About Lai Khe Film Productions

A personal message from the founder.

I have been telling stories since I was a child. My father, before me, was a storyteller as well, so I guess it was an inherited obsession.

My father was a soldier first and a storyteller by avocation. When he passed away just before Christmas in 2002, I begin to think of the complex man he had been, and the brevity of all our lives. I was the Vice President of Sales for a growing and respected insurance brokerage at the time, but what I really wanted to do was tell stories on screen.  I also wanted to learn more about who my father had been during the tumultuous years of my childhood; I wanted to know the young man who volunteered to fight in Vietnam, who requested duty as a door gunner on Huey helicopters, and was awarded the Army Air Medal and Bronze Star twice for Valor.

I attended reunions of Vietnam veterans to try to understand my father better and in so doing became captivated by the stories these men told. Today, they have weathered the storms of their lives, mostly well, they have children of their own, jobs, businesses and grandkids. They are American men and women who fought in a controversial war when they were barely more than children. The stories they tell are funny, profane and tragic. They laugh with abandon, still joke like teenagers amongst themselves, and cry when they board a Huey for the first time in thirty years.

In getting to know some of these men, I begin to know my father, but more than that I realized I wanted to tell their story one day. That is Lai Khe Film Productions’ mission: to one day tell the story of a single group of young men that served in Vietnam with the 173^rd Assault Helicopter Company. They called themselves the Robinhoods.

Lai Khe Film Productions is dedicated to making cost-effective, high quality films in a variety of genres. We are co-producing the conspiracy thriller, Lunatic Messiah and are in pre-production on the film Deer Season. You can find information about each of these films, as well as investment opportunities, here on the Web site.

This Logo Tells a Story

My father was an American soldier who served two tours in Vietnam. It was his first tour, where he flew as a door gunner with the 173^rd Assault Helicopter Company, of which he was most proud.

The 173^rd were known as the Robinhoods and when they flew they wore yellow scarves around their necks and their Huey’s sported a Robinhood hat as nose art.

In the logo the cross-like symbol represents the rotors of the metal birds that became an icon of the war, the yellow, of course, represents the heroes that served in the Robinhoods. Lai Khe is the village and rubber plantation in which they were based.

Within a decade, the Lai Khe Film Production company will produce a film that honors the men of the Robinhoods and all the men and women, on both sides, who were marked by that war.

The company is dedicated to my father: soldier, reluctant hero, father to his ‘boys’ in the 173^rd, and a lifelong teller of tales.

Film Projects

Deer Season (In Pre-Production)

In the fall of they year, seven friends pack up for one last backpacking trip before the final end of summer. When they strike out into the wilderness and cross paths with two ex-cons hell-bent on staying free, their peaceful retreat explodes into terrorized flight. A film that explores the dark depths of familial loyalty and pits friendship against survival, Deer Season will put a death grip on your pulse. Principal Photography to begin May 2007. International Release: Winter, 2007.

Lunatic Messiah (In Production)

Lunatic Messiah centers around the character of Bobby Battle, a young man pulled into an apocalyptic world full of secretive government agents, their gas-masked emissaries, and a newly discovered insect spreading a dangerous disease. Bad Highway Productions is producing the feature in association with Lai Khe Film Productions. Lunatic Messiah will be released in Summer 2007.

Franklin’s Castle (In Development)

Based on a short story by Mr. Dussault, Franklin’s Castle follows the life of former football prospect Franklin Young. Franklin’s powerful legs nearly carried him away from the depressed, drug-ridden neighborhood in which he grew up. A tragic injury in college derailed his potential career and broke his spirit. Now dealing drugs and running on a collision course with prison and death, Franklin meets a young boy named Russell. Russell will either become a victim of Franklin’s frustration or the lifeline that saves his soul.

Dad’s Café (DVD Release Spring 2007)

A short film penned by scribe Diana Erwin and produced in association with Lai Khe Film Productions, LLC, Dad’s Café was recognized with top honors at the annual A Place Called Sacramento film festival in September 2006. Raymond Dussault, head of Lai Khe Film Productions, was associate producer and shared directing efforts with festival veteran and Director of Photography Frank Casanova, owner of The Studio Center.The heartwarming short film, shot primarily on location at its namesake downtown café, follows the lives of several fictional characters as they make connections in a diverse Sacramento neighborhood. Brought to life by a stellar cast and marked by eccentricity, witty dialogue and heartfelt characterizations, Dad’s Café touched the crowd at the historic, sold-out, Crest Theatre, garnering both the Spirit of Sacramento—Best of Fest—and Audience Award honors.

