UFC Legend Shonie Carter Teams with Actors to Create CHARGER
Nov 21, 2015 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- UFC Legend Shonie
Carter Teams with Actors to Create CHARGER: a Feminist, Five
Minute, Single Tracking Shot Action Film
Chicago-based group led by local actor and filmmaker brings in heavy-hitting talent to tell an action story with a feminist bent, using the same tracking shot technique that helped True Detective and Daredevil grab the attention of audiences everywhere. Film will premiere locally in Chicago on November 23rd, and on YouTube later that night.
CHICAGO, IL. - Nov. 16, 2015 - Actors often have a hard time of
cutting through the noise in the media space to make a name for
themselves. Chicago actor Zach Livingston decided to go the same
route as so many others and create his own content – but what kind
of story, and what kind of format, can audiences connect with when
they’re presented with so many options? For Livingston, the answer
was creating CHARGER.
“I wanted to tell a story that appears, on the face of it, to be a standard male-centric action tale, but turns out to be something altogether different – something that shows female characters with agency, who aren’t sidekicks and who have a real impact on the plot. Rather than just showcasing myself and my team, I wanted to highlight an issue that I’m passionate about while creating a fun story that hopefully people can really connect with, especially with the increased prominence of women in film and women’s MMA.”
“Shonie had worked as a featured extra on a few projects that shot here, like Divergent. I knew him as an instructor and fighter at my gym and thought he’d be perfect for this. He’s a gifted fighter and athlete with a long and storied career, and he was looking at transitioning into performing. I wanted to give him an opportunity to really shine and show all that in his performance, which he did in a big way.”
Livingston has also been at a desk job for most of his 7 years in Chicago, working most recently at a digital media agency with a strong social media practice. He was able to parlay this into a full blown social media presence for the film with thousands of followers, despite having little directing experience and no track record of producing anything of note. Having a 9-5 job made things difficult in terms of having the time to work on the project, but the steady income made pre-production possible – along with a successful crowdfunding campaign and significant infusions of professional grade equipment from local gear rental company Magnanimous Media, who brought along a behind-the-scenes team to capture the unique and grueling shoot.
The film is captured all in one tracking shot using a steadicam rig, and there no cuts, edits, or Birdman-style tricks to give the appearance of a single shot. This necessitated a long rehearsal process and careful selection of performers who would have the stamina and resilience to keep running a 5 minute fight scene until it was perfect, then run it as many times as needed to get the shot that ended up being the basis of the film. In this case, that was take 6, filmed late in the second day of a two day shoot.
The recently completed film will be submitted to film festivals around the world, but audiences can also attend the premiere, which is open to the public. CHARGER will premiere at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago on November 23rd at 7:30PM. The program will include other shorts as well as live performances. Tickets are available at http://chargerpremiere.brownpapertickets.com, Unique to this kind of release, CHARGER will also be available on YouTube later that evening, but audiences are definitely encouraged to view it on the big screen first. It might be a short film, but it’s a big story.
Audiences can find out more at chargerfilm.com, @chargerfilm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the “Sweet Left Hook” YouTube channel, which will host the film after it is released. The 30 second teaser is available now on the YouTube channel at
Chicago-based group led by local actor and filmmaker brings in heavy-hitting talent to tell an action story with a feminist bent, using the same tracking shot technique that helped True Detective and Daredevil grab the attention of audiences everywhere. Film will premiere locally in Chicago on November 23rd, and on YouTube later that night.
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“I wanted to tell a story that appears, on the face of it, to be a standard male-centric action tale, but turns out to be something altogether different – something that shows female characters with agency, who aren’t sidekicks and who have a real impact on the plot. Rather than just showcasing myself and my team, I wanted to highlight an issue that I’m passionate about while creating a fun story that hopefully people can really connect with, especially with the increased prominence of women in film and women’s MMA.”
Director, producer, writer and star Livingston comes from a
background of acting for stage and film, martial arts, stage
combat, and stunt training. Having connections in all these
communities within Chicago made him ideally placed to build a dream
team of unknown talent in front of the camera and behind the
scenes. Chief among these is Shonie
Carter, a former UFC welterweight fighter who now teaches mixed
martial arts at Chicago Fitness Center.
“Shonie had worked as a featured extra on a few projects that shot here, like Divergent. I knew him as an instructor and fighter at my gym and thought he’d be perfect for this. He’s a gifted fighter and athlete with a long and storied career, and he was looking at transitioning into performing. I wanted to give him an opportunity to really shine and show all that in his performance, which he did in a big way.”
Livingston has also been at a desk job for most of his 7 years in Chicago, working most recently at a digital media agency with a strong social media practice. He was able to parlay this into a full blown social media presence for the film with thousands of followers, despite having little directing experience and no track record of producing anything of note. Having a 9-5 job made things difficult in terms of having the time to work on the project, but the steady income made pre-production possible – along with a successful crowdfunding campaign and significant infusions of professional grade equipment from local gear rental company Magnanimous Media, who brought along a behind-the-scenes team to capture the unique and grueling shoot.
The film is captured all in one tracking shot using a steadicam rig, and there no cuts, edits, or Birdman-style tricks to give the appearance of a single shot. This necessitated a long rehearsal process and careful selection of performers who would have the stamina and resilience to keep running a 5 minute fight scene until it was perfect, then run it as many times as needed to get the shot that ended up being the basis of the film. In this case, that was take 6, filmed late in the second day of a two day shoot.
The recently completed film will be submitted to film festivals around the world, but audiences can also attend the premiere, which is open to the public. CHARGER will premiere at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago on November 23rd at 7:30PM. The program will include other shorts as well as live performances. Tickets are available at http://chargerpremiere.brownpapertickets.com, Unique to this kind of release, CHARGER will also be available on YouTube later that evening, but audiences are definitely encouraged to view it on the big screen first. It might be a short film, but it’s a big story.
Audiences can find out more at chargerfilm.com, @chargerfilm on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the “Sweet Left Hook” YouTube channel, which will host the film after it is released. The 30 second teaser is available now on the YouTube channel at
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