Bigfoot Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Bigfoot Entertainment is the parent company of Bigfoot Films, Bigfoot Productions, Bigfoot Production Services, Bigfoot Partners, the International Academy of Film and Television
, and New Cebu Films. The Bigfoot Group operates as an independent feature film and TV production and distribution company that develops, produces, and finances media content, including independent feature films, television series, reality shows, filmmaking education, and community outreach. The company's studios are in Cebu
, Philippines
, while its headquarters are located in Los Angeles, California
, United States
.
entrepreneur
Michael Gleissner
to finance and develop feature film
s, documentaries
, and reality TV
shows. Productions have been filmed at the company's Bigfoot Studios in the Philippines as well as on location
in the United States
, Hong Kong
, China
, Africa
, Europe
, the Philippines
, and Vietnam
.
The studio facilities includes six sound stage
s and a post-production
site. It was initially constructed in 2004 to serve as a production facility for Bigfoot Entertainment and Bigfoot Films. The company also acquired the franchises for Fashion TV
(FTV) in Singapore
and Philippines
.
The company's facilities was expanded in November 2008 after Bigfoot negotiated a 25-year lease, marking Bigfoot Studios as the first international movie studio in the country. It consists of the six sound stages, an underwater filming tank, editing suites, sound mixing, and Foley
studios.
Bigfoot also founded the International Academy of Film and Television
(IAFT) as an international film school providing aspiring filmmakers with a competitive education under the mentorship of industry professionals. IAFT is located in Mactan with offices in Los Angeles
. In April 2009, Bigfoot Entertainment, through their subsidiary Bigfoot Films, made its first offering to Chinese movie audiences with the release of Hui Lu in over 700 theaters across China. The film was shot on location in Hong Kong, and underwent post-production at the Bigfoot Studios in Mactan, in Cebu, Philippines.
In April 2010, Bigfoot Entertainment launched Hong Kong based 24/7 fashion network the "Fashion One
." It is broadcast internationally and presents a unique mix of lifestyle, travel, entertainment, film and fashion.
Bigfoot Entertainment also owns the Majestic Crest Theatre
in Westwood, California
, a building that, in 2008, was designated as an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles
. They purchased the facility in October 2010, as a venue in which to screen mainstream independent releases and to showcase their own films.
In September 2010, it was announced that Bigfoot was acquiring an interest in the Miami Film School
in Hollywood, Florida
, and the Palm Beach
Film School
in West Palm Beach, Florida
.
In November 2010, Bigfoot acquired Ascendent Pictures and formed Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution as a theatrical and home entertainment division to offer theatrical, home video, and VOD
distribution, as well as foreign sales representation and domestic television sales representation.
, Philippines, with its Asia-Pacific
headquarters located in Hong Kong, China. The company also maintains a small production facility in Venice, California.
Its facilities also include the Underwater Studio, an underwater film production unit, equipped with its own insert tank, film gear with under water housing, marine platform, crew and on-site construction facilities for building and rigging underwater sets.
Bigfoot also operates Cleverlearn, an educational division to provide web-based English language
instruction and test preparation. After having secured licensing agreements with television's The Apprentice and Baywatch
in 2006, Cleverlearn launched Movielearn, which uses DVDs of the two series to teach conversational and colloquial English not normally found in the classroom.
, Philippines
, with plans for further expansion.
In 2004, the Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation was selected as the Mayor's Special Awardee at the 67th Cebu City
Charter Day Celebration in recognition of its continuing work with the city's schools, and in 2005, Bigfoot Global Solutions received a special citation by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Documentaries
Television
Educational
International Academy of Film and Television
International Academy of Film and Television is an international film school owned by Bigfoot Entertainment. Its campus is located in Mactan Island, Cebu Philippines with offices in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. -History:...
