ACTION, ADRENALINE & AMBITION
How James Couche Turned Micro-Budget Filmmaking Into a Cross-Media Universe
On the latest RFN Podcast, guest host MK Martey sits down with filmmaker and game designer James Couche, whose career began with stop-motion Ninja Turtle movies and evolved into Lost Phoenix—a $10,000 action feature shot across Richmond during the pandemic. Couche shares how reverse-engineering Hong Kong thrillers and Sam Raimi classics became his film school, why he sees the camera as “another actor,” and how Richmond itself became his biggest production value.
The conversation dives into the challenges of fight choreography with first-time actors, the surreal experience of turning Lost Phoenix into a Game Boy Color game, and why indie games may offer unique opportunities for indie film.
Looking ahead, Couche teases a documentary on the underground world of micro-budget action cinema and a post-apocalyptic samurai western too ambitious to shoot—but perfect for pixels.
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