In all things entertainment, there must be creative vision. But before creative vision, there must be inspiration. And as a general rule, inspiration comes from something we’ve experienced that has left a lasting impression in our hearts and minds. The creative vision that drives Mark Steven Grove, founder of Fusion Factory Films, comes from a variety of genres and decades.
There is one filmmaker that inspired me more than any other, his name is Charles Band, and his approach to creating entertainment is nothing short of genius. I saw the film Laser Blast at a drive in in the late 70's. I was 11 or 12 and I was completely enamored. I went home with my brain overloaded with creative energy.
Right after that I was in the library with my sixth grade class. We were all given an order list for books and when looking through it, I found another piece to the puzzle that would become my career. A book called Movie Monsters, which was filled with how to create monster make-up. It was not long until I had completed all the projects in the book.
Our family had a Video Cassette Player early on. In the 80's the Video Store became a weekly destination to grab up some shows, take them home, make popcorn, turn out the lights, and watch movies from the comfort of the couch. This was one of the best times of my life. It was often like a treasure hunt. It's where I found Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared Syn, The Dungeonmaster, Ghost Warrior, Trancers, Eliminators, and Arena. Obviously you can see I was drawn to his science fiction and fantasy films, which were and always have been my go-to genres and guided my process as a screenwriter.
I've always had a fascination with the science fiction and fantasy films of the 1980’s. Flash Gordon, Beastmaster, Conan the Barbarian, Excalibur, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Krull, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Battle Beyond the Stars, Escape from New York, Mega Force, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, Buckaroo Banzai, Masters of the Universe, Robocop, and anything related to Star Wars and Star Trek.
As a longtime Martial Artist, I'm also also an aficionado of Martial Arts movies from the 1970’s and 80’s. The Five Deadly Venoms, The Black Dragon, Kid with the Golden Arm, Shaolin Temple, The Octagon, The Young Master, Enter the Ninja, Big Trouble in Little China, Raw Force, American Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, Kill and Kill Again, Bloodsport, No Retreat No Surrender, The Last Dragon, and dozens of others.
In 1981 at the age of 14 I penned my first feature length script Demon Planet, which followed the adventures of Captain Cal Arath and his sidekick Uriah. I was focused on developing a hero of my own that could embark on the many adventures that were forming in my imagination. Although the characters in Demon Planet were never captured on celluloid, the script would inspire a re-write that would become the 2017 film Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine.
Armed with my 8mm camera and an electronic sound fx machine, I began my creative journey. I started with stop motion, using matchbox cars, micronauts, and 24" tall Shogun Warriors toys from Japan, but I quickly transitioned to shooting live action. My first film was jumping backwards off my roof and then using reverse motion photography to make it look like I could leap upward with superhuman dexterity.
In 1983 I began teaching martial arts, which seemed more lucrative than shooting 8mm films. But despite this career choice, I decided to write a fantasy novel titled "Sword of Light, Shield of Darkness". This was a tale about a group of heroes who were up against and evil Ogre-Mage in possession of a shield made from the skull of a skeletal dragon that allowed whoever possessed it to control an undead army. The heroes had to seek out a mystical sword that could destroy the shield. The novel was never completed, but the story always lingered in my mind.
As the 80's came to an end, I was considering how to best make use of my physical skills. Teaching Ninjutsu was amazing but I felt I needed a creative outlet. Without knowing exactly how to do it, I decided to delve into the world of film. I sought out a mentor and met veteran stunt coordinators Lars Lundgren and Greg Anderson. Impressed by my extensive martial arts skills I was often asked to choreograph fights. I proved to be very intuitive with the camera and began apprenticing full time, spending countless hours on sets.
I got to perform martial arts action again in the film My Samurai, starring Julian Lee, Bubba Smith, Mako, and Terry O’Quinn. I was once again called upon to assist with choreography. This film really cemented my position as a "fight guy" in the industry.
I landed my first co-starring role in Country Justice, playing the main henchman to the films villain. Again, I also served as the fight choreographer and pyrotechnician, rigging the squibs (bullet hits) and small grenade explosions. This was also the first time I set up a full body burn.
After a couple years and numerous films, I decided to write my first professional script. The final result was Shadows: The Path of Deception. The script is optioned within a month of completion and I was set to star in the film alongside martial arts icons James Lew and Diana Lee Inosanto.
I embarked on my first solo pyrotechnics job on the film American Messiah in Oregon. This transition into practical effects became another creative outlet, leading to becoming a certified firearms handler and a prosthetic makeup artist.
Driven to create, I started developing my own galactic adventurer SABER RAINE and started penning short stories that pit my hero against an alien nemesis, SINJIN, who is reminiscent of Ming the Merciless.
The mid 90's had me travelling to Seattle to work on Mad Love Starring Chris O’Donnell and Drew Barrymore. The stunt team created havoc in grunge bars, drove recklessly around the city, and unleashed their own brand of crazy.