, and New Cebu Films. The Bigfoot Group operates as an independent feature film and TV production and distribution company that develops, produces, and finances media content, including independent feature films, television series, reality shows, filmmaking education, and community outreach. The company's studios are in Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, while its headquarters are located in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Background
Bigfoot Entertainment was founded in 2002 by GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
Michael Gleissner
Michael Gleissner
Michael J. G. Gleissner is an entepreneur, film producer, director, screenwriter, actor, photographer, and musician.-Germany/USA:...
to finance and develop feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s, documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, and reality TV
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
shows. Productions have been filmed at the company's Bigfoot Studios in the Philippines as well as on location
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
The studio facilities includes six sound stage
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
s and a post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
site. It was initially constructed in 2004 to serve as a production facility for Bigfoot Entertainment and Bigfoot Films. The company also acquired the franchises for Fashion TV
Fashion TV
Fashion TV is an international fashion and lifestyle broadcasting television channel. It was founded in France in 1997 by its Polish-born president Michel Adam Lisowski, Fashion TV is the only 24/7 international TV network exclusively dedicated to fashion, beauty, glamour and style and has become...
(FTV) in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
The company's facilities was expanded in November 2008 after Bigfoot negotiated a 25-year lease, marking Bigfoot Studios as the first international movie studio in the country. It consists of the six sound stages, an underwater filming tank, editing suites, sound mixing, and Foley
Foley artist
Foley is the reproduction of everyday sounds for use in filmmaking. These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience. It helps to...
studios.
Bigfoot also founded the International Academy of Film and Television
International Academy of Film and Television
International Academy of Film and Television is an international film school owned by Bigfoot Entertainment. Its campus is located in Mactan Island, Cebu Philippines with offices in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. -History:...
(IAFT) as an international film school providing aspiring filmmakers with a competitive education under the mentorship of industry professionals. IAFT is located in Mactan with offices in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In April 2009, Bigfoot Entertainment, through their subsidiary Bigfoot Films, made its first offering to Chinese movie audiences with the release of Hui Lu in over 700 theaters across China. The film was shot on location in Hong Kong, and underwent post-production at the Bigfoot Studios in Mactan, in Cebu, Philippines.
In April 2010, Bigfoot Entertainment launched Hong Kong based 24/7 fashion network the "Fashion One
Fashion One
Fashion One is a global fashion and entertainment television network, which was launched on 8 April 2010.Fashion One broadcasts 24/7 internationally and is the only channel to present a unique mix of lifestyle, travel, entertainment, film and fashion....
." It is broadcast internationally and presents a unique mix of lifestyle, travel, entertainment, film and fashion.
Bigfoot Entertainment also owns the Majestic Crest Theatre
Majestic Crest Theatre
The Majestic Crest Theatre is a movie theater located in Westwood near Hollywood, California, United States. Originally founded as the Westwood Theatre in 1940, was built for live performances but switched to a newsreel cinema during World War II...
in Westwood, California
Westwood, California
Westwood is a census-designated place in Lassen County, California, United States. Westwood is located west-southwest of Susanville, at an elevation of 5128 feet...
, a building that, in 2008, was designated as an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California, via Omaha, Nebraska, and Ogden, Utah. Between Omaha and Los Angeles it ran on the Union Pacific Railroad; east of Omaha it ran on the Chicago and North Western Railway until...
. They purchased the facility in October 2010, as a venue in which to screen mainstream independent releases and to showcase their own films.
In September 2010, it was announced that Bigfoot was acquiring an interest in the Miami Film School
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
in Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
, and the Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
Film School
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
in West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
.
In November 2010, Bigfoot acquired Ascendent Pictures and formed Bigfoot Ascendant Distribution as a theatrical and home entertainment division to offer theatrical, home video, and VOD
VOD
VOD may stand for:*Velocity of detonation, the speed of a shock wave through a detonated explosive*Veno-occlusive disease, a complication of bone marrow transplantation*Versant Object Database, a database management system...
distribution, as well as foreign sales representation and domestic television sales representation.
Facilities
The company's main production facilities are located on the island of Mactan, in CebuCebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
, Philippines, with its Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific or Asia Pacific is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean...
headquarters located in Hong Kong, China. The company also maintains a small production facility in Venice, California.
Its facilities also include the Underwater Studio, an underwater film production unit, equipped with its own insert tank, film gear with under water housing, marine platform, crew and on-site construction facilities for building and rigging underwater sets.
