It's now time to...Step Off March 15th!

I'm going to do something unheard of on this blog. What is it?

Well, I'll stop talking about "Battle" now.

Why? Well, the distributor (Lion's Gate) has changed the title of the movie to STEP OFF ...so please remember it!

Now you may OFFICIALLY look for it March 15th! Hopefully, it'll be EVERYWHERE like they say

Okay, here is the new trailer from Lion's Gate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDPZS-dBbB4




You say "Battle" is called WHAT now?



"Step Off" man!

We'll keep you in the loop as usual.

Thanks,

Martin Kelley
Producer, 'Step Off'

The Score and Music is Set!!

Okay, we've set the music for the film. It was a task and a half.

I just want to thank all the following artists who contribute music to the film.


SAMUEL ABRAHAMSEN (Composer)
MIDICHLORIAN
MIGHTY NETWORK
DJ GRUMBLE
CONRAD "HEADROC" CLIFTON
GSHARP
GREEN TEA
CHAPTER 13
MADDMANN
SHIN B
LORD KAYOS
MR. BOZ AKA DADDY FAT CRATES
L.I.V.E.
DIRTY DOLLAR$
REIGN OF TERROR
KING KATALOGAS
DAN PEDERSEN
WES P
MARVIN “CYLENTSOUNDS” LABRANCHE
SADIYQ BOOKER
MR. MORRIS
and
DJ DAINJA
with vocal contributions from
STEVE "B-RIGHT" GUZMAN

We're proud to have had these artist collaborate with us on the film.

I can't wait to let everyone else hear their talents when the movie unspools.

More announcements will be forthcoming sooner than you think, trust me :)

Thanks for continuing to follow "Battle",

Martin Kelley
Producer, "Battle"



Sarah Cooper and Muta'Ali Muhammad approved this list (presumably).

What gives?

"What's taking so long?"

I know that's the question on many people's minds with regard to the completion of Battle.

The answer is that there's a lot going on in post that is taking longer than we expected. So, we underestimated the post-production time-table.

However, the good news is that a lot of exciting announcements will be forthcoming soon.

So, please stay tuned and you'll find out here...like, Third...but 1st and 2nd are the filters prior to posting on the blog.

Thanks for your continued interest,

Martin Kelley
Producer, Battle



"I can't believe it takes this long to put a few songs on a sound track...do you?"

BATTLE:THE MIXTAPE is Out!

Finally the Mixtape has arrived!

Hosted by DRES Tha BeatNik

Mixed by DJ Dainja

Here's the track list:



Available FREE for download from the official site:
www.battle-movie.com

Battle: The Mixtape is coming

Just a quick heads up...new stuff coming.

While we're still knee deep in the edit of battle we've got a brand new mixtape coming very soon mixed by DJ Dainja!

It will feature artists associate with Battle as well as other hot new hip-hop music.

Be on the lookout for it.

Features:
Conrad "HeadRoc" Clifton
Trimm
Green Tea
Dirty Dollar$
Rhythmlord
J-Dot
Psyche Origami
Senior Kaos
Collective Efforts
and more!

These guys can't wait:



Chris Burns and AI anxiously awaiting the Battle mixtape!

Some Screenshots and official word on trailer

We've been talking about it and you may have seen the new flyers with the official website listed, www.battle-movie.com by the way, and we likely told you that the trailer will be released on New Year's Eve.

So, for anyone who didn't get the flyer and speak with us, here is the official word on the trailer. It will be released 12/31/09 by 6pm EST. So be sure to check it out.

Meanwhile I've put my hands on a few still frames from the movie.



Conrad "HeadROC" Clifton as Rippa in Battle



A beat battle featuring Dres Tha BeatNik, Errol Sadler and Joshua Tanksley



Onira Tares as Monique in Battle

So please be sure to log into the official site, again www.battle-movie.com, on New Year's Eve and check out the trailer for the movie.

thanks,

Martin Kelley
Producer, Battle

Do you remember?

Well, this is really it now.

We spent the last 48 hours fighting the elements to get a lot of 2nd Unit and B-Roll footage we needed to complete Battle...so we re-wrapped Production with Onira and HeadRoc and immediately started feeling nostalgic for past days on the shoot. It was sad and yet satisfying at the same time.

This of course beats complete relief to be done with something, I think.

So in that spirit let me take a moment to remember some of the shoot already.



Do you remember when we met Kevin Raser delivering pizzas to eyedrum while we were doing a final location scout for the shoot? And he said he wanted to help out on the shoot? He was great, he did everything from boom op duties to extra duties to manning the fog machines and fanning them with the flags. Very good young man and willing to get it done on the set. I highly recommend him to all the filmakers in the ATL.



