Off-Center Productions | Know Your Enemy

The Trailer for "KNOW YOUR ENEMY" will air on IFC (Independent Film Channel) in the next Episode of 'Media Lab Uploaded' in August... stay tuned for dates and times!

"Victory was never in doubt. Its cost was.... What was in doubt, in all our minds, was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gun and gunner...." - Major General B. Erskine - At the dedication of the Third Marine Division Cemetery at Iwo Jima, March 14, 1945

World War II in the Pacific. The U.S. Navy and Marines have been fighting the Japanese Imperial Army, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Okinawa, Iwo Jima...racial hatred on both sides escalated to a point where men were thinking like animals. War will do that to you. Japanese Soldiers fought to the death, surrender was not an option, they chose death over everything...even at their own hand.

Captain Fisher's hate for his enemy had consumed him. The men he was fighting against were reduced to roaches, bugs to be stepped on, like it was nothing. Fisher's squad of fifteen men were advancing up a hill that must be secured. There was one last bunker at the top with a machine gun placement. One by one, the Japanese killed ten of Fisher's men...the remaining five reached the top. Sergeant Lambert, Fisher's right-hand man finally tossed a grenade in the bunker and a lone Japanese Soldier was blown out of the bunker. Those ten Marines were killed by one man who was still alive. This one must live, at all costs. This one, lone Japanese Soldier must live...because he wanted to die!!

CAPTAIN FISHER (Alan Pietruszewski) Seasoned war veteran, the leader of the squad, totally consumed by the hatred for his enemy... it finally cost him his life.

JAPANESE SOLDIER (James Kyson Lee) Wounded Japanese prisoner, who would rather die than live with the disgrace of being held prisoner...at all cost.

SERGEANT LAMBERT (Brian White) The Captain's right-handed man, they've been together through it all.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER O'NEIL (Tommy Wilson-O'Brien) Head Triage Doctor of the Medical unit, responsible for the lives of the wounded, including the prisoner.

PRIVATE ASHE (Warren McCullough) Senior Private, your average Marine, a man of reason.

PRIVATE MURRAY (Matt Mitchell) A loose cannon, new recruit, red-necked southern boy who can't wait to kill Japs.

CORPSMAN PALOMINO (Ron Wells) Commander O'Neil's go-to Guy. Palomino is the units Medic.

PRIVATE SHELTON (Allan Groves) Nerdy, kind of clueless to what's really going on.

PRIVATE DUNBAR (Ross Merrick) Scared, confused about what to do, responsible for the sword.

"KNOW YOUR ENEMY" is a Black & White, 35mm World War II piece set in a front lines Medical Unit. a group of American Marines fight to keep a Japanese Soldier alive... because he wants to die.

A native of Los Angeles, Marcelo grew up wanting to play music. Picked up a pair of drum sticks at the age of 12 and started playing. But like many others, his second passion was film. He got his first break in music at the age of 25 when his band MANHOLE/TURA SATANA signed there first record deal, recorded their first of two albums and hit the road. after several years of touring the band broke up, and he went back to playing the club scene with some other bands. He developed a wrist problem witch kept him from playing so he set his sites on film school. Graduated from NYFA (New York Film Academy) in 2005 with 14 critically acclaimed Student Films to his credit... he had found his calling. "KNOW YOUR ENEMY" is Marcelo's first film since Film School and other Feature Length Films are in Development... stayed tuned!!

Tommy has spent most of his life in the entertainment industry...from a Rock & Roll Musician to over 15 years in Film, Television and Live Stage Production...as a Writer, Producer, Director, Actor, Line Producer and 1st Assistant Director. As an Actor, his credits include Feature Films, Television, Commercials & Theatre.

Transplanted from Brooklyn, New York... Tommy moved to Los Angeles to attend the UCLA Film & Television Program (The commute was killing him) over 20 years ago. Film was a natural segue from Music, through Music Videos.

His Writing credentials include sitcom specs for "Friends," "The John Larroquette Show," "Cybill," "Fired Up" and "Spin City." Television Shows in development: "Ten Gallon Hat" is an hour-long Comedy-Drama..."Bleeker Street" and "The Divorce Game" are Sitcoms...and Sitcom Pilot "Wall Street & Woodstock." Feature Length Comedy Screenplays: "Twin City," "Please Kill Me," "The Dream Merchant," "Peeping Tom" and "Mid-Life Crisis." Tommy was Writer-Director for the Sketch Comedy Show, "Safe Sex...and other serious things to laugh about"... with Comedy Troupe..."Damaged Goods"...Writes Stand-up bits, Commercial Concepts, Interactive and Writes Freelance for LA Splash Magazine and The DGA Magazine. (Directors Guild of America)

Tommy spends the bulk of his time these days Acting, (Commercial & Theatrical) Writing, Producing Indie Films and working with Actors with special needs at Performing Arts Studio West. They do Professional Training for Performers with Disabilities. "You gotta give a little back if you want to keep it."