Bigfoot also operates Cleverlearn, an educational division to provide web-based English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
instruction and test preparation. After having secured licensing agreements with television's The Apprentice and Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
in 2006, Cleverlearn launched Movielearn, which uses DVDs of the two series to teach conversational and colloquial English not normally found in the classroom.
Community Outreach
Bigfoot Entertainment founded the Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation (BAPF) as a non-profit organization to provide IT education to underprivileged youth through technological grants and teacher training. Currently, 33 schools have received funding and training from the foundation, and 22 Bigfoot Learning Centers have been established at public high schools in the VisayasVisayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, with plans for further expansion.
In 2004, the Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation was selected as the Mayor's Special Awardee at the 67th Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
Charter Day Celebration in recognition of its continuing work with the city's schools, and in 2005, Bigfoot Global Solutions received a special citation by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Projects produced
Features- The DogwalkerThe DogwalkerThe Dogwalker is a 2001 film directed and produced by Jacques Thelemaque, starring Diane Gaidry and Pamela Gordon ....
(2001) - 3 Needles3 Needles3 Needles is a 2005 Canadian drama film directed by Thom Fitzgerald. The title, refers to the three main characters who make a deal with the Devil in order to survive a global epidemic...
(2005) - The Curiosity of ChanceThe Curiosity of ChanceThe Curiosity of Chance is a 2006 film directed by Russell P. Marleau, produced by Bigfoot Entertainment and starring Tad Hilgenbrink.-Plot:...
(2006) - Falling for GraceFalling for GraceFalling for Grace is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Asian-American Fay Ann Lee, who also co-wrote the film with Karen Rousso, and stars alongside Gale Harold. It debuted at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival...
(2006) - Shanghai KissShanghai KissShanghai Kiss is a 2007 direct-to-DVD romantic drama comedy. The film was released on DVD on October 9, 2007.Hayden Panettiere won the Feature Film Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival for her role as Adelaide.- Synopsis :...
(2007) - Hui lu (2007)
- Midnight MovieMidnight Movie (film)Midnight Movie is a 2008 horror film from Bigfoot Entertainment in the horror/slasher genre directed by Jack Messitt and produced by Kacy Andrews.-Plot:...
(2008) - Within (2009 film)|Within (2009)
- IrreversiIrreversiIrreversi is a 2010 dramatic film directed by Michael Gleissner and shot in Hong Kong as the English language version of Gleissner's Mandarin language film Hui lu, which he filmed and directed at the same time in the same locations but with an entirely different cast...
(2010) - Midnight Movie: the Killer CutMidnight Movie (film)Midnight Movie is a 2008 horror film from Bigfoot Entertainment in the horror/slasher genre directed by Jack Messitt and produced by Kacy Andrews.-Plot:...
(2010) - The Girl With No Number (2011)
- Deep GoldDeep Gold-External links:*...
(2011)
Documentaries
- USS Cooper: Return to Ormoc BayUSS Cooper: Return to Ormoc BayUSS Cooper: Return to Ormoc Bay is a 2001 Philippine documentary film produced by Bigfoot Entertainment and directed by Daniel Foster. The film documents the fate of an American destroyer that was torpedoed during World War II.- Synopsis :...
(2006) - 9000 Needles9000 Needles9000 Needles is a 2009 documentary film about the story of a young husband and father and his family as they struggle to deal with the aftermath of a devastating stroke.-Background:...
(2011)
Television
- Nautical AngelsNautical AngelsNautical Angels is a travel show, directed by Daniel Foster and produced by Bigfoot Entertainment.A luxury yacht captained by three gorgeous women where they take ocean adventures and docking in various exotic ports around the world.-Cast:...
(2005) - Fashion TV Asia (2006)
- FTV Model Awards (2006)
- Hollywood Boot Camp (2007)
- Blue Lagoon (2010)
- Screen Test (2011)
- Diving Asia (2011)
- Underwater Action (2011)
- Model Yoga (2011)
- Model Workout (2011)
Educational
- New Concept Mandarin Chinese (2009)
- Cleverlearn ESL Video Series (2009)
- The Filmmaking Series: Directing (2010)
- The Film Making Series: Screenwriting (2010)
- The Film Making Series: First Steps To Cinematography (2010)