed against the odds to bring 'Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist' to the screen…. I can empathise with Ryu. I’m certainly stronger now!
UG411 - Seeing as machinima has brought the world a great Mortal Kombat series what can you say are the challenges that have arisen for everyone including yourself when it comes to SFAF?
Jacqueline Quella - Apart from raising the finance, the major challenge was finding the right cast. Not only did they need to look like the iconic characters they needed to be able to fight and act. Thank goodness we didn’t have to make Street Fighter the Musical!
The actors all followed a rigorous diet and training regime to be the physically at their peak for the series. I really admired their dedication and resolve. Even when exhausted by a 12 hour shoot, they would still do a daily work out at the gym. A very special mention should go to Togo Igawa who plays Goutetsu. He has the energy and stamina of someone a quarter of his age!
UG411 - Where do you see the SFAF series going and what would be the chances of it turning into something bigger such as full length film or a tv series being picked up?
Jacqueline Quella - It would be great to be able to produce a 'Street Fighter: World Warrior' series and bring to life more of the characters that the fans love so much. Watch this space...
What we’ve made here is a TV series and a Feature length Movie all in one. What is unique about SFAF is that it is the first piece of content designed to work and exist in multiple different formats: 12 part webseries, 6 part TV mini series, 105min TV movie and a 2 hour+ Theatrical cut movie on DVD and Blu-ray. What happenes beyond this is a case of us deciding what format(s) a sequel would be on.
UG411 - What can everyone expect from the SFAF series? And are there any special secret surprises being held ..? And will we see more characters from the game have an appearance in the series and if yes could you tells us at least one …?
Jacqueline Quella - Rest assured there are surprises… but if I told you I'd have to 'Hadoken' you!!
UG411 - When can we expect to see another trailer for SFAF?
Jacqueline Quella - Keep looking at our FaceBook page (www.facebook.com/streetfighteraf) we keep the news pretty up to date.
UG411 - For all the future producers reading, do you have any suggestions or thoughts for them?
Jacqueline Quella - The media business (and I deliberately use this term as opposed to the film business) is rapidly and continually changing. The best advice I can give Producers and Financiers is not to become entrenched in the old way of doing things and learn to adapt. Surround yourself with good people who have passion and whom you can trust. We had an amazing team who all worked tirelessly. I don’t know how I would have managed without the diligence and attention to detail that my Co-producer, Mark Wooding provided.
UG411 - Final but not the least of questions are there Any final thoughts for our readers anything you would like them to know about any future projects you have coming, or any words of wisdom?
Jacqueline Quella - My greatest wish is that games companies out there will recognise the hard work and dedication that has gone into creating this and if they want authenticity and a team who will go the extra mile, then please use my wonderfully talented team.
Above all… if you are embarking on a project, and are making your dream come true (as Joey and Chris have done), keep the faith and find yourself a good (if probably mad) Hatter. A Producer wears out a lot of hats!
UG411 - I don't think that could be said any better than that and on this great note we would like to thank you for taking from you time so this could happen, but thats not all my fellow readers before we end this great interview we would like to leave you with this awesome picture of the one and only Jacqueline Quella doing the great Shoruyken! Stay Up to date on everything Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist by Following and Liking the face book page https://www.facebook.com/streetfighterAF and also Twitter page https://twitter.com/SFAFofficial .
UG411 - To start tell us a little about your self for those readers that might not know who you are and your past work as a producer…
I’m an independent movie producer, credited with over 15 movies and several documentaries including the Oscar Nominated 'Don't Tell' and 'Romanzo Criminale' which received a 2006 European Film Academy Nomination.
I started by training as an actress, ran several theatre companies before moving into film and television and won a number of theatre awards including an 'Ingenuity Award' in association with the Royal National Theatre for the first 'virtual reality' play staged in the UK. I also launched the first web cast from the Edinburgh Festival in association with Apple. This early experience of all things web and interactive has been key in shaping my thinking about the distribution of 'Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist'.
UG411 - Now that the readers know a little more about you, what would you say attracted you to this project being as it is based on a video game and knowing the difficulty of pleasing from non gamers to gamers alike ?
Jacqueline Quella - Having been involved with the internet from it’s early years I recognised that the internet provided a channel to reach a significant audience that the traditional movie studio industry ignored as 'too small or too specialist'.
'Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist' is the culmination of that vision, a movie directed very strongly at the video game playing audience, and that can be true to the ethos of Capcom's classic video game, because we are not under pressure to 'put bums on seats' in cinemas by making the production a 'suitable for everyone' compromise.
I would also say that it was the passion and energy of Joey Ansah that attracted me to this project, and then when Joey introduced me to his writing partner Christian Howard (who also plays Ken) I knew there was huge potential to produce a version of Street Fighter that had real integrity. Not only are they both massive fans of the game but it was clear they had strong creative talent and vision. This in turn attracted like minded people to the project, people with real drive, commitment and generosity. We had built a team that most Producers can only dream of.
UG411 - What would you say it is like committing to a project like this and might you say of any similarities between SFAF and your past work such as Bob the Butler, ReDirected, and or the Tool box Murders.
