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• 18-11-09 : The Blood Bond Saga (part 42)

  Saturday, Nov 21, 2009 12:10AM / Standard Entry

   

  Big Brawl#2 : Biehn VS Yam, Phoe VS Emma

  

  It feels like a bash-'em-up videogame today: the epic Lompoc VS Tremayne fistfight comes to an end, while Deva and Guang Di prepare to start their duel. This is tough stuff to shoot anyway, and especially so as we're filming at night.

  

  As I mentioned previously, we're really lucky that Michael Biehn and Simon Yam are in such great shape. These two veterans have been going at it full bore for two nights now. Its like a day trip to Michael Vick's backyard...

  

  Once we get into the final moments of the fight, a knife comes in to play. Unfortunately, the prop knives we're using keep breaking and these two are so gung ho I'm worried they'll start using a real one!

  

  

  

  

  

  With this showdown wrapped, our fighting females take centre stage. We all knew Phoenix could throw down with the best of them, but how about that Emma Pei? With her focus and energy, she's liable to give fashion models a good name...

  

  

  

  I promised to give her the lead in a later film, providing she keeps training and gets a little bigger. (Hopefully, she won't turn into a female Sammo Hung...)

  

  

  Though they come from very different backgrounds, a real rapport has developed between Phoenix and Emma, something that's very important given the hours they need to spend going toe-to-toe (without actually hitting each other!).

  

  

  

  I really feel for Phoenix. All Emma has to do is come in and kill someone once in a while (which she does very well). Phoe has to carry the female lead (dramatically), while at the same time staying in shape for her kick ass action scenes. I'm so thankful that she has our wonderful co-producer Seth around to keep her spirits up.

  

  

  

  The process of Deva in the film is towards her becoming a fully realised 'Protector' of her master, and similarly Phoe's journey has been towards her coming into her own as both an actress and action star.

  

  

  We wrap just before the girls fall over sideways from fatigue. Little do we know that this is going to be one of this week's easier nights...

  Next: Into the corridor of death...

   

   

  
  

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• 17-11-09 : The Blood Bond (part 40)

  Friday, Nov 20, 2009 1:03AM / Standard Entry

   

  Big Brawl#1 : Yam VS Biehn

  Were it not for some inconsistencies in their DNA, I would suspect that Michael Biehn and Simon Yam were long-lost half-brothers. These two are absolutely cut from the same cloth: both consummate professionals, both with decades of industry experience, both highly energetic and remarkably physical...

  I remember when I first worked with both of them on 'Dragon Squad' (AKA 'Dragon Heat'). The 'stars' of the film were a bunch of overly-pampered newcomers, who had to be handled like royalty, even though (as it turned out) the five of them rolled into one couldn't open a film. The kids themselves were fine; it was the irritatingly excessive 'management' teams around them that grated.

  

  Then there were the old hands: Simon, Michael, Sammo Hung, Maggie Q... They just showed up and got the job done with the minimum of fuss. In the end, they were the ones you remembered from the film.

  Michael and Simon never really got to know each other on 'Dragon Squad', so its great that they have become comrades in arms on 'The Blood Bond'.

  

  Tonight's scene sees Lompoc (Simon) and his right hand woman Guang Di (Emma Pei) storm a hospital ICU. This scene is set after a fierce firefight which we have yet to shoot. Michael takes great pleasure in trashing the set to ensure that it matches its post-gunplay 'look'.

  

  

  Simon has, of course, long years of experience with on screen gunplay. He inhabits the role of a veteran rebel leader effortlessly.

  

  

  We're all impressed at how good Emma looks with her weapon. Its a long way from the catwalk to battlefield, but 'Pei Bei' delivers. Off camera, she's her usual pixie-ish self.

  We're drawing to the end of her time on the movie, and, boy, we're all going to miss her. I promised her a lead in another film, if she can gain 30 pounds (or more!). Its either that, or we make Chinese Popeye, with her as Olive Oyl!

  

  

  There's the usual fun and games between her and Simon, who seems to have adopted Emma as his naughty little sister.

  

  

  

  Once inside the ICU, Lompoc and Guang Di get ambushed by our heroes, which leads into a no-holds-barred battle between Simon and Michael.

  The idea is that we juxtapose a brutal, anything goes fight for Lompoc and Tremayne with a more stylised martial arts duel between Deva and her opposite number, Guang Di.

   

  

  Action director Ken Yip's job is made much easier by the fact that (though they're both in their early 50s), both Michael and Simon have great coordination, and keep themselves in top condition.

  

  

  What really 'sells' the fight is that the guys never neglect the acting aspect of the scene, in favour of the action. Everything comes from the situation and the characters. The duel has a genuinely visceral feel to it, despite the fact that the guys are best friends between takes.

  

  

  

  We take the fight as far as we can, and then wrap for the night, with our two combatants limping off to prepare for round two. (And after that the girls start!)

  Next: Big Brawl#2 : Yam VS Biehn continued, plus Phoenix VS Emma

  
  

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• 9-11-09: The Blood Bond Saga (part 34)

  Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 7:23PM / Standard Entry

   

  Into the hospital

  

  AKA the hospital from hell... This set, our biggest interior, took forever to prepare, and we only managed to shoot a couple of scenes today.