Chance (In Production)

A short noir thriller, Chance follows one man’s attempts to retrace his steps after a night of heavy drinking that ended with a wrecked car, a good deal of blood, and a lot of questions.

Trifles (In Development)

Inspired by the one-act play of the same name by Susan Glaspell, this is the story of an abused woman and the suspicions surrounding her husband’s untimely death. The film explores the differences between women and men, and the bonds that will make one woman stand up for another whatever the costs.

Team Members:

Raymond E. Dussault, President

Raymond E. Dussault, president of Lai Khe Film Productions, LLC, is a business professional with a long history of success. Most recently he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Folsom, California-based Kelley & Swain, Inc. As head of sales, Mr. Dussault drove the organization to new sales of over $3 million dollars in a single year.  In addition, Mr. Dussault has served as a story consultant for Hollywood Pictures (a division of Disney Studios) on the feature film Crimson Tide, starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. Upon completion of that production, Mr. Dussault was a key partner in development of the video game released in conjunction with the film.

Mr. Dussault served as co-director and associate producer on the award-winning short film Dad’s Café. Dad’s Café received the “Spirit of Sacramento” and “Audience Favorite” trophies at the 2006 A Place Called Sacramento Film Festival. In addition, Mr. Dussault is the Assistant Director and Co-Producer on the feature film thriller Lunatic Messiah, slated for a Summer 2007 release and Director/Unit Production Manager on the feature film Family Secrets, a ribald comedy slated for a Spring 2007 release.

Mr. Dussault is a graduate of the Dov S-S Simen’s film production course. Previous graduates include Quentin Tarantino, Will Smith, Guy Ritchie, Christopher Nolan and Robert Rodriguez.

Mr. Dussault also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and in English from California State University, Sacramento, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Arts in Film and Creative Writing.

Max Maxwell, Production

Monty aka “Max” has had a passion for filmmaking from an early age. As a boy he and his friends made 8mm stop motion films together. The passion never left. In 2000 Max founded Bad Highway Productions Inc, an independent film production company and has directed and produced numerous films since that time. For Lai Khe Film Productions, Max brings his experience in scheduling and cost control, as well as a distinct cinematographic vision.

Max is currently directing the feature film thriller, Lunatic Messiah, slated for release in Summer 2007. In addition, he has Written, Directed and Produced two of his own short films, produced a third for an up and coming writer/director and has produced two other short films for local writers. He has been an associate producer on two local feature films as well.

Jeff Palmer, Lead Designer & Guru of Creativity

Talented artist, filmmaker and designer, Mr. Palmer is the lead designer for Lai Khe Film Productions, LLC, and a veteran filmmaker with extensive experience in television, commercial and feature film production. He is the Writer/Director of the film On the Fringe, released internationally in 2004. In 2006, he produced and directed Frank the Barber, an intimate documentary that garnered the Judges Award at the Artstream Film Festival.

John Ayers, Stunt and Special Effects Coordinator

J Douglas Ayers began his career coordinating and performing film stunts in student projects at age fourteen. Realizing he wished to continue the work, he trained in Los Angeles and San Francisco under the renowned stuntmen, Kim Kahana and Rocky Capella. Mr. Ayers has coordinated stunts for numerous film projects including Movie Mayhem, Ninja Returns, Silence of Men, Cocaine and Man in the Middle.

Tom hart, Production

Mr. Hart has an extensive leadership background, having worked for numerous regional and state government agencies over his distinguished career. Currently serving as Deputy Director for the State of California, CRA, Mr. Hart entered the film community through a successful acting career.  He became interested in the production side of film and joined the Lai Khe Film Productions Team in 2005.

Russell K. Young, Photographer

Mr. Young is a professional photographer whose work includes landscape, street photographer and portraits. He is the Lai Khe Film Productions primary production photographer.

