MEDIA: They're after a hero

BY JENNY HUA

24 Feb, 2010 03:07 PM

WE'VE watched him kick villains' butts and we've laughed at his singing in Rush Hour, but how does an Asian girl from Sydney's south-west meet Jackie Chan?

Since Maria Tran came up with a documentary idea six months ago, she's been working hard to get it up and running by creating a Twitter campaign and a Facebook page and by uploading videos on YouTube.

Quest for Jackie! will be a reality documentary presenting messages from Jackie Chan fans across Australia.

Ms Tran hopes to spend a month filming and wants to fly to Hong Kong in August to meet Jackie Chan, who is a martial arts legend.

``Jackie Chan has got to have one of the most recognisable faces in the world,'' Ms Tran said.

``He's inspiring. He has made more than 100 films and broken 200 bones and is still making movies. Young people, particularly those in the west, see him as a multicultural icon.''

Ms Tran has been consulting several people for support.

She has interviewed people who have met Jackie Chan.

``The goal is to collect mail, personal messages or video clips from people who want to send a message to Jackie Chan,'' she said.

Although the final goal is to meet her idol, Ms Tran said the documentary was also about encouraging social change of ethnic representations in the media.

``He's still an outcast in Hollywood,'' she said.

``He plays characters who can't speak English properly.

``We want to push forward and empower culturally diverse people to tell their stories and to get mainstream representation.''

<> Ms Tran has coped with several rejections and people who say her project is ``over the top''.

She won't be giving up and she also has a back-up plan ready.

``People say I'm obsessed, but I call it passion,'' she said.

``Anything is possible.''

GIVEAWAYS: Jackie Chan’s Little Big Soldier @ Event Cinemas

Hi everyone!
I have 4 tickets to give away for the viewing on Jackie Chan's recent film "Little Big Soldier" out in EVENT cinemas in Australia for a short time. This is definitely a movie not to be missed and I found it personally inspiring and the character development of Jackie Chan was such a great watch.
For your chance to get your complimentary ticket, please email me back with the following details. Tickets will be drawn 25th of February @ 5pm.

Special thanks to Event Cinemas - Macquarie Park & Vendetta Films.

Name:
Age:
Nationality:
Describe yourself: (in less than 50 words)
E-Mail (Can be removed if requested):
Suburb/City/Country:
Homepage URL:
What Attracts you to Jackie & his films?
What do you admire the most about Jackie?
Name the 3 Jackie Chan films that come to mind?
What is your most favourite Jackie Chan film and why?
[Complete the sentence] Did you know, Jackie Chan…
Leave a personal Message for Jackie:

BLOG: Jackie Chan’s Little Big Soldier @ Event Cinemas
By: Marie Setiawan
Little Big Soldier starring Jackie Chan & Lee-Hom WangSaturday, February 20, 20109:30PM, Macquarie Centre Event Cinemas

The Q4JC crew (Maria Tran, Andy Minh Trieu, Steve Ada, along with Shaun Chang) headed off to Macquarie Park to watch Jackie Chan’s feature “Little Big Soldier” at Event Cinemas, Macquarie Centre. Known as one of the few cinemas to screen Asian Cinema, Macquarie Centre’s Event Cinemas is one of the largest complexes in Sydney.

From Maria Tran:

“One is an old soldier who only wants to survive. The other is a young general who is aspiring to conquer. After a bloody battle, the two are the only ones alive.When the soldier finds the injured general, he decides to kidnap him and brings him on a long journey to collect a reward, thinking by doing so he will no longer need to fight a war"

The general, feeling insulted, attempts suicide but is saved by the soldier every time.Somewhere along the way, the soldier and the general find themselves becoming allies in a fight against the real villains.The story of “Little Big Soldier” is mapped out by Jackie Chan who had conceived it for 20 years.

Chan told Sohu.com in an interview that he has talked about the story with many people. But director Ding Sheng was the only one who has translated the colloquial story into a screenplay.Ding Sheng also directs the comedic road film, starring Jackie Chan as the soldier and Lee-Hom Wang as the general. Jackie Chan, who supervises the production, says the film is about lives during wartime and is a strong message that peace is priceless.”

