Work on choreography for “Merantau” It's hard to forget. Team members were always open to discussion and the entire process was a collaborative effort.
In film "The Raid" (Serbuan Maut) we continue to use the same approach. For each specific scene, I come up with a situation, location, number of opponents, weapons or other props that may be at hand, and tell the guys about it so that they can start developing it themselves. I am not a choreographer, I have only basic knowledge of silat, so all the technical elements of the choreography were entirely left in the hands of Iko Uwaisa и Yayana Ruhiyana.
I intervene only to shape the fight, to set the pace and tone, to work with the actors to figure out in what order the opponents will attack, to find ways to maintain a breakneck pace or to come up with moments in which the audience can catch their breath. Sometimes I have specific ideas for stunt sequences, and then we go back to hand-to-hand combat, which is completely controlled by the team members.
The next step in the process is choosing actors for the roles. Getting ready for production "Hooligan" (Berandal), the guys from the casting department, Icha, Fadi and Asep, scoured Indonesia in search of fighters of various styles. When work on “Hooligan” was suspended, and then postponed for an even longer period, we were lucky - we had a lot of names in stock of those who could be called and involved in the film "The Raid".
Casting for the roles of bandits in “The Raid”
Once they got together, they had to become familiar with the choreography and learn every move, in addition to developing a sense of mutual trust (this is extremely important). Then I show up and make a video storyboard for each fight. In essence, a video storyboard is a hand-held camera recording with editing that is as close as possible to the final version of the film.
This makes it easier for us to find the right rhythm for the fight scenes. This gives you a chance to correct any problems in the choreography, camera angles or editing techniques before production begins. We don't have as much experience as other directors in this genre, so this process helps us a lot in creating action scenes.
Later in production, we use the video storyboard as a template for all crew members to work with, including the on-location video editor, who will replace those shots with the final ones. Nothing is perfect, and this kind of on-location editing allows us to make sure that the scene is complete, without any broken cuts. Only then do we move on to another scene/location.
New approach
In an earlier blog I talked about how bored I am of watching martial arts movies where the only thing that's interesting is the fighting. Please forgive me, but I will repeat myself again. Often I sit down to watch a film and the first viewing leaves a lasting impression. But when it comes to the second or third time, I fast forward to watch the fights. As is the case with “Merantau”, I hope to make a film that is not only a quality action film, but also a quality drama. Although, to be honest, "The Raid" will turn out to be a very “fun” drama, in which the action will begin from the 15th minute and will practically not stop until the final credits.
In films like "Ip Man" or "Flashpoint" The fight scenes look so exciting not only because of the choreography, but because the viewer has spent a certain amount of time getting to know the characters, it gives the fights a lot of value. Such episodes don't just fill in the gaps between fights, they have their own purpose and purpose. In my film, I want to spend enough time fleshing out the characters and storylines so that the fights have more weight, and it's not just about how cool the fights look.
Differences between “Merantau” и "The Raid" are in our supply strength. If we take the psychology of the character Iko Uwaisa в “Merantau”, as a person seeking a peaceful resolution to any conflict, his initially defensive style of fighting became more aggressive as the film progressed. But in "The Raid" Each attack is the line between life and death, so the choreography here is straightforward, tougher, it is not so “soft”. People will enjoy the fights and stunts that we have prepared, they will be in for a great show.
Another difference is that this time we mixed more fighting styles. With each film, we hope to introduce new talent to audiences, so each supporting character will have their moment of glory and get to showcase their skills in fight scenes tailored to their strengths. Indonesian judo champion Joe Taslima (Joe Taslim) there will be a brutal fight with demonstrations of throws and grappling techniques, and Eka (stuntman from “Merantau”), as a member of a commando team, will star in a large-scale group battle.
We also worked on the hierarchy of opponents that the main characters will have to fight. As a child, the appearance on screen of the incredible Dick Way (My Lucky Stars, Dragon Heart) in films with Jackie Chan served as a signal to me that the upcoming fight would not end with just a couple of blows. He was a formidable opponent and a serious rival to the protagonist. The plan is to give the viewer some partial foreboding that there is an element of danger in every opponent, that the scales may tip the other way and the protagonist may unexpectedly lose.
In addition, we are conducting tests with camera movement, taking into account the change in fighting style. We decided to experiment with the technology we had at hand and see what would work best for this type of choreography.
Test of GoPro HD cameras, from which we later selected Panasonic AG-HCK10 for greater image stability during fast movements.
To those who have already started to worry, I want to say: “No, we won’t stuff the film with a bunch of crap close-ups with a lot of cuts - my team spent months coming up with killer choreography, and I’m going to show it in all its glory.”
Author: Gareth Evans
Source: serbuanmaut.blogspot.com
Translation: EvilDollaR
It is worth adding that in early February, the actors who were to play the roles of special forces underwent five days of training at a training camp with Kopaska (Komando Pasukan Katak - Indonesian Navy SEALs) instructors.
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Tags: The Raid, Gareth Evans, Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian
Tags: The Raid, Gareth Evans, Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian
Interesting article....it just made me really want to watch the movie! Merantau was good, although the main character is too kind on the face) Although the fights were on the level.
As for Flashpoint, this is almost the only film with Donie Yen where he almost doesn’t fly on wires (but still almost)). And the final battle with the main villain on the ruins is generally on the list of the best fighting games (for me, of course)! The film is definitely a must-see!
P.S. By the way, Bei Rong with an acceptable picture is already lying around on the Internet. I downloaded it, but didn't watch it - it was cut off a lot at the edges. But for those who can’t stand it, you can look at it (not a camprip, the image is normal).
Gareth Evans knows how to “competently” present information. We'll see...
EvilDollaR, CHECK OUT VKONTAKT, I sent you some information in a PM
I looked. Yes, the fight is cool) but in general there is not enough action in the first half of the film.
About "Flashpoint" - in this film there was a fight between Donnie Yen and Collin Chow, which is considered one of the best fights in Hong Kong cinema. :)
Thanks, I'll have to take a look.
Flashpoint is one of Donnie Yen's best films.
what movie is Flashpoint?
Thank you.