Filmmaking the Lai Khe Way

Filmmaking is an interesting art. It attempts to meld business and creativity in a way that only, possibly, architecture has previously accomplished. Not surprisingly, because of this, filmmaking will always be a team effort. It requires myriad talents that are rarely found in one individual, so the best filmmakers are nearly always the best leaders. Men and women who can unite disparate individuals behind the achievement of a single goal.

Lai Khe Film Productions was founded at a propitious time in filmmaking. Both the means to produce films and the means to distribute them are undergoing dramatic change. As in most industries, the digital revolution has increased competition, reduced costs and enhanced the creative process. Lai Khe Film Productions is dedicated to developing high quality stories and shooting them in the digital format in cost effective ways.

Investors

Recognizing the rapidly changing entertainment marketplace, Mr. Raymond Dussault, a veteran business professional, founded Lai Khe Film Productions, LLC in 2005 to produce profitable independent feature films. While the entertainment industry has been normally typified as a high-risk venture, requiring sizable capitalization, Mr. Dussault is focused on the development of tightly budgeted, digitally produced feature films that meet the demands of a growing global market.

It is our intention to enter the creative marketplace in a viable, yet conservative manner.

The key from this investment standpoint is to:

·          Minimize risk

·          Maximize upscale potential

·          Apply standard business and budget principles

·          Focus on long-term value

·          Speed up the payback period

·          Maximize the investor’s potential return

Film markets are changing rapidly and there are numerous foreign and domestic markets hungry for content. These are markets that exist both inside and outside of the typical theatre-chain distribution scheme.

These markets include video-on-demand for cable and the hospitality industry, second tier cable channels like Akimbo, Movielink and CinemaNow, and genre-specific channels like the Sci-Fi and Horror Channels. Similar international markets exist and are even more in need of films then the domestic markets.

Major production companies like Lion’s Gate Films (a division of Walt Disney) profitably produce or purchase dozens of straight-to-DVD titles each year. These titles cost a great deal more to create in the major studio system then the films, like Deer Season, that we are producing independently, and yet still turn a solid annual profit for the Lion’s Gate division.

Specifically Lai Khe Film Productions, LLC focuses on producing, directing and distributing feature length genre-specific films for sale to domestic and foreign markets. 

The managing principals in this venture are experienced business people with a track record for success in a variety of businesses.

To make an investment with Lai Khe Film Productions, please select one of the following options to receive an investment package:

Premium Investors: These are investors with at least $250,000 in investment capital available who wish to benefit from the library of films and corporate structure of Lai Khe Film Productions.

Film Investors: These are investors with less than $250,000 in investment capital who are interested in investing as little as $5,000.00 for an interest in upcoming film projects. We are currently seeking investors for Deer Season, a project solidly in pre-production. Please see the synopsis on this web site.

Robinhood Investors: The Robinhoods is a film in development and will not enter production for several years. However, Lai Khe Film Productions is seeking development investors for as little as $1,000.00 from individuals interested in bringing this story to the screen.

In reviewing the Web site, please note that any investment carries with it a risk of loss. Still, these figures are realistic and conservative projections based on specific production value, film genre and overall market potential.

The above buttons should open up a questionnaire where the party enters the following information:

Name

Address

Phone Number

Email Address

Annual Income

Est. Investment Capital Available

Type of Investment Interested in

Short Description of Interest

And an email is sent to me with that data.

Links:

Badhighway.com

Flickerpictures.com

Russell Young Photography

Commercial Video Production

Do you have a story to tell?

Lai Khe Film Productions, in partnership with Flicker Pictures and Bad Highway Productions, will put our experienced production team to work for you!

We will craft, produce and edit for you:

Video Commercials

Company Profiles

Training Videos

Personal Stories

Vanity Productions

Pleasor information and costs.

Please visit ______________ for video commercial samples.

For Sale

The 173^rd Assault Helicopter Company

A Tribute to the Robinhoods

This is footage from 16 mm films shot by my father in the Robinhoods Lai Khe, Vietnam helicopter base, affectionately known as Sherwood Forest. The 30 minute film, available only on DVD, has no dialogue but features dramatic footage shot from the gunners seat on a Robinhood Huey and scenes from around the Sherwood Forest base.

$15.00 per DVD

Also would like to have products available through Café Press. What would you think of that?