Growing Pains Pack A Punch In The New Indiegogo Promo For Webseries, FIGHTER'S HIGH

Nearly ten years in the making, independent filmmaker Chris Ryons is about to apply a fresh new vision to a webseries concept he has been developing since his his early years in film. That series earned its first application by 2007 in the form of Fighter’s High, an action comedy project that centers on a generation of teenagers that thrive in martial arts as a preamble to entering high school.

The series is taking a different creative direction since 2007, but its origins come collectively on behalf of Ryons‘s influences over the years, namely his 20-year long love for martial arts in all its aspects, filmmakers like Chang Cheh and Yudai Yamaguchi, and the kung fu and Tokusatsu genres, and tournament fighting video games in general. “I always kicked around this joke about the original Power Rangers and how it seemed being a martial artist was a pre-requisite to get into that school,” he says. “So, that was actually the base. My influences for getting into martial arts and martial arts filmmaking starts with Master Jason David Frank.”.

Interestingly enough, Ryons goes on to say a little more about how the latter actor, famously known for his prolific performances under several ‘Ranger’ iterations as the series character, “Tommy Oliver”, saying in part “…At first it was all about his fight scenes. To me, he really brought it in the fight scenes and I thought that he should have been doing martial arts movies back then. I did some research on him and his martial arts background and that kinda nailed it for me as far as studying martial arts and wanting to make fight scenes and such. I forever credit him as the reason ‘Fighter’s High’ was created.”.

If you have a good sense of awareness and take a closer look at the series, you may discover some easter eggs within the series that highlight Ryons‘s admiration for Frank, who continues to remain very close to his fanbase through his Facebook page. Point in fact, I find myself buzzing at the possibilities that may be if by random chance, Frank finds this article. Clearly Ryons is a fan, and by all means, if he wants to be the one to help bring Frank as the lead onto an action film (or series) one day, I hope its happens.

As for Fighter’s High, the series has gone through its share of evolution since early development that landed the early participation of fellow filmmakers like Joey Min and Jon Truei, and series scribe and late friend Kevin Siter to whom Ryons‘ pays homage since his passing in 2009. Now, Ryons, joined by co-director Max Sterling, hopes to enhance every bit of true potential the series has to offer, with less focus on goofy, comedic, live-action anime feel to a more relatable, layered and grounded formula as an action series with interwoven storylines that still bring laughs and excitement for a family audience. “I don’t want people to think it’s just a bunch of fight scenes in a school setting,” he says. “Fans can expect a really well-crafted story in a world where martial arts is the main culture, with rivalries between students that are carried over from the parents, full-on family/clan rivalries, and even families that are split down the middle because a father and daughter study Choy Li Fut, while the mother and younger daughter study Shotokan. And, there will be other schools that cause problems for our main school all kids of ups and downs along the way.”.

SERIES DESCRIPTION:

FIGHTER’S HIGH is a Martial Arts High School action series. Young adults and teens of all types and martial backgrounds are recruited to attend J.D. Oliver Academy (AKA – “Fighter’s High”). where they learn to refine their combat skills. Follow this year’s class as they battle to see who is the best! 

It’s the start of a new year at J.D. Oliver Academy of Martial Arts (AKA- “Fighter’s High”). Tommy Kane, son of school legend Adam Kane (who has mysteriously left his family behind), enters JDO for the first time. Tommy is marked as a “Legacy Kid” at the academy. Some are in awe of him, while others are jealous or hate him. He’s determined to be the best, to step out of his father’s shadow, and forge a new path for himself. Past rivalries of the father come back to haunt the son in the form of Ryon Denabreo Jr., leader of the White Tigers and the academy’s current E.C.B. (Extra Curricular Battles) Tournament Champion. A new friendship is formed with Cassie Cabrera, a “Legacy Kid” in her own right and one of the best martial artists J.D. Oliver Academy has ever produced. Is Tommy ready for the challenges ahead of him in his first year? He thinks so. Only time will tell!

Production for Fighter’s High is ready to go, but what the production could really use is the funding to help transition the series with greater production quality while searching for more locations and bigger venues to tell its stories, as well as to feed and take care of its cast and crew upon filming in July, which sounds pretty fair. And to help obtain those funds, Ryons has a new Indiegogo campaign page that lists more details on the actors and creative minds involved in the process, the series, and information on how you can benefit through your generous donations and support.

You can check that page out now by CLICKING HERE, where you can also keep track of Fighter’s High through links to Facebook and Twitter, and its series platform on YouTube in the embed below.