Shooting Kung Fu

[Tom Servo]

I just finished a script with a friend, its a comedy/kung fu idea, and I have never filmed any "fight scenes" before. Do any of you have some pointers/tips on shooting fight sequences? I would especially like to know how to edit in the sounds/make sounds at the right time (without having the actors kill each other) and how to make it look pretty real.

Thank you
Tom

------------------

[eddie]

I wouldnt worry too much about the sound effects.
You can put them all on in when editing, in fact if its a comedy the cheesier they are then perhaps the better.
Ive done this a few times, by searching for punch sound effects on the web, and downloading, then sync them in place, although at first I thought it was a bit over the top, the effect has grown on me, perhaps it will you.

You can speed up the action quite considerably with fast cuts too.

------------------

[RedRaven]

It all depends on how you are going to be editing. If you've got a computer editing system then you're best bet is to sample some sounds from a real kung fu movie and dub them onto your fight scene. If you really want to get the "feel" right, you should remove ALL the real sound from the sequence and completely dub it, including the voices! This is how real kung fu films are done.

------------------

[Tom Servo]

I'm editing non-linearly (computer. these are very helpful ideas. They'll be used, without a doubt...this will also be my first movie that I'm going to try to put online, so perhaps you can see the results...one day...

------------------

[mrpinkx007]

Ok, what hong kong action filmamkers make fight scenes what they do is use wide angles, because they have use to trained professional fighters then they speed everything up just a tad, now when American action makers make action movies and they don?t have axcess to quite as good fighters then they do really close up shots and lots of cuts to make it seem hectic and fast, this does not look as good as the real stuff but it works, now this is what you may want to do

------------------
Spencer Nicholson
Left Hook Productions

[Jeremy]

Find a local martial arts club and ask them for advice.

I do kung fu, one of the teachers I train with has done some courses on 'fighting for the screen' and I imagine that lots of trainers know about this stuff so go and ask 'em.

Try my schools site (it has a links page to other fu sites) at http://www.martialarts.co.uk/index.htm

------------------
http://www.geocities.com/futureinfilm

[Thread Killa]

I shoot a lot of pro wrestling and many of them have martial arts gimmicks. If you need stuntmen/actors try to hunt a few down and leave the fight scenes to them.

Edit: Don't leave it entirely to them.
Make sure they don't do any moves that strictly related to wrestling (eg clotheslines, bodyslams, chairshots).

[This message has been edited by Thread Killa (edited September 30, 2001).]

[Ralph Snart]

If you are editing on computer as a rule it should be possible to run a number of high end programs (system percentage cost) at once.
And perhaps this is an un elegant way to do things but I have found that as long as the import and export format requirements are met you can shunt from one program to another therefore creating a layering effect often times far superior to any single indiginous effect in any one program.
Sort of like moving from department to department.
I create a file superstructure and then match the import and export requirements.
For instance and this to a certain extent works with audio as well although that in and of itself is its own domain:
I have two high end realtime animation programs, I can move objects from one to another then move the whole thing to an editing program, use chroma key and put the whole thing together as one scene.
Although I have never as such attempted to match dialog, sound can work in much the same way it is a matter of timing.
For instance: you have a 15 second scene (What is that in metric?) You should be able to have one program playing the dialog, another playing say a rainstorm, yet a third doing whatver and so on.
So we have three audio programs running and a fourth video program recording the audio from the previous three.

------------------

[Curtin-Parloe]

Tom,

If you do it yourself, no budget, then:
1 make sure everything is as safe as possible.
2 Don't make the actors do anything you wouldn't do yourself.
3 Plan it meticulously.

For Bad Eye, there was a fight scene where Dave dives at Sam (I was Sam). We had a duvet behind me and I practiced falling over (without being pissed). I talked through with Peter(Dave) what we were going to do, and we tried it in slow motion a couple of times. When we did it for real, I hurt my arse , so we got an extra duvet. Obviously in the edit you have to cut before the laughing...
For the punch-up itself Peter pretended to attack me and I watched the results (using the monitor - it was on video). We then worked out how to make it look more realistic (different positioning, punching in different places, etc.).
Afterwards my sister came to help with the editing and punched a (stunt) duvet for the sound effects.

Hope this helps

cheers

Paul

------------------
BAD EYE - It's finally here! www.curtin-parloe.co.uk/badeye Curtin Parloe 2001

[8th Man]

Gosh it seems like there could be an infinate way to go about such a challenge as a fight scene. I would imagine you're looking at a lot of kung fu movies as reference. What do you like? What stands out in them to you? Is it the way the camers moves? the choreography ? the pacing?
I've always like the freedom of the camera in Hong Kong films. Most are post dubbed and that must help free it all up.
I'd also say you should get plenty of coverage so you'll have something to cut to when you need to.There must be nothing worse than felling that a cut is needed at a certain point and having nothing to cut to. Especially in comedy and action, and you'll have both.I'll assume that you'll have one camera so you may consider shooting the same sequence a few times frome different angles but keeping the same screen direction so as not to confuse the audience.
Since it's a comedy, you might consider some unusual sound fx in foley. Hit some vegetables with a bat or break sticks or something. Experiment
Under-crank the camera. Real time it seems , will always look too slow.
Over the soulder shots sowing a punch or kick can look real if the timing on the reaction is right. from that angle you could miss them by a mile and the reaction and sound can carry it so well.
Best of luck Old Top!

------------------
PRM