Do you remember when we lost our Starbucks sponsorship after we pitched a movie tie-in featuring Chris Burns as Jay? I mean how could this tagline go wrong? "Well, it's not Red Bull and Vodka but it'll have to do..." We sure thought it was a winner. Guess we shoulda pitched HeadRoc and his expensive Frappachino habit instead :)



Do you remember Conrad "HeadRoc" Clifton attempting NOT to be upset when he heard that we forgot to order his Tofu dish for lunch and that he'd have to go with the salad? Well, I thought he played it off well at the time but photo evidence here suggests he was a little miffed.



Do you remember the heated exchange between direcor Laron Austin and producer Bennie Swint on location at WREK? No? Well, you're right, that never happened. But...



...there were fireworks on the set that day. I really can't go into it at this time...but check out the scene (in the movie of course) that we shot there.



But seriously, one of the best memories involved DRES tha BeatNik and the best extras I've worked with creating the genuine Hip-Hop vibe for Battle. Thank you all for helping us create the excitement of Beat Battles.

Anyway, I just wanted to post some more pictures and thank everyone again for all the hard work that they put in on the movie. We'll be sweating and grinding in post to make sure your efforts are rewarded with a great movie.

Take care and I'll be back to blog some more soon.

Martin Kelley
Producer, Battle

Flashback...various pictures from Battle

Did you miss me?

Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. There will be more blogging going on.

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures from the shoot.



Alicia Honore plays Keisha in Battle in a scene outside Never Enough Thyme Cafe



Arvell Poe (R) plays Quasar in Battle and looks to Director Laron Austin for advice on NOT being a dope Hip-Hop producer.



Chris Burns, Samantha Worthen and Conrad "HeadRoc" Clifton on the set as FVSU



I wouldn't want to work for Christopher Thomas (L) (well at least not in a kitchen environment)...would you? Just ask HeadRoc (R).

He makes a menacing boss if you ask me. It's like Rocky IV "I must break you...and then make many, many bad B-movies :)" (Dolph that is, not CT)



"You talkin' to me?" DJ Dainja actually did spin records live on the set before mangling the blocking of a complicated scene :)

And then recovering like a champ to deliver some classic lines (so says the co-writer).



Onira Tares, Errol Sadler and HeadRoc on the scene at Lenny's Bar along with some Paranormal Activity happening behind them.

As always, I urge you to stay tuned to the blog as there will be more revelations soon.

Thanks,

Martin Kelley
Producer, Battle

Rough housing on the set

If you've ever been on a set with one Chris Burns you know that the scene witnessed above is not atypical.

Burns decided to attack producer Eddie Singleton because we were carrying Cheezits instead of the usual Goldfish crackers on the Craft Services table.

An obvious oversight on our part but this smacks of over-reaction on Mr. Burns part.



Eddie obviously thought so too.

(legal department's note...the picture above is a make-up effect and not a true injury)

Thanks to the cool Samantha Worthen for coming down to play a supporting role and not minding the drive down to Fort Valley State University. And thanks to her for supplying these pictures.



HeadRoc and Samantha Worthen on the set at Fort Valley State University

More updates soon and pics from the last weekend of principle photography.

Martin Kelley
Producer, Battle

Hurry up and WAIT!

Dan Slemons and Laron Austin outside Never Enough Tyme Diner

Yes, we're still in production. Only two days of principle photography to go and we can't wait to get those days in the can.

What are we waiting for?

Well, lots and lots of things.

You never really appreciate the logistical challenge of any project until you're in the middle of it.

We've got several challenges to finalize but we feel we're close to getting those completed. We'll have an update soon.

We've got a new system to configure which will make editing a lot less of a time consuming endeavor as we've upgraded the system to make it 8 times more powerful than before which hopefully means that post-production can go at least twice as fast as we'd expected initially.



There's also human logistics. We are working around a lot of schedules because we're not Warner Brothers and cannot lock everyone down for 3 months straight. So we're being as flexible as possible with Cast and Crew and they're reciprocating for us as well. It's truly been easy up to this point. I can say that with all sincerity.

And of course, one of the most daunting tasks can be locations.

We had to search far and wide for one of the key locations for the whole movie and we believe we found it. The aesthetics of the location are perfect and the people helping us facilitate the shoot have been tremendously supportive. We'll reveal all in a future post but needless to say that we think it will be worth the wait for us in the end.



So, bear with us because once we get things solidified, the pace picks up fast and furious again and before you know it we'll be full-tilt into post production on "Battle"

So please stay tuned...

Martin Kelley
Producer, "Battle"