Currently in development with partner, Robin Krieger; "M'Irish & V'Luish...Way Off Broadway", an evening of Sketch Comedy!!

Tommy is also Developing "Snitch" (Stories of a Confidential Informant) an Hour-Long Crime Drama for Television.

Never one to be dependent upon the actions of others, Jeff McLaughlin was thrown into producing six years ago when a play he had a lead role in was abandoned by the previous producer. He and another actor stepped up to the plate and produced the world premiere of Stuart Rogers’ adaptation of “Antigone” to critical acclaim throughout the Los Angeles press and a very successful run. Lesson learned: if you want something done right, do it yourself.

Jeff went on to produce several more stage plays. He produced an extremely successful sketch comedy show for three years. “Live! Live! News! News!” was a regular act at The Comedy Store and had begun touring up and down the left coast when tragedy struck the ill-fated group: the show’s fat Canadian got deported, another guy got married, and a third got a brain tumor. Needless to say, you can’t make the funny without a fat Canadian. Jeff did manage to produce and direct a five-camera ninety minute pilot for “Live! Live! News! News!” before the implosion, so the show will live forever in celluloid.

Since then, Jeff has gone on to produce Action Heroes, a feature film based on a play by the same name, helped produce the upcoming horror-thriller Backstage Pass starring William Katt, and several short films – most recently Felix the Christ directed by Andrew S. Barth and Line Producer for Know Your Enemy directed by Marcelo Palomino. He is currently in post-production on the Hi-Definition feature Northern Lights, which was filmed entirely on location in Syracuse, NY.

After earning a degree in Creative Writing from Miami University, Jeff moved to Los Angeles and has worked in every area of theatre, television and film production. Initial aspirations of directing films led him into the art department, where he was able to get the last look at the monitor, just before the director called, “Action!” He has worked as an art director, production designer, prop master, electrician, grip, wardrobe, special effects make-up, sound mixer, engineer, editor, writer, director and actor.

Tommy received his degree in film editing at Columbia College in Chicago. He's been living in Los Angeles for three years now and currently editing Music Videos and Independent films. Two of the films Tommy worked on have made festival runs. "Sunday Night Poet", a documentary on the roots of poetry slams born out of a small bar on the north side of Chicago. And "Sidewalk", a unique feature film that won Audience Choice - Best Original Film from the Boston Film Festival.

Born and raise in Hollywood, California, Carlos started working in the Motion Picture business in the late 80's with Music Videos and Commercials...Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Ozzie Osbourne, Gwen Steffani, Metallica.... to name a few. He started working in Television on shows... Friends, Will & Grace, ER, Jag, Cold Case, Fast Lane.... till 1998, Carlos shot my first Feature Length Film and has shot 9 total. He continues to juggle all forms of Cinematography; Commercials, Feature Films, Music Videos, TV..... and Fashion photography. Personal Website - www.carlosarguello.com

Hollywood here she comes! This 25 year old from Bakersfield California, has been in the exciting world of make-believe and at practicing her skills in that marvelous world for the past 12 years. She began as an assistant stage manager for the local Equity Theater house known as the Vaudeville Express Melodrama Musical Theater. She became a shadow to the stage and a piece of Magic to the creation of the imagination. This West High School Graduate left her small country-bred town for the coastal stye-lings of Santa Maria when she was accepted to The Pacific Conservatory for Performing Arts. The two-year Intensive conservatory provides each student with Life experience and Education in the Art of acting and technical performance, and design. Throughout all of this training for her future career, she became associated with the worlds largest Jazz conference, The IAJE.(International Association of Jazz Educators) Working as the right hand for her friend and mentor John Lant, the Technical Director, she became known as the Technical Production Coordinator. Known to the theater and concert industry as a lighting Goddess, this fast thinking, problem solving, cable hauling, harness wearing, truss climbing, focus ready professional was ready and willing to conquer this new task at hand. Producer Tommy Wilson-O’Brien, found this loud-mouthed multi-tasker from California all the way on the other side of this country, in Syracuse, NY, where she had reign of about 8 out of 16 positions on the independent feature film, “Northern Lights.”

So now all the way back home here in Cali’, who knew she would be joining together with new found friends on this epic production… (Hi Jeff! Hi Jonathan! Hi Kathryn!)… Marcelo Palominos’, “Know Your Enemy”, has granted this interpreter of imagination the chance to allow our viewers to feel taken back to the jungles of the Pacific, 1945. She wishes to extend the greatest of thanks to Craig Michaelson and his Father at the American Association of Military History Museum, for all of their creative insight and passion for our nations past. Thanks Guys!

But my deepest gratitude is to the one who took a chance on a girl, our Producer, Tommy Wilson-O’Brien. Thanks Babe!

They were here