Press Release
Local filmmaker’s ‘Impossible’ Mission!
Yetis, falling cars, explosions and riding stables are just some of the unusual features of a striking new dance/ action video designed to raise money for a good cause. What was intended as a short video clip by a staff member of The Forest School has ended up as a veritable action movie, involving family and friends, and a wide range of locations across Berkshire. The film takes the popular Gangnam style and develops it a whole lot further!
Raa Marchant is Site Manager at The Forest School, a boys’ secondary school in Wokingham. The students and staff are used to seeing him in casual clothes, making repairs and moving equipment and furniture around the school. Those that know him better may also be aware that he is an expert in martial arts and a practitioner of parkour, and a small number have seen video clips of him using only his body and surroundings to propel himself quickly across buildings.
Late last year, Raa decided to put his talents to the test and raise money for a worthy special school. Raa’s son Brennan (aged 15) has special needs, and has attended St Dominic’s School in Godalming in Surrey for the last 2 years. He loves being there and it has helped him to develop into a fun-loving teenager. To give something back to the school, Raa decided to produce a short video clip, based on Gangnam Style, a pop single and dance made popular by the South Korean rapper PSY.
However, nothing that Raa does is simple and his ideas for the story grew and grew so until he had enough for a major production. Local organisations, from swimming pools to car parks and riding stables were persuaded to provide a series of shooting locations all for free. Friends and family also rallied round, with many appearing in the video. The most sensitive part for Raa was acting and dancing closely with his wife’s best friend. She and a number of friends gave up a lot of time to help develop the plot and star in the video.
Five months down the line, having invested a lot of his own money in the production, and even taken out liability insurance, he has his own short action movie! Raa said “I really wanted to give something back to St Dominic’s because my son has enjoyed his time so much there, and the staff have been really good with him.
When I first started this project, I thought we would do just a couple of minutes videoing the Gangnam dance, but I suppose you could say that things got out of hand! I’ve spent nearly every weekend for months producing and editing the final result. I’m blown away by how friends and family and local organisations helped me by providing equipment or locations to film at.”
The film features a dream sequence and ‘mission impossible’. No animals or people were hurt in the making of it (except for Raa’s pride!). Having seen the first screening of the film, Keith Quine, Headteacher of The Forest, is fully supportive of Raa’s fundraising efforts, and colleagues are starting to see him in a new light.
All we can say is watch the video and outtakes for yourself! Those who want to support Raa and help his fundraising efforts can do so at http://gogetfunding.com/project/gangnam-raa-style. Follow the link under rsmarchant to the film itself.
Yetis, falling cars, explosions and riding stables are just some of the unusual features of a striking new dance/ action video designed to raise money for a good cause. What was intended as a short video clip by a staff member of The Forest School has ended up as a veritable action movie, involving family and friends, and a wide range of locations across Berkshire. The film takes the popular Gangnam style and develops it a whole lot further!
Raa Marchant is Site Manager at The Forest School, a boys’ secondary school in Wokingham. The students and staff are used to seeing him in casual clothes, making repairs and moving equipment and furniture around the school. Those that know him better may also be aware that he is an expert in martial arts and a practitioner of parkour, and a small number have seen video clips of him using only his body and surroundings to propel himself quickly across buildings.
Late last year, Raa decided to put his talents to the test and raise money for a worthy special school. Raa’s son Brennan (aged 15) has special needs, and has attended St Dominic’s School in Godalming in Surrey for the last 2 years. He loves being there and it has helped him to develop into a fun-loving teenager. To give something back to the school, Raa decided to produce a short video clip, based on Gangnam Style, a pop single and dance made popular by the South Korean rapper PSY.
However, nothing that Raa does is simple and his ideas for the story grew and grew so until he had enough for a major production. Local organisations, from swimming pools to car parks and riding stables were persuaded to provide a series of shooting locations all for free. Friends and family also rallied round, with many appearing in the video. The most sensitive part for Raa was acting and dancing closely with his wife’s best friend. She and a number of friends gave up a lot of time to help develop the plot and star in the video.
Five months down the line, having invested a lot of his own money in the production, and even taken out liability insurance, he has his own short action movie! Raa said “I really wanted to give something back to St Dominic’s because my son has enjoyed his time so much there, and the staff have been really good with him.
When I first started this project, I thought we would do just a couple of minutes videoing the Gangnam dance, but I suppose you could say that things got out of hand! I’ve spent nearly every weekend for months producing and editing the final result. I’m blown away by how friends and family and local organisations helped me by providing equipment or locations to film at.”
The film features a dream sequence and ‘mission impossible’. No animals or people were hurt in the making of it (except for Raa’s pride!). Having seen the first screening of the film, Keith Quine, Headteacher of The Forest, is fully supportive of Raa’s fundraising efforts, and colleagues are starting to see him in a new light.
All we can say is watch the video and outtakes for yourself! Those who want to support Raa and help his fundraising efforts can do so at http://gogetfunding.com/project/gangnam-raa-style. Follow the link under rsmarchant to the film itself.
