Everyone loves a good martial arts movie. Those movies where two guys (or girls) go head to head in battle to see who is the best. Or about a lone warrior against many enemies. Anyway, fight and martial arts movies have been around for a long time, and will continue to do so as long as people have the money to pay or rent a movie of some dude kicking another dude's face.
Speaking of fighting movies, Undisputed 3 is a sequel to the prison fighting tournament movie. What's great about Undisputed is that each movie was better than the last. Scott Adkins returns as Boyk, the “bad guy” from Undisputed 3 who was defeated by George Chambers (Michael Jai White). Suffering from a knee injury suffered after the fight with George, Boyka became a cleaner and no longer fights. But when the turn of a new tournament approaches, in which the world’s best fighters will take part, Boyka must try and prove to himself and others that he really is the best fighter in the world.
I spent a few hours with Larnell Stovall, the choreographer and stunt coordinator for Undisputed 3. Larnell has been in the business for quite some time and used his martial arts knowledge and keen eye to bring the fights audiences wanted to see in Undisputed 3.
Larnell talked to me about how he got started, his perspective on modern fight scenes and how they are shot, on-set injuries, fight choreography, and his work on “The Other Guys” with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, about “The Mechanic” with Jason Statham and much more.
Viewers will be interested in learning about what goes behind creating great fights. I hope you guys enjoy the interview.
Tell me how your career as a stunt coordinator began.
Stovall: It all started when I was in New Orleans and contacted a man named Chuck Jeffries. Then I participated in martial arts competitions: NASCA, NBL, SKI, USKA, awards, championships and so on. Several of my friends auditioned for the Mortal Kombat: Conquest series. At that time, for many guys like me, who were looking to somehow change their lives, this was a good opportunity. Several of my friends were chosen for the series. Immediately after this, a stunt coordinator named John Medlen selected several competitors. A week before I was supposed to audition, I tore my ankle ligaments, but I still came to him to find out what exactly they were doing, and they just needed stuntmen. That was the starting point and I said to myself, “Yeah, I think this is what I want to do with my whole life.” One of my friends, whose name was John Valera, was there. He was also chosen. They went to Florida and worked on the show for about two months and made a ton of money. It must be taken into account that they were children then. They were about eighteen, nineteen, twenty years old, and I was about twenty-one, twenty-two years old. When I found out how much they earned, I said to myself: “Okay, I need to do this. You have to try it yourself.” Back to Chuck Jeffries. When I got back to New Orleans, the movie Blade had already come out, and I found out that Chuck Jeffries was one of the fight coordinators. I am also African American. When I found out that my “brother” did it, I tracked him down online and sent him an email, just to introduce myself. He was very kind and answered me. By the time I signed a contract with him, Blade had raised a large sum, and negotiations were underway for a second part. Of course, I sent him some clips of me fighting in competitions, which, in hindsight, is very difficult to impress a fight coordinator or a stunt coordinator with. They watch you in the middle of the ring kicking, moving and doing things that most on-screen fighters don't necessarily need to do. The exception is when you are properly trained in how to turn those same kicks and moves into a cinematic fight. Many people are not capable of this. This is why only a few fighters who try to get into the film industry succeed.
Due to the nature of your work, do you have to take lessons, for example filmmaking lessons?
