FILM-FIGHTING 101 (Part 2 of unknown)

Continued…

So first things first, I’ll address the inquiries of the last blog.

Joe Fiorello – William Shatner Star Trek fight was a classic. Haha.

Flagday – Well like I said, I cannot put a real martial artist on here and put him on blast. I don’t want to make enemies… just yet. haha j/k. cuz to be honest, I can criticize even the best of them just as an acting teacher can criticize an Oscar achieving performance but wouldn’t that send out the wrong signals? I will steer away from negativity because though some film-fighting is not good, I do still enjoy it.

MissScarlett – Good point. It was a little bit insulting when we can clearly see that Collin Chou would destroy Keanu in a heartbeat haha but I still enjoyed seeing Collin and Yuen Wu Ping invade the western scene.

JRS - “Close-ups in film fighting cover up a variety of flaws” That’s actually a great observation.  Not many viewers know this. American action does this a lot, take for example Batman Begins however in that particular example, it fits the style. I agree that martial arts flips cannot compare to gymnastic flips.

“Teach us, baby!”

…and show all my secrets?! Hahaha. NO WAY!

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Okay so back to the component EXPRESSION.

EVEN REAL MARTIAL ARTISTS FAIL AT THIS STEP:

Real martial artist know how to throw a REAL punch, have good core strength and accuracy depending on their level. Someone like the MMA fighter Rampage Jackson might kill 3 stuntmen per day, destroy 2 expensive cameras, and break the DP’s nose in the process… and then still the footage is still unusable particularly because camera tension is very prevalent amongst non-experienced film-fighters.

Film-fighting is TEAMWORK. Real fighting is not. In film-fighting, the stuntmen and the “hero” must have trust, coordination, and chemistry; traits very similar to a BASKETBALL team. (not talking about the old-school high shorts )

A skilled fighter can throw a spin-kick very easily. But can he throw the same exact spin-kick 25 times at 3AM after 8 hours of shooting action with the same exact precision and intent and power and speed and emotion while knowing where the camera is so he can open up to it and sell the presence with focus eyes and perfect positioning according to the directors preference, (not to mention, stop on a DIME if stuntmen stumble too close)? ::catches air in a hurry::

Most viewers are unaware that in film, there are many takes and film scenes can be brutal. More often than not, you must throw A COMBINATION of attacks, not just one and in between each attack you also must sell the “in-between” without looking like you are waiting (but that’s a different component).  

Just like in the court of law (ooh I made a connection), INTENT is a very important part of expression. When you throw a film punch, you must sell the intent to hit him while maintaining control.  This small detail entails knowing what it is to want to beat a man’s face in. ... and so I'm not sexist, beat a woman's face in also.

Film fighters must know what it is to be in a REAL FIGHT and the emotion that comes along with it. Why? Because this IS THE EMOTION YOU MUST SELL. (Now when I say fighting, I’m not talking about gloves and a ring. I’m talking about NO HOLDS BARRED on the streets and the emotions that come with that.) For example, small details like where your eyes are looking when you are film-fighting. Inexperienced film-fighters focus their eyes on their opponent’s next attack before the opponent even attacks. In doing so reveals the sequence of CHOREOGRAPHY. That is bad because it takes away the element of fighting called UNPREDICABILITY or surprise element (separate component discussed later).  The eyes should look at the center of the person’s chest so that one can use the peripheral vision to see attacks from all angles. Is this confusing? haha

Aight I didn’t know I was going to be circulating AnD. If I did, I would have put on a shirt and combed my hair for this. … well actually, just the “combed my hair” part.

At Flagday’s and JRS’ request.

Next time I’ll go over "gags and stunts" which is essential for excitement. Maybe I’ll show some clips from my film… hehehe lessee how high my ego is hoovering at that time LOL.