FXhome.com members AJ 'ajjax44' Rickert-Epstein and Chris 'CX3' Cowan have been gradually building a strong body of work in the Cinema under the Cobra Productions banner, most recently releasing the dark Faustian drama Fallen Angel. With other chart-topping shorts including The Matrix: An Untold Story and the classic Fingerman: First Blood, they are fast establishing a reputation for innovative, entertaining and well-produced films, crossing genres from comedy to drama to action.
Big ideas
Not one to rest on his laurels, AJ is currently in the process of realising a much bigger vision - setting up and establishing M.A.F.I.A. No, not everyone's favourite gangsters but a new filmmaking organisation based at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio - the Miami Association of Filmmakers and Independent Actors, to be precise. "The goal is to help other student filmmakers like us by creating a community of filmmakers, actors, writers, cinematographers, and producers," explains AJ. M.A.F.I.A. organises funding, provides equipment and keeps its members (now comprising several hundred individuals) informed of all the latest festival and lecture news.
AJ formed M.A.F.I.A. early in 2003 with Brandon Lea and Sam Mechling, other students whom had become similarly frustrated by the university's lack of support for aspiring filmmakers. "We realised that there were no organisations or departments that specialised or even facilitated filmmaking at Miami," recalls AJ. The three decided to improve the situation themselves by creating a group that would function as something of a production company, with members providing scripts and skills and M.A.F.I.A. helping with the funding and equipment.
Thankfully the powers-that-be were supportive of the idea, offering a substantial grant of $10,000 to help get M.A.F.I.A. on its feet. The Matrix: An Untold Story became the trailer for the newly formed outfit and the membership soon started to build.
If all this has whetted your appetite and you're thinking that perhaps you might like to set up a similar organisation, AJ has a few words of wisdom: "Give it all you've got and you'll be successful. Keep in mind that if you want your organisation to stay alive for years and years, you have to set up a system that can be passed down to new leaders with ease. Develop an organized paperwork system right away. Be on time to each meeting and always come prepared. Dress up and show respect. Be passionate and let them see your passion." According to AJ, if you "stay focused and complete the paperwork, the fun will follow."
Old times
But what of Cobra Productions? With Chris at Ohio State University in Columbus and AJ at Miami, their locations are not quite as convenient as they once were. "Chris and I have been friends since we were freshmen in high school. Before I met Chris, not many of my friends were really interested in spending their free time working on movies," AJ recalls. "Chris and I first started making films after I asked him to be in one of my movies - about six years ago. Since then, we've been able to work very efficiently and effectively as a team." As such, they're not the sort to let a couple hundred miles get in the way of their filmmaking, and plan to collaborate at every given chance.
Among other creations, we can expect the long-awaited Fingerman sequels, which should serve to answer some of the questions left over from the original. "They will be using a great deal of effects from CSB and the FXhome community. The two most intense sequences that we have planned for Fingerman 2 and 3 are going to require a large number of effects. We're trying to find some 3D artists interested in helping with the two major action sequences."
Meanwhile, Chris will be working on X3i, an X-Men-inspired action show for which he is going to be performing acting, directing and editing duties. All of the MAFIA projects sound intriguing, but perhaps the one we can all look forward to the most is the curiously titled Just Another FXhome Movie. Promising to be a (mostly!) affectionate parody of the FXhome.com big guns, it should be a real treat for all the regulars. As Chris explains, "the only people that will understand the movie are the members on this site, so the movie is for you all."
Moving forward
It would seem that AJ and his team have already got M.A.F.I.A. off to a great start, but where does he hope it will be a few years from now? "Alive. Thriving. Productive. With and without me. For now, we are doing everything we can to ensure the survival of this program after we graduate," he says. Evidently there is a long-term plan at work. "Our ultimate goal is to attract more dedicated filmmakers and actors to Miami University so maybe sometime in the future they will change the curriculum and add film production to its list of courses." It sounds like an offer they can't refuse.
We wish AJ, Chris and M.A.F.I.A. the best of luck with the future and look forward to their future productions. Be sure to check out their current movies and the M.A.F.I.A. website using the links below.
Want to know more?
M.A.F.I.A. website
Fallen Angel
The Matrix: An Untold Story
Fingerman: First Blood
Cobra Productions full cinema listing |
| | |
