The MMA documentary Such Great Heights, which features American Kickboxing Academy member and UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch and his 2008 title fight against champion Georges St-Pierre, was released yesterday to the masses.
Jonah Tulis, the director and main producer of the film, stepped into The Crossfire for a quick chat to talk about the film.
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MMA Crossfire: What was the delay in releasing the documentary?
Jonah Tulis: That’s the big question everyone is asking. Typically, movies take a while to sort of come together, but this one was delayed more than usual. Normal issues would be funding issues and editing issues, but we were trying to license some footage for quite awhile of the main fight in the end and we actually had a cut made because we were under the impression we were going to get the footage. It turned out for reasons we don’t really fully understand we weren’t allowed to use the footage or even pay out to fully license it. That required a re-edit, which required re-financing, and then of course we had to get the film out there to distributors and it takes time to actually appear on-demand and sort of released so it’s a combination of all those things we were definitely held up by licensing issues, but we’re happy with what we got. We did end up using a ton of the fight in the movie initially because who wants to see a 25-minute fight? A lot of people have already seen the fight. What was important to us was the lead-up to it and the aftermath of it which was really beautiful. Fans and people don’t get to see the things that happened after this fight, the various components.
MMA Crossfire: I would agree those would be the things to focus on. Let me ask you this: If you had been able to get the footage at the time, when would the release date have been?
Jonah Tulis: I would probably say a year and a half ago. Again, there were some timing issues. At this point, we were trying to time it around a possible re-match at the time too, but we wanted to get it out for everyone to see. We really needed to capture the amazing time, the amazing period, the really great characters , beyond Jon.
MMA Crossfire: That’s my next question. What made you focus on Jon and AKA?
Jonah Tulis: We had all seen this sport rise and that was a pivotal time for the sport because things were really picking up and it was really where the sport started to gain that mainstream audience. I’ve said before, Fitch is a character that’s humble, that’s interesting, it started with a random run-in with one of the producers at the airport that him thinking about Fitch and then researching AKA, which is an amazing gym with amazing characters, it sort of just worked. I thought he was the perfect subject. His fighting style may not be the most exciting for some people, but he’s very human and very relatable and I think that’s what people want to see in these movies. To see someone like them try to achieve their dreams. What’s amazing about this is that it’s his pinnacle moment in his career, his life, and that moment that we were experiencing, right by his side.
UFC welterweight fighter Jon Fitch. Image courtesy Flying Penguin Pictures.
MMA Crossfire: And was Jon receptive when you approached him and his team or did it take some convincing?
Jonah Tulis: No, he was very receptive early on. I think he like the idea of chronicling this important period of time and he didn’t let the cameras really faze him at all. We were a little nervous at times of pushing too hard, because of his intensive training, but he was 100% behind it and once we were at the gym for four to five days, everybody else there was like, ‘These guys aren’t going away. I guess we should start making eye contact with them and figure things out.’
MMA Crossfire: (Laughs)
Jonah Tulis: A lot of people go in there and film and do interviews, but people aren’t there for months at a time, really living amoung these guys and exploring their world. Once they saw that, we were able to get into their minds.
MMA Crossfire: Right. So has Jon seen the final product?
Jonah Tulis: Yes he has.
MMA Crossfire: And I’m assuming he’s thrilled.
Jonah Tulis: He is. He loves it to death. The only person we were worried about not loving it was Matt Major. He has some negative moments in the film but in the end I think he comes out OK. It turned out he liked it too, he actually called us and said, ‘Thank you,’ which was very nice to hear.
We didn’t intend in any way to glorify this, it’s just sort of who these guys were. If somebody was not nice to us – and there were fighters who were not nice to us – they kind of weren’t in the film because they wouldn’t talk to us. It’s not like they were just being mean to us on camera, and there weren’t a lot, they just wouldn’t be present or talk to us.
“Crazy” Bob Cook and Dave Camarillo in the movie documentary “Such Great Heights.” Image courtesy Flying Penguin Pictures.
MMA Crossfire: Such Great Heights is produced by your company Flying Penguins.
Jonah Tulis: Yes, Flying Penguins Pictures and Peachpipe Entertainment which is kind of the umbrella company for the film.
MMA Crossfire: Any other MMA documentaries in the future?
Jonah Tulis: We’re not sure yet. I’m doing two other documentaries in a sort of different space. In the world of video games actually..
MMA Crossfire: Yes, you’re doing one on EA Sports.
Jonah Tulis: Yes I am. I didn’t know if that was out. I’m doing one on the rise of EA Sports and John Madden football. I can’t say exactly, but it looks like to be on a major network rather than an independent documentary release. I can’t talk about that officially yet. And I’m also doing one on Sega and Nintendo in the 90s, which is also an interesting project. That was a real crazy battle. The idea of doing another MMA documentary is interesting to me if we find the right subject. It is a hard world to get into, especially because of all the forces that be in that world. It’s kind of controlled by Zuffa and stuff, it’s a little harder to work with them.
MMA Crossfire: That’s interesting, I look forward to those other docs too. So tell me then, three things you learned from this documentary.
Jonah Tulis: Three things, hmm. I think it’s all about character. No matter what you’re doing, it’s all about finding compelling characters. Because compelling characters, even in ordinary situations, are still interesting to watch and learn about, and relate to. So if you have the characters, the rest will fall into place. We just happened to have great fights that we were leading up to, but what it comes down to, I think, is character.
And making sure you’re around at all times, making sure you get everything (Laughs). You wouldn’t believe the amount of footage we got for this. It was very crazy to go through.
MMA Crossfire: How many hours of footage did you shoot?
Jonah Tulis: I want to say 130 – 140 hours somewhere in that range.
MMA Crossfire: Oh my, wow.
Jonah Tulis: Yeah.
MMA Crossfire: So it sounds like you’re a MMA fan. When did you get started?
Jonah Tulis: I am, but I was not as big a fan as my producing partners when we started. But as I started researching with them, I got really into it. And as I became friends with these guys and going to the fights, I got even more into it. I think it’s an amazing artform. So now I’m a huge fan.
A still from the movie documentary “Such Great Heights.” Image courtesy Flying Penguin Pictures.
MMA Crossfire: OK, so what are the plans for Such Great Heights?
Jonah Tulis: June 12th is the release, it will be in 100 million homes On-Demand in the U.S. and Canada. It will be on iTunes and all the other digital platforms. You can visit our web site SuchGreatHeightsmovie.com , there’s a table which lists the broadband etc., and obviously there’s the DVD, there will be longer DVD bonus features. That doesn’t come out for a few more weeks though. There’s over thirty minutes I think of bonus features. Some great footage that’s not in the film.
MMA Crossfire: And do you plan to enter this in any film festivals?
Jonah Tulis: Initially we were going to go that route, but film festivals are for films that are not getting this kind of release. So we initially would have had we not had to deal with the licensing issues. We did have a premiere last week in San Jose with all the fighters, which was very cool, but it won’t be at film festivals. It ‘s going to be a wide release, including international, which we’re working on as we speak. Anyone around the U.S. and Canada can see it (starting June 12th) on Cablebox. It’s almost certain they can take a look, or iTunes or any of the other options mentioned on our website.
MMA Crossfire: Excellent. Thanks for speaking with us today about Such Great Heights.
Jonah Tulis: Absolutely. Thank You.
MMA CROSSFIRE RELATED LINKS:
MMA Crossfire – Jon Fitch and AKA featured in MMA doc Such Great Heights
Such Great Heights official website
Such Great Heights on Facebook