Stowell: Some people try, but to do that they have to find someone willing to teach them, to help them, to take a great talent and turn it into a great film talent. Sometimes we come across such people. Sometimes they find us themselves. For example, the members of my group are the most talented. Some developed their talent over the years, trained and became stuntmen and fighters, some of the best in the world. Most often we work on big blockbusters, sometimes on smaller films. But all of these guys can translate their natural talent as fighters into great cinematic fights. Long story short, I wanted to be involved in Blade 2, but unfortunately Chuck didn't work on it, for some unknown reason. Then I quit my job, took the Greyhound bus and came to Los Angeles. This was just when things weren't going well for him. But I was already there. From that moment on, I did what any other stuntman does: participated in filming, worked in independent films, short films and student films. I just wanted to get on screen, trying to go beyond the basic gangster image. Yeah, with a bandana on my head, wearing a sleeveless shirt, waving a gun from side to side, I'm going to scare the crap out of a lot of people, but it paid off in the end. It helped me gain a little trust, a little respect, and get some stunt coordinator names on my resume. Of course, once I started moving in the martial arts circle, I continued to scour in search of new, more advanced opportunities. In any case, a few years later, having realized that stunt work was not bad, but I liked a more creative activity, I decided from a stunt performer to become a fight choreographer. To tell the truth, this happened five or six years ago. My biggest challenge was creating a short film with a comic book character I created. Yes, I have a quirk about this. I admit it. After being unemployed for six to eight months, I created my own character named Steel. I used what was left of my money, my unemployment benefits, everything I could to create this character, and it just so happened that I found an artist to do this. I wanted to make my own comic, but then I said to myself: “When it comes to Hollywood, the audience needs to see something more than they could imagine. I’ll go ahead and make a short film and not talk about it, but let people see what I’m trying to convey to them.” I thought to myself, “So, who's going to play the lead?” Naturally, I had no money and there was no one who would agree to spend two months of his free time for such work. So I told myself: “I will take the job and play the role, because I know my character well.” I made a film. It turned out great. We took part in the film festival. The film was nominated seven times and received various awards. I won the Rising Action Star award. I won the award for “best fight.” It somehow went viral on the internet and caused a huge stir, which is when people started contacting me and telling me to try and make it into a feature film. Therefore, I was very careful - I had to not let the film spread too much online. Thanks to my short film, these guys drew attention to me, I was already training with them, just on weekends, conducting three-hour training sessions and fight choreography classes on Saturdays.
Now that you've gone from being a stunt coordinator to a fight coordinator, do they send you scripts and do you work based on them, or do they just tell you that they want to do a fight scene here and there and this long?
Stowell: It varies. Sometimes the script describes exactly what the fight should be like. There may be plot points within the fight itself that I need to come up with choreography for. Let's say, for example, that a fight consists of eight parts. In the first part there may be fifteen movements consisting of punches, kicks, elbows, whatever, but according to the plot, the main character has a broken arm and he can only fight with one. Then he will need to get a gun. Simply put, I will include this moment, for example, in the fourth part. They break his arm. Then in the seventh part he will start taking out a gun. In the eighth, he will finally take it out entirely and shoot the “bad guy.” This is how it usually happens. But sometimes you might get a script that just says “they're fighting.” Then you really have to get creative. This happens most often with low-budget films. For example, in “Undisputed 3” there were few such moments that had to be followed. My hands were free, and I was free to create any elements that I wanted to insert into the battle. So everything you see when you watch the movie yourself was created in battle. That's all. They just let me have some fun.
You can find the above-mentioned films in high quality on the website https://hi-4k.com/ .
Is it true that while working with such a martial artist as Scott Adkins, you also worked with Jason Statham in “Mechanics”?
Stovall: I actually worked there as a stuntman. The second cast was directed by a guy named Dave Leach, one of the owners of 87eleven. Nun Orsatti, the stunt coordinator, was one of the people who also worked with him. Chaz Tachowski, John Valera, Sam Harbrake all collaborated with him, focusing on authentic fight choreography. I was used as a stuntman. In those cases when I work as a stuntman, I do not interfere in what is happening, I do not indicate how to throw punches or kicks. I often have to do things like this. But no matter who is working on the project, we all support each other.
When you create fight choreography with actors who are actually fighters, do they have any influence on the creation or do they just listen to what they are told?
Stowell: They have a big impact. To give you the best example, let's take Scott Adkins. A phenomenal fighter. He's like a quirky video game character come to life. What I like about him is that he let me do the choreography myself and was happy with all my work, mainly because I pushed him. I'd say, "Okay, I've seen your moves, but what about something new, something that hasn't been in the movie before." Or tried to stay away from what this actor was doing and develop something completely new. I think the audience expects and deserves it. Fighters may have their own “signature” blow, “signature” movement, something memorable, and I may not use it. And if I use it, I will present it in a different way, in a way that no one has ever seen it before. If they have experience in martial arts, that helps me. I sit down and look at where their strengths are and where their weaknesses are. I stay away from their weaknesses, but if I can and find the free time to teach them something new on top of their existing skills, I'm just as likely to use that new thing.
In Undisputed 3 there were different fighting styles: you had a capoeira guy versus a kickboxer. Does it take twice as long? And how long does planning take?
