Jon Braeley-Director
Empty Mind Films is the leading independent film studio for documentaries on China, Japan and India and for the martial arts. We have worked hard to earn this reputation. Our films are authentic, accurate and full of realism. Our films do not sensationalize or make false claims and in this way, we are regarded as the most accurate independent film source for traditional cultures of Asia. We are committed to telling the stories of the world’s top masters of martial arts and the philosophies of China and Japan. We have contributed movie footage to many leading broadcast channels, including National Geographic.
Where did the name Empty Mind Films come from? During filming at the Shaolin Temple, a monk was painting a very large calligraphy on parchment laid on the floor. The calligraphy depicted ‘empty mind’ – or no-mind. It was at this moment Jon knew he had found the name of the film company. This is also part of the opening scene in the movie, The Empty Mind.
Empty Mind Films is the work of director and photographer Jon Braeley and is a combination of his passion for Asian culture, storytelling and photography. Jon has over twenty five years of professional photography and filmmaking experience. Born in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, Jon obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a degree in architecture. In 1990 he moved to New York and switched from architect to photographer. Today, he spends his time between the Empty Mind production studios in the USA and in Beijing, China Asia. Jon is also an experienced Martial Artist, gaining his black belt in Shotokan Karate at twenty two years of age. During his training over the last thirty years, he has met many great martial arts masters. He ran his own Karate dojo for twelve years and still finds time to practice a little karate today. He also has a wide range of knowledge of Tai Chi Chuan and Aikido, having trained in both arts at a young age.
Jon is assisted by Betty Yuan on most of his films. Betty is a journalist and writer and fluent English speaker (among others) with a great enthusiasm for filmmaking and story telling. A resident of Beijing, Betty is responsible for all of our logistics and location productions throughout Asia.
Our films are made to a very high creative and technical standard and have won international film festivals, awards and national film critic reviews. Advances in the technology of filming have been rapid, and a large part of our investment goes to equipment and the latest post production methods. In 2007, we converted to High Definition using Sony tapeless HD cameras. In 2011 we will be moving to the RED camera and RED workflow. All of our movies are filmed in High Definition. Of course, we will still release all titles in Standard DVD format. We distribute to over 40 countries in Europe, the Far East, South America and North America and Australia.