My (Marie Setiawan) thoughts on the film: I grew up watching Jackie Chan films, and this one didn’t disappoint. Famous for his action choreography mixed with comic relief, Jackie Chan delivered. The film was entertaining, but not stagnant that it would slow its pace. It wasn’t as punchy as his Hollywood counterparts, such as Rush Hour or Shanghai Noon, but it brought back the roots of Asian cinema again. It brought me back to the films I adored and loved as a kid. But what I really admired was the underlying message that was coming across through the entertainment. I agree that Jackie had successfully pulled it off and it came across so powerfully in the end.

Overall, what do I say about the film? It’s MARVELOUS!

Lip Dub Jackie Chan Acapella!

Sydney, NSW, Australia - 13th of February, 2010 – After considerable thought I (Maria Tran) decided to round up my merry friendship crew to attempt our first weekend experimental project as a part of Quest for Jackie!

This week we attempted what we found out to be a “Lip dub” – this is an online popularity of lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video.

Prior to this and as my research into the social phenomena Chan man, I bumped into this song made by a group called InsideOut from their album “Experience” online.

So myself and a small fun loving crew of eight had fun collaborating on this ridiculous project.

“It definitely pushed my comfort zone. A new experience that can be slightly outrageous beyond what I’m use to. It has inspired me to try something different.” says Marie Setiawan.

“I’ve always wanted to be in a music video. Haven’t as yet so I think it’s wiser to just home make it.” says Maria.

Tips for Lip dubbing:
Spontaneity: It doesn’t look too planned, like someone has pulled the idea out of the blue and their mates together to do it.
authenticity: Everything about the clips appears real and down to earth
participation: It not about the lip syncing but more so about the dynamics of the people making the clip
fun: people in the film are having heaps of fun

Lib dubbing: was coined by the founder of Vimeo by Jakob Lodwick, 2006, in a video entitled Lip Dubbing: Endless Dream.

In the video's description, he wrote, "I walked around with a song playing in my headphones, and recorded myself singing. When I got home I opened it in iMovie and added an MP3 of the actual song, and synchronized it with my video. Is there a name for this? If not, I suggest 'lip dubbing'."

Click here to check out "Quest for Jackie Chan - Lip Dub Acapella

Jackie Chan Fan Meet Up @ EVENT cinema "Little Big Soldier"

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010

Time: 9:00pm - 11:00pm

Location: Macquarie Shopping Centre Herring Rd, Macquarie Park NSW 2113

"Quest for Jackie Chan" vox pop artist Maria Tran and her camera crew will be at the EVENT CINEMA screening of Jackie Chan film "Little Big Soldier" at Event Cinema - Macquarie at the 9.30pm session.

Adult $17.00Child $13.00Pensioner $14.00 Senior $13.00 Student $14.00Seniors Club $8.00

An opportunity not to be missed!

This is your chance to deliver Jackie Chan a personal message!

One is an old soldier who only wants to survive. The other is a young general who is aspiring to conquer. After a bloody battle, the two are the only ones alive.When the soldier finds the injured general, he decides to kidnap him and brings him on a long journey to collect a reward, thinking by doing so he will no longer need to fight a war.

The general, feeling insulted, attempts suicide but is saved by the soldier every time.Somewhere along the way, the soldier and the general find themselves becoming allies in a fight against the real villains.The story of "Little Big Soldier" is mapped out by Jackie Chan who had conceived it for 20 years.

Chan told Sohu.com in an interview that he has talked about the story with many people. But director Ding Sheng was the only one who has translated the colloquial story into a screenplay.
Ding Sheng also directs the comedic road film, starring Jackie Chan as the soldier and Lee-Hom Wang as the general.Jackie Chan, who supervises the production, says the film is about lives during wartime and is a strong message that peace is priceless.

"Little Big Soldier"

Director: Ding Sheng
Cast: Jackie Chan, Lee-Hom Wang, Yoo Seung-Jun, Lin Peng, Xu Dongmei, Wu Yue
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy

Release Date (Chinese mainland): February 14, 2010