One-Man Film Production Rantoon Released Today

This is a hilarious, yet inspiring story. A guy from the Tacoma, Washington area wrote, directed and edited this 2 hr. sci-fi film, and built a website around it, and is doing marketing for the project, in the hopes of putting Washington state on the filmmaking radar. Check out the trailer at the website. It’s hilarious, but again, inspiring. Not only tackling a feature length project as a one man crew, but a sci-fi film at that. Below is the press release on the project, which is being sold on Amazon.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

His name is Juillei Jonz, but most call him Hollywill. He’s the one-man driving force behind Jonz Journey Studios and writer, producer, director and film editor of Rantoon, a futuristic story of friendship and courage in the face of evil. The film was released today on DVD.

Hollywill, who has served in the U.S. Army and in the Washington National Guard, put together the two-hour and twenty-minute Rantoon on his own. The film stars former American Idol contestant Jonathan Jackson in the title role; most other parts are played by National Guardsmen with whom Hollywill has served.

But Rantoon is no amateur production. Hollywill worked on the set of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and appeared as an extra inBeverly Hills Cop III (1994). Along the way he discovered a passion for filmmaking and learned all he could about the craft. In 2000, Hollywill wrote and published the science-fiction tome Phleideis while enlisted in the Army.

Like Phleideis, Rantoon is a sci-fi adventure set on Earth. The film tells the story of Rantoon, an Okranian warrior whose species is at war with the green Mamtunians. When Rantoon’s ship is shot by the evil Mamtunian Raoc, he slips through a wormhole and ends up near Mars. From there, Rantoon coasts his leaky ship to Earth, looking for help. His method is unique: yard circles–not crop circles–all around the globe.

Septuagenarian Levi Jones (played by Hollywill) answers Rantoon’s call, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. Jones and his family set out with Rantoon to find a Lirium plant and refuel Rantoon’s ship. But unbeknownst to the band of heroes, two Mamtunians have made it through the wormhole, too–and it’s only a matter of time before Raoc finds his way through.

With the release of his first full-length feature film, Hollywill hopes to turn the spotlight on the burgeoning film industry in the Northwest.

“I would like to bring big film business to the region,” Hollywill stated. “The Northwest has everything a location scout could want, from deserts and mountains to big cities and the Pacific Ocean. What’s more, we have local governments and businesses ready and eager to welcome big film companies. With Rantoon, I hope to help put the Northwest on the film industry map.”