  Note to would-be producers: everything takes longer to light than you think it will.

  Second note: when you do finally get enough lights up to illuminate your set, it will then be too hot to actually shoot on.

  Third note: everything can be darkened down in post, but its almost impossible to lighten something up.

  I was very grateful to the wonderful Chinese character actor Lin Dong-fu, cast as Captain Trayng, for his patience as the set was prepared and lighting put in place. It seemed to take forever, and he never once complained.

  

  Our 3rd AD, Pete Wong, who is actually by choice an actor!, was drafted in to play Lieutenant Wuchi when an actor originally selected priced himself out of the game.

  Not to would-be actors: when you're a complete unknown, you need the gig more than you need the money!

  

  Pete aquitted himself well, especially going up against a veteran like Lin. What a voice this guy has! He's the Richard Burton of Shanghai...

  Michael and Lin have established a great rapport, to the extent that Lin actually said, to MB's surprise, "I'm learning so much from you!"

  

  Lin came to be cast after Michael screened some scenes he performed in for a Mainland Chinese TV series. Even though MB doesn't understand Mandarin, he knew a good actor when he saw one and said "we want that guy". Given that ours is a low budget production, it took some cajoling to get Lin's manager to agree to his participation (managers have waaaay too much control over their clients in both Hong Kong and China).

  

  Anyway, we're proud to have Lin Dong-fu in the cast!

  The other good thing about today was all the girls in nurses outfits running around the studio. These included my long suffering assistant producer, Christine Ip.

  

  I should say a few words about her: Christine has an unfailingly sunny disposition, a wry sense of humour, great work ethic... She gives me great faith in the next generation. I really want to commend her for the contribution to the project. (Does this mean I don't have to pay her for this month?)

  Oh, did I mention we had cute girls in nurses outfits on the set?

  

  We're back in there tomorrow. I may need a hospital by the time this scene is over...

  Next: Carry on,  doctor...

   

   

  
  

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• 8 - 11 - 09: The Blood Bond Saga (part 33)

  Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 1:36PM / Standard Entry

   

  Interlude

  

  Sunday again, and, after the night shoot on the lake, you'd think I wanted a break. However, after three hours sitting around the apartment reading a salacious Hollywood biography ('Brando Unzipped') and downing coffee by the bucket, I'm back at the studio.

  Note to all you would be film-makers: A producer's work is (really) never done (at least until the film is in the theatres, and sometimes not even then...)

  I started going over this weeks scenes in the script, and discussing set preparations with the tireless John Lechago.

  Not much to report, except that I miss my boys, and here's a shot of me and them to remind you all what they look like!

  Next : Into the hospital

   

   

  
  

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• 7-11-09 : The Blood Bond Saga (part 32)

  Monday, Nov 9, 2009 12:44PM / Standard Entry

   

  Night on the water

  Tonight we were back at the reservoir, for one of the most entertaining nights of the shoot. Kong Sifu was back with us to shoot a dialogue scene between himself and our leads, and also the sequence where our heroes set sail at night onto a vast river.

  I first met Kong Sifu through my good friend, Australian actor Daniel Whyte. (Daniel and I first worked together on the film 'The Twins Effect'). I was really happy that Daniel could be with us on set for Kong's last night on 'The Blood Bond'.

  

  

  Between takes, we shoot an interview with the larger-than-life Hong Kong movie veteran for our 'making of' documentary. He tells us this is the most fun as he's had on a movie. More fun than 'Writing Kung Fu'?, I demand. "Much more!", he replies, with a huge smile.

  

  Kong has picked up a chest cold somewhere, but never complains. Throughout the long night, his wife gives him a strange brew from a flask, and this keeps him up and running at his usual energy level (which is off the chart...).

  

  

  After we finish the dialogue in the woods, we move down to the reservoir for the scene where Ding and Deva discuss the character of Tremayne, before they set sail down the dark river. Night, water, a boat... Anyone familiar with film-making knows we're in for a handful.

  

  Master Kong is wonderful in his scene with Deva. He talks about Tremayne constantly being at war, either with himself or others. "For some of us," he says, "that's all we know..." Michael watches from behind the monitor. That's beautiful, he mutters to himself.

  

  We have to light the water (without making it look 'lit'), we need to be sure the vessel goes where we need it to...

  

  Initially, there are fears that the boat won't float, and especially not with the burly Kong Sifu on one end of it. However, though it does take in water, the worthy vessel does indeed set off as planned.

  

  After Michael pushes the boat off, the actual vessel is 'driven' by Kong himself, who proves to be a past master of the outboard motor, with our associate producer Oliver Williams navigating.

  As Williams tries to recapture the days of British naval power, there are some off-camera Pythonesque moments: Ollie, all flying limbs at the front, resembles the mutant love child of Hugh Grant and John Cleese, Kong, hunched at the motor, does his best Tor Johnson...

  At the end of a long night, its sad to announce that Kong Sifu is wrapped... At least until our next film!

  

  Next : Interlude

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  
  

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