And they're not stopping at the West Coast.
The movie's trailer will make its public premiere in Park City, Utah, during the Sundance Film Festival, part of a slate of music and cinema offerings from the Indie Lounge. While not part of the official Sundance event, the lounge has hosted celebrities from Jack Black to Kevin Bacon to members of the Wu-Tang Clan in years past and is one of several entertainment industry-related happenings that have sprung up around the festival.
"Long story short, the producers of the event basically said that they wanted to break the mold of Sundance, and after watching all of our Internet videos, they felt that we would do that pretty profoundly," said Ranger Up founder and former Army infantry officer Nick Palmisciano.
"That sounds incredible, but when you look at the footage, you look at the fight sequences … we were able to do it, because of the strength of the community," he said, highlighting donations ranging from jet flyovers to action-scene choreography to vehicles.
That generosity, and the willingness of producers and others to pitch in beyond traditional Hollywood levels, left a mark on the production, said Jarred Taylor, Article 15's chief marketing officer and former tactical air control party airman.
"We got a lot of really good praise from both the director and the crew," Taylor said. "The crew couldn't believe the humility. You could see the attitude the first, second and third day. They think we have to handle us with white gloves, but we keep telling the guy who's bringing us water, 'Dude, we'll get it ourselves.' "
The trailer will be complete in early January, Palmisciano said, as will a rough cut of the film, which the producers plan to watch for the first time on Jan. 15.
"We were working so hard, and we were in front of the camera, that all of us are going into this not knowing what it looks like whatsoever," Taylor said.
How it makes its way into a theater near you has yet to be nailed down, he said, though plans are in the works for distribution to major markets, showings near military installations, and eventual streaming availability. Part of the concern over distribution has been a familiar discussion between "Range 15" producers and those in the entertainment industry.
"Studios are always going to think they know best, but any changes to the movie, anything like that, we will say no," said Palmisciano, who pledged that the final product will make " 'The Hangover' look like a 6-year-old girl."
Supporters and guests will attend a Hollywood premiere in May, he said, with the official debut set for May 28 at the GI Film Festival in the Washington, D.C., area.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
