In a recent issue of Impact Magazine I read a great review written by Mike Leeder about an independent action film called Displaced. I was keen to find out more so I visited the website of Skylandian Pictures, the production company behind Displaced, the information on the site was very interesting but what really caught my eye was a reference to a book entitled ‘Ready for Action’ written by Mark Strange, producer, action director and actor in Displaced.
I did not take much convincing to order the book online. I received a personal confirmation of my order very swiftly which was a nice touch and 2 days later I heard a big ‘thud’ at my front door as a package was dropped through the letterbox.
The book was carefully packaged which meant that my copy of ‘Ready for Action’ was in perfect condition, oh, and signed by Mark Strange, great stuff!
Now I know you should never judge a book by its cover or its weight, but I was very impressed with both the cover (with a montage of colour photography, eye catching title: ‘Ready for Action, my life in martial arts and film’) and the size: 219 pages! It was clear that a lot of work went into the creation of this book, it looked and felt very promising and I was ready to read it!
Following a captivating introduction that retraces Mark’s eventful life from his childhood in Lancashire, opening his own martial arts school, his trips to China and Hong Kong, producing his own movie Displaced, working on Twins Effect (one of my son’s favourites) and The Medallion (one of my daughter’s favourites) with Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, the book moves onto self-development mode with the heading ‘ Discover how to realize your dreams’.
‘Ready for Action’ is organised in chapters all rich in advice and suggestions on how we should follow our inner voice and realise our full potential. The temptation is to dip in and out of the book but I do believe that you can get more out of it by reading the chapters in the right order.
I was surprised how quickly I was getting through the various chapters and at first I was concerned that the content may be too light and would not be satisfying, I need not worry, in fact the simplicty of the chapters, the tone and candid accounts by Mark are the key strengths of ‘Ready for Action’. Each time I finished a chapter I caught myself putting the book down for a moment and reflecting on what I had just read, how it might apply to me and what I could do to improve on what I was doing with Land of the Kami and my life in general.
Chapters that made a real impression were:
- Focus on your strengths
- The China Experience (most likely due to my background in Chinese Kung Fu)
- Producing eight days a week
- A quick guide to film-making on a low budget
- Apply the knock-effect (I firmly believe in this)
- Like attracts like (almost my moto in life)
- You create your own luck
But don’t get me wrong everything in this book is useful and interesting, with over 50 chapters (!) there is something for everybody. Mark’s passion, enthusiasm and belief in what it takes to succeed literally leap at you each time you turn a page.
As a fellow martial artist and fan of Hong Kong action cinema, I would certainly have liked the addition of some pictures throughout the book, how cool would it be to see Mark at the Shaolin Temple or working with Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen!
I was almost disappointed when I reached the end of the book, reading ‘Ready for Action’ is extremely enjoyable and it is far more engaging than most heavy literature you can sometimes come across on the subject of personal development.
From my point of view, it gave me even more confidence to make Land of Kami and Mark’s generous information did clarify quite a few things about producing your own movie not only from a technical perspective but also in terms of attitude and drive.
I am delighted to own this book and to be able to use it as reference in future. I would strongly recommend ‘Ready for Action’ to anyone involved in independent film making, looking for inspiration or chasing a dream that may not be so far away.
Pascal
Useful Links
Ordering ‘Ready for Action’ by Mark Strange
Skylandian Pictures – Official Website
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