Next I traveled to Canada to meet with stunt coordinator John Wardlow to discuss being the stunt double for John Lone in The Hunted. However, because of Canadian restrictions, I was not allowed to perform in that capacity. But I did still provide Historical Consultation with my “Arcanum of Ninja Tactics” Ninja training manuals. A credit is a credit!
At the end of 1996 I was put in charge of the SAG/AFTRA Conservatory in Colorado. I was also put in charge of the SAG safety committee and researched all the stunt-related accidents that have been reported. I conducted an independent study of accidents that occurred on non-union productions across the country. I was surprised at the sheer number of dangerous situations that could have easily been avoided if a reputable stunt coordinator would have been hired.
I tackled 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain in 1997 where I served as a stuntman, double, and firearms handler. A highlight of my career was fighting Hulk Hogan. I continually changed my look to play many different characters in the film. Great experience working with Jim Varney and acting as bodyguard to the beautiful and talented Loni Anderson.
Serving as Stunt Coordinator and Special FX Supervisor on the film Tiger Street was an extreme challenge. Like many indie films this action picture had a limited budget, so I took it upon myself to invest a significant amount of my own money in order to create all the practical fx for the film.
I was once again acknowledged as the director of the Colorado branch SAG/AFTRA Conservatory. Taking a more active interest in actors, I traveled to California to begins teaching movement classes focused on having performers act out their scenes without speaking while other actors assist by reading the dialogue. A permanent move to the west coast is imminent.
On the verge of a move to California, tragedy strikes and my youngest son is born with brain abnormalities and other medical issues that make a move impossible. I was forced to take a hard look at the future of my entertainment career.
In 1999 I was hired to direct my first feature film, Dragon and the Hawk. I came to realize that staying in Denver did not kill my career, it just meant I had to take control and dedicate myself to creating my own opportunities.
On May 20th 2001 the inaugural World Stunt Awards were held at the Santa Monica Barker Hanger. This was the first awards show to honor stunt men and women for their work on feature films. I reunited with James Lew at the event and as always, the two began plotting future projects.
September 2002 my first training video focused on Ninja swordsmanship releases world wide. The video receives high praise and is especially successful overseas.
The desert outside of Las Vegas was the next destination where I was a stuntman and fight coordinator on Tequila Express starring Christopher Atkins and Tane McClure. Chris, Tane, and I became fast friends and we still work together often.
Back to Hollywood to shoot Conquest: Weapons of the Ninja for the History Channel where I served as historical consultant, stuntman, and portrayed myself during Ninja training sessions. A major highlight was shooting at the same studio set used for the Cobra-Kai Dojo in the original Karate Kid.
In 2003 I began the first year of a thirteen year run as a sales agent at the American Film Market in Santa Monica. Distribution deals are made for a wide range of films to countries throughout the world. This part of my life was instrumental in learning how to make films the industry will buy.
Aside from my normal stunt and special effects services, I also served as the Executive Producer for the campy horror film Backslash: The Ultimate Internet Predator.
My next adventure was The Surfer King, which required water-based acrobatics to perform aerial flips while on a surfboard. A bit of ingenuity led to mixing snowboard with surfboard and using a floating trampoline. Innovation at it's best.
In 2005 I directed The Shadow Walkers, a Lionsgate film that pits an abandoned team of scientists against mutated creatures of their own design. Man was this film an adventure. We shot in an abandoned rubber company with over one million square feet of underground tunnels!
Reunited with my great friends Diana Lee Inosanto and Ron Balicki, I co-produced and assistant stunt coordinated the award winning film The Sensei at the exact same time I was directing Shadow Walkers. I was working day and night with very little sleep.
I was reunited with Christopher Atkins for the coming of age drama Stained Glass Windows. I served as fight coordinator and had an acting role as Tom, a martial arts instructor.
The next film I'm set to direct is called Midnight Sun, but its backwoods vampire characters lead me to rename the project REDNECK along with the tagline “Evil has a Second Cousin.” We spend an incredible amount of time and energy prepping the project, but events unfolded that made us pull the plug on the production.
I decided it was time to create a project of my own. Inspired by the novel I wrote in the 80’s, Sword of Light, Shield of Darkness, I wrote the script Gathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven Swords. This film is a passion project with very little money, but I was driven to create a unique fantasy world where I could share the tales of the heroes who live within it.
I enlisted the help of some veteran actors from LA and my Gathering of Heroes film now had appearances of Christopher Atkins (Blue Lagoon) and Martin Kove (Karate Kid) as pivotal characters.
I worked on the GOH production in multiple capacities. Writer, director, actor, stunt coordinator, camera operator, prop maker, fx makeup, and editor to name a few. Let's just say... I was all in!
Best Ribs in Town combines beauty with brutality as a group of small town waitresses lure unsuspecting customers into a deadly trap. I served as producer, stunt coordinator and special effects supervisor working alongside veteran cinematographer Ric Waite.
A trip to Northern California’s redwood forests created a fantasy world filled with Knights, Elven magic users, Orc warriors, Dark shamans, and other magical creatures. I used my expertise in swordsmanship to create an epic fight sequence.
