My "Indie" Superhero Movie!

V

victoryman

I'm the writer-producer of "SIDEKICK," a new, ORIGINAL, superhero movie currently in post-production in Toronto, Canada. And get this - it's an "Indie" production through and through (ie. produced with savings, credit cards, lines of credit, hard work and the cashing in of a zillion favours).

I'm a huge fan of superhero movies in general so SIDEKICK is a true labour of love for me. As an aspiring screenwriter, I was realistic about the fact that I'd likely never get the chance to work on one of the big franchises no matter how much I wanted to. Still, I realized i had my own superhero story to tell and SIDEKICK is the result.

I never dreamed I'd be able to produce it as an "Indie" film, not with the VFX that were/are required, but then I was introduced to some very talented and enthusiastic Visual FX guys who convinced me they could do it. Because of them, SIDEKICK is a reality. My job as the producer is now to prove to distributors that there's room for an original superhero movie in the marketplace. I really believe that there is.

Here's the synopsis:

Mild-mannered computer consultant Norman Neale has two great loves in this cruel world: Comic books and his office's effervescent main receptionist, Andrea Hicks. Norman spends his days dreaming of Andrea from the isolation of his cubicle and his nights dreaming of fighting crime from the solitude of his apartment.

Then one fateful day, Norman discovers that a fellow co-worker, Victor Ventura, a swaggering, pretty-boy salesman, has slight telekinetic abilities beyond his understanding. After discussing his mind-blowing discovery with his only friend Chuck, a know-it-all comic book store owner, Norman comes to the outlandish conclusion that he should train Victor to become a real-life superhero by helping him refine and expand his extraordinary ability. Norman envisions an exciting new future for himself battling the city's criminal elements as Victor's faithful sidekick.

But as Victor grows in power Norman is faced with the heartbreaking realization that not all people with extraordinary abilities are meant to be heroes.

And there's a twist. Instead of being your typical origin of a superhero film, SIDEKICK is...get this...an origin of a supervillain film. Cool. Kinda like how Lex Luthor became Lex Luthor.

DANIEL BALDWIN, the Baldwin brother from such hits as Homicide: Life on the Streets and John Carpenter's Vampires, plays Chuck in the film, relishing the chance to play a different type of character for him - not a cop or a killer but a sarcastic, eccentric comic book store owner.

Also, KEN LASHLEY, the supertalented comic book artist behind some really excellent X-men and Spiderman comics and founder of Draxhall (www.draxploitation.com), makes a cameo appearance as himself.

If you get the chance, check out the website. Lots of cool stuff to look at. The pre-release poster designed by Agency 71 kicks ass. Oh, and the teaser trailer will be posted in a week or so.

http://www.sidekickmovie.com
 
Looking forward to seeing the trailer when it comes out. :yes:

Couldn't really see too much about it, with the stills on the site. Sounds like a fun flick, though.
 
Good looking DV

Sounds interesting. Let us know when you have a trailer.

The movie stills look great for DV. I take it you guys used magic bullet?
 
actually, directorx, the movie stills are 35mm.

the movie itself was shot true 16x9 on Sony DVCAM with a 1/2 black diffusion filter. it looks great, too, though. we did some 35mm blow-up tests before shooting and spoke to lots of lab people. we decided this was the best way to shoot to give us the latitude we wanted in post colour correcting and then blowing up to 35mm (if we get the chance, please God).
 
hello again. just letting you all know that a short teaser trailer for SIDEKICK is now up on the film's site...

www.sidekickmovie.com

it's a teaser trailer so there's no real plot to speak of and the resolution is pretty low (a higher res version will be posted soon), but there are some pretty cool moments worth checking out.

hope you enjoy.
 
Nice trailer. The red mask costume looks a little cheesy...but maybe that's the point.
Looks like there's some Force powers workin' there. I'm all about THAT!

You've got some great production still there too. The shot with the guys hand and floating "balls" is very cool.

Was that Tom Green I saw banging his head agains the desk?

Looks like fun...
 
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You were right about everything besides the Tom Green thing.

Yes, the mask is supposed to be cheesy and yes, the telekinetic power is certainly reminiscent of the Force.

Essentially SIDEKICK combines the 2 movies I loved most as a child - Superman (in that it's a superhero movie) and Star Wars (in that the power is the Force, er...I mean telekinesis). David Ingram (who plays the supernaturally gifted Victor) channelled Christopher Reeve in a serious way at times, right down to the hair curl.

I know the teaser trailer really doesn't sell Sidekick as a comedy, but Sidekick is chock full of laughs. Purposely.

Oh, and thanks for the kind words re: the floating balls picture. I love that one, too.
 
just letting everyone know that a NEW KICKASS SIDEKICK TRAILER is now posted on www.sidekickmovie.com. this one's got a lot more VFX, dialogue and actual storyline revealed than the previous montage teaser trailer. well worth checking out. it's only in high res at the moment. med and low res are on the way. but if you've got highspead, this is the way to see it.

the film is almost done btw. one year from the start of principal photography to completion = not bad for a VFX laden superhero movie.
 
teaser/trailer looks good, looking forward to see it, how long the finished product would be? Will it be available on DVD for purchase?

Johnny Wu
 
Great original spin

I love the idea that the story is told through the eyes of the sidekick... he who, but for his own lackluster abilities, would like to be the hero himself.
And that he has to watch his protoge/hero drift to the dark side... really a cool story.

I didn't like Unbreakable much (it was two-thirds of a good story) but it was vaguely similarly themed. Had Willis decided to rob banks instead of fight crime, and Sam Jackson been the sympathetic character... hmmm. That would have been a more interesting idea. A spin that I at least haven't heard before.

Which you seem to have captured.

Looking forward to it!
 
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thanks for the feedback on the trailer and synopsis. they are my most valuable marketing tools at this point so it's nice to see that they're doing the trick.

i can't say yet when the film is going to be released or even which markets. in the next week or so i'll be booking my final post-prod work - sound design, foley, mix and colour correction. at that point i'll know when i'll have a tape/DVD in hand that i can go to film fests/distribs/sales agents with. i've already started getting the word out and have quite a few bites from interested parties. i even have a studio who believes in the long-term prospects of a franchise and are interested in buying the underlying screenplay rights so they can remake the project with A-list stars. it's kinda crazy what's going on now. i'm just trying to keep focussed on getting the film done, though. there's daily work that still fun and exciting, which is why i got into all this in the first place.

and special thanks, rocketcar, for your critique of the synopsis. i felt the same way about Unbreakable...that it was almost there. it's not like i came up with Sidekick as a response, but i certainly recognized that there were going to be comparisons and i welcome them when i get them.
 
woo hoo! i've finally signed all my sound work professionals.

i've got a great, young, talented sound designer and the best foley studio on the planet(they did meet the fockers, life aquatic and dodgeball last year to name a few) adding the layers upon layers of surround sound to my movie. it's been one of my biggest worries from day 1 - making a superhero movie that sounds like crap.

people in canada always complain that canadian movies "look canadian." they don't really. they look like independent films. they sound canadian, though. if i'm lucky sidekick will sound...internationally competitive...somehing canadian movies rarely are.

6 weeks to completion!!!
 
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