Isaac Florentine has firmly established himself as a director that action fans can rely on. Since the early 90s, he has consistently produced films with gripping fight scenes that rival, and in some cases surpass, those in larger-scale productions. Having started his career in the low-budget martial arts genre, as well as directing English-language segments for various versions of the popular Japanese children's television series "Power Rangers” , Florentine developed a unique style based on tightly constructed and edited kinetic action scenes. The quality of his work in such settings quickly made him a popular choice in the heyday of the "video-only" genre. Florentine not only collaborated with famous action stars such as Gary Daniels, Dolph Lundgren и Jean-Claude Van Damme, but also created bright and memorable films for each of them, which took a worthy place in their filmographies.
It was during this period Isaac Florentine discovered the British actor Scott Adkins, with whom he has had a long and fruitful working relationship. United by their love of martial arts, they have collaborated on eleven projects to date. Two of them are "Undisputed 3: Redemption” And "Ninja 2” — have become cult martial arts films and are considered the pinnacle of all "video rental" martial arts films.
With the success of this collaboration, Florentine has expanded his repertoire, directing films featuring not only martial artists but also Hollywood actors, giving them the opportunity to showcase their action skills. In his new film, "Dogs of war” (Hounds of War) the main roles were played by Frank Grillo, Robert Patrick и Rhona Mitra. An action thriller about a group of elite mercenaries tasked with eliminating a high-level terrorist, the operation quickly spirals out of control. The film confirms Florentine's status as one of the genre's reliable directors.
Ahead of the digital release of "Dogs of War” Matthew Essary (Film Combat Syndicate) had the chance to talk to Isaac Florentine about his directing methods and inspirations.
You've been working in the action genre for over three decades. How have you evolved as a director from your days directing episodes of Power Rangers and low-budget films like Desert Kickboxing and High Voltage, to the acclaim you received for Undisputed 3, to your latest film, The Dogs of War?
I think nothing beats experience. When I was shooting Desert Kickboxing, my first American film, my first feature, I noticed that people here work on a system of "master and extensions." (Note: Shooting a "master" means shooting the entire scene from one main angle. The scene is then reshot several times from different angles and distances so that this footage can be used to edit with the "master" in post-production, creating a complete fight sequence. This gives the film editor many options for assembling the scene.)
I just came from Israel, and I didn't have that approach there. I always had "editing in my head." First you edit the scene in your mind, and then you shoot only what you need, with the right lens and the right angle - so you know how you're going to edit.
When I came here and made my first film, people asked: "Why don't you take off the master?” I had to explain - in fact, argue with them - that this was not the right approach to shooting action films. However, for "Power Rangers” That's exactly what we wanted, because the material had to be combined with the Japanese footage that had already been shot. So this approach was ideal. I shot a lot of episodes."Power Rangers” , and for me it became a laboratory where I could experiment, because their attitude was: "Go and shoot every day, try new things. If it doesn't work out, we'll reshoot.” It became a place for me to experiment.
After that I took off "High voltage” I came out of the "lab" and gained experience. You can see it in the style of the film - there was more confidence in it. I think that "H” really solidified my style. I had it figured out by that point, and it was just a matter of refining it. It's not a matter of declaring something as "my style." When I see or think a story needs to be told this way, I don't call it a style. It's just your way, your natural reaction to how to tell a story, whether it's a drama or an action film.
I know you've been involved in martial arts your whole life and often work with professional fighters. But over time, you've found yourself working more and more with actors who don't have that experience. Has this changed your approach to working with actors?
I have been doing karate, Japanese karate, for 53 years. Karate is very precise, it is very clear. When I shoot, I try to make the scenes very precise. Precision is important. When you do a fight scene with someone who has experience in martial arts, it is easy to explain.
But I noticed that actors, even if they have no combat experience, often enjoy participating in such scenes. I remember filming "Access code "Sofia” from Christian Slater, he really liked it. I was making a film with Antonio Banderas stated, "Vows silence” He wanted to work with me because he wanted to be in a martial arts movie. He knew all the choreography and did all the scenes himself.
It's the same in my last film "Hellfire” (HellFire), which I'm finishing now with Stephen Lang, we shot him when he was 70 years old. He did 90,9% of his own fighting, it's incredible. They love it, they want to be in action movies and work with a director who can show them off.
You are good at creating dynamic scenes with camera movement. How do you visualize action?
I try not to do a lot of abrupt cuts. I prefer to have a flow to the scene and have the shot hold a mood that conveys the story. I don’t want to show a long, continuous shot just to show that I can do it. I’m always looking for the best way to tell the story. Often, I wait until I find the right location for the scene. This helps determine how the scene will develop. If you start telling the story correctly, organically, it will flow. If you start incorrectly, you will inevitably get stuck.
The most difficult part of making a film for me is finding the right locations, and of course casting. Finding the right locations is important because they determine the look of the film, the way the scenes and actions play out. The action always adapts to the location.
For example, in the movie "Dogs of war” The big action scene at the beginning was supposed to take place in a huge palace. However, we couldn't find the right palace, so a few days before filming, we changed the plan and moved the action to an old ruined hotel, which worked as a fortress. All the early scenes of the film were shot there. This was not in the script - according to the script, the location was supposed to be completely different. We had to modify everything to adapt the action and filming to the new location.
Finally, I would like to ask you about your inspirations in cinema. Who inspires you as a director?
Sergio Leone.
What is it about Leon that inspires you?
I watched his films when I was young. I remember seeing "For a handful of dollars” My favorite genre has always been the Western, but this was something completely different. After watching the film, I went to my brother, who was eight years older than me, and said: "Listen, that was very interesting. Did you see the thumb, the eyes, those extreme close-ups?” You won't see this in other movies. And I asked: "Who decides how to film it like this?” And he answered:"There is a person called a director. He makes such decisions.” And I thought:"Wow, I see.”
That's how I started getting interested in cinema. Films "For a handful of dollars” ,"A few dollars more” And "Good bad evil” I've watched it hundreds of times. And of course, "Once Upon a Time in the Wild West” became a textbook for me on how to make a film. Sergio Leone had the greatest influence on me.
A great choice for inspiration. Thanks for your time, Isaac. Congratulations on the release of The Dogs of War.
Source: Film Combat Syndicate
Tags: Hounds of War, Power Rangers, Isaac Florentine, Robert Patrick, Rhona Mitra, Frank Grillo
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