Next I served as editor on the Olivier Gruner sci-fi/action film Re-Generator. Olivier is a champion martial artist with over 40 roles in many great action films. I was always inspired by fighters who transitioned to film.
Next is the film Assassins Code in which I served as stunt coordinator and special effects supervisor. Once again reunited with Ric Waite, Martin Kove, and Christopher Atkins.
In The Storyteller I teamed up with Christopher Atkins to produce a heart wrenching story of war. Stunt performers were blown up, shot, stabbed, set on fire, and generally abused.
Next I wrote, directed, and starred in the supernatural martial arts film, Legacy of the Tengu. This film reunited me with James Lew and Louis Mandylor, who had also starred in The Sensei. This film was an great experience with an amazing team.
I directed the mind-bending psychological thriller Mind’s Eye. This film was an incredible journey and I was able to direct amazing young talent in Izzie Steele, Natalie Distler, Andrew Trainor, as well as veteran movie and television stars Dean Cain and Malcolm McDowell. The distributors would eventually rename the film The Black Hole... But I liked the original title.
Hot Lead, Hard Fury was a throwback film actually shot on 8mm film to capture the essence of the genre. The best part was I got to work with longtime friend and martial arts pioneer, the Black Dragon himself, Ron Van Clief.
I had a great time stunt coordinating Liana Liberato, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Patrick Schwarzenegger in the film Dear Eleanor, which also starred Josh Lucas, Jessica Alba, and Luke Wilson.
In 2014 I was able to set up a lunch meeting with Sam Jones in Hollywood. It was amazing because I was able to share details on My newest project. Star Raiders, and how the 1980 Flash Gordon film inspired me to create the character of Saber Raine. Since that meeting, Sam and I have met up multiple times and I still have high hopes of getting Sam to appear in one of my films.
In the summer of 2014, I took on his most ambitious project yet. In less than 30 days I wrote STAR RAIDERS: The Adventures of Saber Raine. This script was based on characters he developed in my "Rogue Space" short stories I had written in his teens. This film is a retro throwback to the scifi serials of the 30’s and 40’s and the campy action films of the 80’s.
Star Raiders goes into production and I hired Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) to play the lead role of Saber Raine. The sinister villain Sinjin is played by James Lew, Sara N. Salazar portrays Caliope, and Tyler Weaver Jr is Prince Tyr. Talk about an adventure! Casper was a hoot and the film was a blast.
I was super excited to have a huge banner for STAR RAIDERS at the main entrance of the American Film Market at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica. It's always hard to get buyers to notice smaller budget films.
Full page advertisement in the Hollywood Reporter and other trades during the market really helped push the film.
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine releases on multiple digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Playstation Network, X-Box Live, and many others.
It was great to see Star Raiders released around the world in 2017! Getting to see the new art and titles changes is always fun.
In January 2018 my Gathering of Heroes released on Amazon Prime and became available as a digital download or dvd/bluray. Being my passion project, I had sat on this film for a long time because it was never quite ready. The VFX wasn't quite up to snuff, but after Star Raiders released, I knew I had to put it out before I could move on with my next film.
Putting the film out was the best experience. soon after its North American release, Gathering of Heroes released in Japan on June 2nd 2018 and had amazing cover art. They made my little film look EPIC.
Rifftrax, the ultimate movie parody team, picks Star Raiders as part of it's 2019 Lineup to be filmed before a live audience in Nashville, Tennessee. Actress Sara Salazar and I will go to Nashville for the live filming.
February 2019 sees a re-release of SHADOW WALKERS, a film I directed in 2005 that was originally released by Lionsgate over a decade before. I was excited because they used the original art that was created when it was completed.
April 2019 I am asked to do a commentary track on the MVD re-release of the film MY SAMURAI which I filmed in 1991. It was fun to look back to the earliest part of my career.
April 17 2019 is the Live taping of the Rifftrax version of STAR RAIDERS. Director Mark Grove and Actress Sara N. Salazar are in attendance.
Sara Salazar poses with fans who created homemade versions of costumes and characters from Star Raiders. It was surreal to meet people who were such fans!
May 14 2019, had a visit to see the amazing work of Steve Wang, who has created magic in many films including Predator, Underworld, X-Men, Blade, Alien, Gremlins, The Monster Squad, Kamen Rider, and the Guyver.
June 2019 I reached out to Sam Jones. Melody Anderson, and Claudia Christian to attend the Denver Pop Culture Con. They were all amazing and we spent a great deal of time enjoying their long time fans!
August 2019 marks the start of my next film, ALIENS & DRAGONS. A definite fusion of Sci-fi and Fantasy. It was so great to be back on set doing what I do best!
October 2019 James Lew and I travel to Atlanta to film on the Star Trek adventure AXANAR. Extremely rewarding to stand on the bridge of a Starship!
October 2019 - MY SAMURAI re-releases on bluray with a 45 minute special commentary by Julian Lee and I talking about behind the scenes and sharing fond memories about cast and crew.
November 2019 - The outrageously funny releases for the three RIFFTRAX LIVE! shows are available on bluray!