Thursday, March 28, 2024

Earnesto ‘Nesto’ Rhea’s Short Film ‘No Shots Fired’ Looks at Drone Technology for Policing

no shots fired, drone technology
Earnesto “Nesto” Rhea’s Short Film ‘No Shots Fired’ Looks at Drone Technology for Policing

*Prolific filmmaker, writer and director Earnesto “Nesto” Rhea, an Inglewood, California, native and socially conscious motion picture industry rising star, was tired of witnessing tragedies from traffic stops gone awry when he had the vision to create “No Shots Fired.”

Too many friends in law enforcement had relayed stories about the day-today high risk volatility of their jobs and countless civilian victims had become statistics from traffic stops that turned deadly.

From the Terrence Crutcher case in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the Keith Scott case in Charlotte, North Carolina, both cases might have been prevented from turning fatalistic had there been an advance method of surveying the scene.

Of equal importance, police officers could be better protected knowing what lies ahead of them before an ensuing traffic stop turns fatal.

Drone technology

After speaking with Drone aficionado Damon Darnall, AKA “The Drone Boss” and his wife “Mrs. Drone Boss,” Nesto decided to produce a short film that explored a practice that has been successful in some cities but not federally mandated so police departments across the country are required to utilize it.

The Darnell’s became involved in “No Shots Fired” because of their belief that drones can save lives in policing. According to Damon Darnall: “I am continually impressed by the hundreds of new positive uses for drones being implemented, especially by those offering real-world solutions that add value and save lives.

No Shots Fired gives us a glimpse into how this incredible technology is doing GOOD in the world. Drones are an awesome tool and in the application highlighted in the film, they are comparable to a bright light in the darkness, helping you to see what might possibly be missed.

Used properly by law enforcement, a drone can provide an alternate or additional perspective on altercations or dangerous situations creating a safer interaction for all involved.

I am humbled and proud to be part of this project to promote drone technology for good.” Based upon testimony from police departments that use drones, the use of them in recording traffic stops, can foresee the risk of danger before incidents occur, and serve as a mechanism for accountability between civilians and police.

The “Drone Boss” Damon Darnall and his wife Gina (Mrs. Drone Boss) are advocates for bringing awareness to the good that drones can provide in the world. It is their belief that people have an unparalleled opportunity to be pioneers in this industry and help highlight the fact that in addition to commercial use for profit, drones can (and will) save countless lives on a global scale.

Goldman Sachs has predicted the drone industry to be a $100 Billion dollar industry by 2020. Damon and Gina’s mission is to encourage people to promote awareness, education, training, safety, responsible drone operation and advanced legislation to support the safety of the consumer and general public and change lives for the better.

Not everyone agrees of course; however many other fields have experienced this similar dichotomy at the beginning of their exposure to the general public. Cars are a prime example. When the automobile was first introduced, people thought the better answer was simply a faster horse, but through exposure, education and awareness the invaluable tool call we call a car became the norm in our society.

This is the level of awareness and safety that Damon and Gina want to bring to drone usage. It is their life mission. They are thrilled to be a part of “No Shots Fired” and the promote use of drones by police officers as tools. Drones are another way to bridge a conversation or police interaction in a non-confrontational way, promoting safety for All parties and to assist resolution in a peaceful manner.

Watch trailer:

When Nesto had the catharsis that a film with this relevance needed to be made, he sought financing from anchor funder Lawrence E. Bell, an entrepreneur with over 20-years of experience in the entertainment industry. As the Founder and CEO of Producers R Us, LLC and an executive producer on several reality based TV shows in development and production he immediately understood the repercussions that a film of this magnitude could generate if embraced by the safety community and community activists across the country.

Recently, Lawrence has been working in conjunction with Lionsgate Television on the production of a reality based show that aired last summer. Lawrence’s production work spans beyond television with him and his strategic partners currently developing multiple feature film projects.

“No Shots Fired” follows Police Officer Kent McGuire and Drone Specialist Todd Covington whose worlds collide after the increase of fatal shootings during traffic stops becomes too much for either of them to bare.

Kent is a loving husband and father of a 4 year old baby girl. He is tormented by nightmares of he and his partner being shot and killed during a traffic stop. Todd is a widowed father raising two daughters ages 14 and 18.

He and his daughter being wrongfully gunned down by Police has been tormenting his dreams of late. Both men desire change. With a country divided over which lives matter most, these two men begin searching for a solution that could end the violence between the Police and the Public. One day, Kent sees Todd flying a drone with his daughters on the baseball field of a local park and he approaches them.

The two men begin to discuss the many uses and possibilities of having drone’s act as mediators, intervening between Police Officers and Civilian Drivers during traffic stops. Thus creating a safe approach to retrieving identification information then entering the data without anyone leaving their vehicles. Kent and Todd go on to form a business and travel the globe doing demonstrations and holding seminars for their new movement “No Shots Fired”.

The lead actor in “No Shots Fired” is Brian Perry, a talented actor that was born in Sacramento and raised in the West Coast. Brian is the also CEO of Agreement Pictures, Corp a Nevada based company. Agreement Pictures Production Company is engaged in all aspects of entertainment.

The team works on film and television projects and work that is currently working on production of several projects highlighting issues important to popular culture including matters of social relevance such as criminal justice and bettering police and community relations. Brian has served dual roles as an actor and a producer and his company partners with other companies in the film production space.

More about Nesto Rhea:

Earnest “Nesto” Rhea is an emerging writer/director. Known for directing actor Jesse Spencer, from Fox’s Golden Globe / Emmy nominated TV show “House” and now starring in the critically acclaimed NBC TV show Chicago Fire, alongside House veteran Jennifer Morrison from 2009’s Star Trek and ABC’s hit show Once Upon A Time, in the short film “The Script”, also written by Nesto.

He is currently developing that short into a feature film. Nesto was hired to direct & co-produced the action/thriller short film “Forever No More” for his long-time friend Nkechi Okoro who was an Executive Producer on Fox’s long running TV Series “Bones” and is now a writer and co-executive producer on the popular TV Series Rosewood.

Nkechi wrote & executive produced the short film which is also in development to become a feature film with Nesto attached to direct. Nesto has worked closely with director Paul “Coy” Allen (most notably recognized for producing the popular tv series R&B Divas). In late 2009, Nesto was 2nd Unit Director on the Timbaland / Katy Perry music video “If We Ever Meet Again”.

He also produced the short film “The Long Night” and directed the behind the scenes for Allen. With roots as a graphic artist and animator, his visual style and creative eye heavily contribute to the look of his film and video projects. After graduating from high school in Inglewood California, Nesto ventured out to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he had no formal training and learned animation, studying under Lock Wolverton who went on to teach the Intensive Disney Animation Workshop in Orlando Florida.

After a few years of working for Wolverton’s Animation Group, Nesto became Lead Animator and was responsible for overseeing 4 junior animators, a weekly workload of storyboard / conceptual design meetings along with project development and marketing.

 

 

 

 

 

source:
Rachel Noerdlinger
rnoerdlinger@mercuryllc.com

 

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