Stan Lee Presents: “No Hero Now” Music Video, Q&A with Director Jennie Kong and Producer Ramon Govea

We’re counting down the days until Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo this week, where our own Jonathan London will be in attendance! (Say hi to him if you see him!) Ahead of the convention founded by Stan Lee himself, a new music video has just premiered on Lee’s World of Heroes YouTube channel, the main man’s geek lifestyle channel we’ve previously covered before.

This week, the up and coming artist Vy Nguyen debuted her music video “No Hero Now,” featuring Jason Chu. The music video/narrative short film follows a comic book-style assassin/superhero not unlike Black Canary on The CW’s Arrow as she rescues her Sifu (kung-fu master, if you didn’t grow up on Donnie Yen movies).

I briefly caught up with the video’s director, Jennie Kong and producer Ramon Govea of Black Mast Studios to talk about the video’s conception, creation, and ultimately the message it hopes to get out into the geek world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdA9txx1m7s

What was the primary design influence to the music video? Cinematically and story-wise? What did you find yourself most frequently referring to?

Jennie: I’ve been influenced by everything from video games to films and TV. I would say that I’ve been most excited to explore a complex female character who is bound to world of violence and betrayal so much, that she gravitates back to it even when she runs far away.  I grew up on strong female characters such as Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, Beatrix Kiddo and Sydney Bristow, and I am so fascinated by Carrie Matheson at the moment – so I really wanted to bring a character as contradictory and interesting as those – to life.  Visually, the team on this shoot are big fans of Netflix’s Daredevil and the Captain America triology.

Ramon: Yes, I can’t count how many times we talked about Netflix’s Daredevil.

Combining a serial narrative beginning with a music video is a novel idea. Why did you decide on this path and what influenced the decision?

Jennie: “No Hero Now” is ultimately contained within a music video format.  I’m a fan of “music video events” that give narrative the chance to breathe, and open up the audience to care about the characters and its world.  It’s a compliment that you do see the world built inside the video, that’s something I always work hard on.  There could be more stories told with the characters, we will see.

What was the most difficult part in shooting the film? What came surprisingly easy?

Ramon: Time and budget restraints were the biggest challenge for me.  There were moments when I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get everything that we needed because the clock was ticking and five unforeseen problems would pop up at the same time.  But the team had the experience and stamina to keep going until we got what we needed.  We had some real MVP’s on our team that I’ve worked with in the past.  The easiest part was probably getting everyone on board with the concept for the video.

Jennie: The actors really embraced the characters and so it made it easier for me to write for and direct them. They were a joy to work with.  Jessika was everything I needed in the portrayal of Rian, and Jack Yang’s Sifu was awesome.

What kind of input did Stan Lee have, at all? What’s it like to have him involved?

Ramon: The Generalissimo was more than happy to support our vision for the project.  He really seems to enjoy watching the content going up on the World of Heroes channel, but in terms of development, he took a more laissez faire approach, giving us the freedom to create without any real expectations.  We were then able to present the final video to him when it was close to finish.

Jennie: Stan and his business partner Gill have always been supportive. It means a lot for us to have Stan introduce the video and invite his community to check out the premiere and also our panel at Comikaze.  Both love to joke around, so it’s a pleasure to work with them.

What are your biggest hopes for the property? What’s the highest you think this can go? Where would you want it to go?

Ramon: For Black Mast, the goal is really just to deliver a great video.  We had a lot of fun developing the idea and watching the story come to life.  We wanted the world to feel much bigger than what you’re seeing on screen, and we have toyed with the idea of expanding in ways that will allow us to further explore this world of assassins and super powers.  Right now all we can say is we will be making some related announcements soon.

Jennie: Would love to develop this and write this world out. For now, we’re happy to be releasing the extended music video first and taking it from there.

The lead hero is an Asian-American woman, an image still absent in much of pop culture. Do you hope this helps you guys stand out?

Ramon: I don’t think our intention in casting Jessika was to make us stand out.  We really just wanted a protagonist that best served the song.  It’s such an anthem and when Jennie and I talked about the characters, I left it up to her to decide who they were and how they fit into the world.

Jennie: For the song, I wanted to stay true to the music video’s lyrics and when I met with Jessika, she truly embodied and understood what the character was about.  Casting is never easy but the actors were easy to choose for this project.  Jack Yang (the team’s leader in the story) and Jessika had also previously worked on a video game together, so it felt natural to shoot their scenes together, as a fallen mentor and a reluctant prodigy.

Stan Lee’s Comikaze takes place this week beginning October 30th until November 1st. On Sunday, Nov. 1, you can meet the cast and crew of “No Hero Now” at their panel at 12pm in room 511ABC.