Jacqueline Quella - Raising finance for any film project is always a difficult task. One might have expected that given that Street Fighter has such a high profile raising the money would be easy. In one sense it was, but it always came with strings attached such as 'I think we should cast [name of big star]' or 'we need more love interest'. Creative compromises that would have taken it away from the ethos of the game.
For those who were perhaps not looking for a 'one size fits all' solution they struggled to understand the distribution idea. They couldn’t get their heads around the distribution strategy of going out on the web first rather than going out in cinemas
The other problem was that people assumed that if it was shown on the web it couldn’t have the quality of a feature film. I believe that we have have achieved a completely cinematic look and feel to this production. Not only that, but we’ve achieved this on a modest budget.
UG411 - Knowing how busy your schedule must be, do you play video games on your free time and if yes which would you say are your favorite?
Jacqueline Quella - When I was a kid back in the 1970’s I remember playing one of the first computer games…. Pong! A two-dimensional 'bat and ball' game that simulates table tennis. Then of course Space Invaders came along and I spent many happy hours consistently being the player with the lowest score. I'm afraid my hand to eye co-ordination has never cut me out to be a superstar of the gaming arena.
Of course for the last five years I’ve been completely immersed in the Street Fighter Universe so it has to be at the top my favourite games list! Joey and Christian have demonstrated lots of moves for me…. but sadly I have to admit that I lack co-ordination.
With that said I'm probably one of the few people who has done a real 'Shoryuken' when we were filming on set!
UG411 - Have you ever played street fighter or seen any of the animated movies? And if you have who would you say is your favorite character and what attracts you to the story?
Jacqueline Quella - I loved the animated movies especially Alpha Generations. I guess my favourite character is Ryu. He lives for the fight and travels the world following the path that leads to becoming a true martial artist. However he he only searches for opponents stronger than himself, following the path towards becoming, "a true martial artist.” True strength comes from the battle.
Having succeed against the odds to bring 'Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist' to the screen…. I can empathise with Ryu. I’m certainly stronger now!
UG411 - Seeing as machinima has brought the world a great Mortal Kombat series what can you say are the challenges that have arisen for everyone including yourself when it comes to SFAF?
Jacqueline Quella - Apart from raising the finance, the major challenge was finding the right cast. Not only did they need to look like the iconic characters they needed to be able to fight and act. Thank goodness we didn’t have to make Street Fighter the Musical!
The actors all followed a rigorous diet and training regime to be the physically at their peak for the series. I really admired their dedication and resolve. Even when exhausted by a 12 hour shoot, they would still do a daily work out at the gym. A very special mention should go to Togo Igawa who plays Goutetsu. He has the energy and stamina of someone a quarter of his age!
UG411 - Where do you see the SFAF series going and what would be the chances of it turning into something bigger such as full length film or a tv series being picked up?
Jacqueline Quella - It would be great to be able to produce a 'Street Fighter: World Warrior' series and bring to life more of the characters that the fans love so much. Watch this space...
What we’ve made here is a TV series and a Feature length Movie all in one. What is unique about SFAF is that it is the first piece of content designed to work and exist in multiple different formats: 12 part webseries, 6 part TV mini series, 105min TV movie and a 2 hour+ Theatrical cut movie on DVD and Blu-ray. What happenes beyond this is a case of us deciding what format(s) a sequel would be on.
UG411 - What can everyone expect from the SFAF series? And are there any special secret surprises being held ..? And will we see more characters from the game have an appearance in the series and if yes could you tells us at least one …?
Jacqueline Quella - Rest assured there are surprises… but if I told you I'd have to 'Hadoken' you!!
UG411 - When can we expect to see another trailer for SFAF?
Jacqueline Quella - Keep looking at our FaceBook page (www.facebook.com/streetfighteraf) we keep the news pretty up to date.
UG411 - For all the future producers reading, do you have any suggestions or thoughts for them?
Jacqueline Quella - The media business (and I deliberately use this term as opposed to the film business) is rapidly and continually changing. The best advice I can give Producers and Financiers is not to become entrenched in the old way of doing things and learn to adapt. Surround yourself with good people who have passion and whom you can trust. We had an amazing team who all worked tirelessly. I don’t know how I would have managed without the diligence and attention to detail that my Co-producer, Mark Wooding provided.
UG411 - Final but not the least of questions are there Any final thoughts for our readers anything you would like them to know about any future projects you have coming, or any words of wisdom?
Jacqueline Quella - My greatest wish is that games companies out there will recognise the hard work and dedication that has gone into creating this and if they want authenticity and a team who will go the extra mile, then please use my wonderfully talented team.
Above all… if you are embarking on a project, and are making your dream come true (as Joey and Chris have done), keep the faith and find yourself a good (if probably mad) Hatter. A Producer wears out a lot of hats!
UG411 - I don't think that could be said any better than that and on this great note we would like to thank you for taking from you time so this could happen, but thats not all my fellow readers before we end this great interview we would like to leave you with this awesome picture of the one and only Jacqueline Quella doing the great Shoruyken! Stay Up to date on everything Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist by Following and Liking the face book page https://www.facebook.com/streetfighterAF and also Twitter page https://twitter.com/SFAFofficial .
Interviewed done by Jonathan Irizarry. 04/24/14