[Weekly Update] June 13, 2022

Today's update photo is from the short film we just shot last week. You can find more from our social media!

Anyway, hope you aren't tired of me gushing about film production because I have more to share.

But first, a bit of a channel update:

CHANNEL UPDATE

It has been a while since we last did this, so let's do a bit of house keeping: If you would like to be credited in the videos with a different name than your Patreon user name, either leave a comment or message me!

Our next video has been uploaded and waiting for sponsor approval. It should go live sometime next week. Due to my upcoming trip, the videos may be released without captions initially. If delayed, I'll make sure they go up within a week of the videos' publishing days. Sorry to people who can't understand me without captions!

First draft script for our video on Gallants is also complete. I'll either record it tonight or tomorrow, depending on if I can finish a second draft. Either way, script preview will be uploaded tomorrow.

As for this month's Patreon bonus video... I'm thinking of talking about Nick Cage's new movie: Massive Talent. I don't know why, but that movie really charms me, and I feel like I have things to say about it. I don't know what I want to say, but I can feel it in my stomach.

MEDIA TALK

You know, I watched The Invincible Dragon, a movie featuring the new action star Zhang Jin, directed by Hong Kong's top director Fruit Chan. And the fight scenes... They kinda suck. No joke, it's legit worse than a lot of stunt demo reels I saw on YouTube.

It really goes to show how difficult it is to shoot a good martial arts fight. And it makes me understand why a lot of Hollywood movies are the way they are.

One of the worse shot is this one:

It's literally just an arm punching from off screen.

Without the body movement, this punch looks weak. Even from a still image you can tell it's weak. And that single shot would then send ripples through the entire creative process down the line.

For example: the editing.

Yeah, it's kicking a dead horse at this point. But rapid cutting often comes in because the editor is trying to compensate for the lack of momentum in the shot itself. Sometimes, like in this case, the actors are most definitely capable of fight for real. But the cinematography fails to capture the action, so the editor is essentially "fixing it in post".

This problem gets worse in the current Hong Kong cinema, because Hong Kong has a tradition of not rehearsing fights. A lot of action movies in Hong Kong were either choreographed by a stunt team, and performed by actors without rehearsal (kinda like how an orchestra performs by following music sheet with no need for rehearsal); Or sometimes, it's choreographed on the spot, and an experienced choreographer would decide how to film it along with the actors.

These skills and knowledge are highly specialized and requires decades of experience and dozens of production to perfect. With Hong Kong's current film output, a lot of filmmaker just don't have the opportunities and resources to practice their craft like the old masters did.

In contrast, while Jackie once criticized Hollywood for strict deadlines, Hollywood (especially after the 2010s) at least takes a lot of times to prep their actors, with rehearsals and sometimes multiple rounds of pre-vis. So, even though Hollywood choreographers can only make a few films per decade, the results often surpasses what Hong Kong has to offer these days.

Having filmed a kung fu film for real, it really changed the way I watch these films, and I start to see how each pieces connect together. I don't just see what's wrong with a scene, I start to see why it is wrong, too.

But for now, that is the update for this week. What are some terrible fight scenes that you remember? I don't know why but the spinning oner from Gods of Egypt always sticks with me. It's so ambitious and so bad, it loops around and becomes mesmerizing.

See you in the next update!