Stovall: The way I plan it is if I have a schedule and the first fighter is a boxer and the second guy is a jiu-jitsu guy, I look at the schedule and try to come up with choreography for those fights that come first. If I have more inspiration in some fights, then it literally takes a day or two to create the entire fight. But then I need to show everything to the actors, film it, and see what happened. I'll consider this the first run. After watching the recording, I continue: “Okay, but I can change this and make it better.” I make a second pass, the director sees, approves and says: “Hey, I liked the fight, it’s ready.” With this setup, the battle usually takes a maximum of a day or two. But this time depends on how quickly the actor manages to master the movements. It happens that they cannot be performed at the level that I would like to see in the film. Then, in the allotted time before filming, I have to go back and tweak the choreography a little bit to suit their physical capabilities and what they can handle.
How do you deal with injuries?
Stowell: It's a funny story. Injuries. I’ll tell you an interesting thing about “Undisputed 3”, many people don’t know this. On the very first day I met Scott at the gym. The night before the flight, we met with him and were very excited, we were ready to get to work the next day, get into the gym with the Bulgarian stuntmen and start creating. I had so many ideas. I just couldn't wait for him to get started. He comes in and says hello to the guys. We are on the floor, warming up and so on, and then he runs past on the springy floor, doing a little somersault in order to relax a little. On his next attempt, he twisted his ankle. Not even seven minutes of warm-up have passed, and he is already limping. I sat there and said to myself, “Crap. I'm in such a mess. Wasted time and all.” But he is a real fighter. I admit it. He worked through a sprained ankle while learning all the choreography. If there was a move where he had to jump or something like that, we skipped it and moved on to easier things: punches, kicks, elbows, dives, counters, grabs, so that he could develop a choreographic memory that way. . Five days passed, his ankle had healed and he could do somersaults again. But when you only have two weeks, five days seems like an eternity because you can't see your fight at full speed because of this injury. The next week he was already able to do everything as quickly as possible, but then the same misfortune happened to the capoeirista. One day he came, he and Scott finally met, and I said, “Okay, this is going to be another fight. I can’t wait to see what the whole choreography looks like.” So we started choreographing with Marko Zaror, the main villain of the film, and Ilrom Choi, the Korean fighter, working out a preliminary version of their fight. They were on one side of the room, and on the other side of the room were Scott and Lateef [Crowder]. I heard, “Hey Larnell, check it out!” I looked back. They tried to show me the movement that I needed. Latif began: “Okay, ready? Three, two, one, let's start! Aaaaaah!!!” And Latif twisted his ankle. I was more worried about Latif because he only had four days left before filming this fight. We didn't have as much time as we did with Scott. Scott actually had three weeks before filming his first fight.
And his movements, Latifa, are probably the most acrobatic in the entire film?
Stowell: Yeah, that's what bothered me. I said then: “Well, that’s it, I’m probably going to screw up.” But, fortunately, everything worked out, and Latif was ready the day before filming. He could even do everything at top speed. He was holding back a little, but I knew that by the time we filmed he would be ready and we wouldn't have to cut anything or sacrifice any movement due to injury. It was super.
Modern cinema is developing in such a way that there are a lot of ropes and few real fights, but you are still busy with work. You, despite everything, manage to find work related to stunts and fights, don't you?
Stovall: Well, here's the thing. I've been behind the scenes. I was really low key for a while. By inconspicuous I mean that sometimes I was one of the crowd, just one of the stuntmen. Maybe you were doing an interview and you might have noticed me collecting obscenities, like, this is Larnell. This is what business is all about. Sometimes you don't have a full-time job, and sometimes it takes months to choreograph, start production, and then shoot the film for two to six months. Sometimes you're just one of those people who runs out, gets hit, falls to the ground, and that's my job on that particular day. But since “Undisputed,” things have improved. This is one of my standalone films where I am listed in the credits as a fight choreographer. I'm glad Isaac [Florentine], New Image and everyone else decided to put my name in the opening credits, which is a rarity. They were very impressed with my fights. My next project will most likely be “Bunraku”. It will be released and will become my first hit.
What is the title of the movie?
Stowell: “Bunraku.” Starring Josh Harnett. And also a Japanese superstar named Gackt. He is like the Japanese Michael Jackson. This is his first American film. He is popular as Stephen Chow or Rain. This will be his American debut in a supporting role.
What is he talking about?
Stowell: Josh Hartnett comes to town looking for his father's killer. Gackt also has his own personal goal. I think he wants to fulfill something that his uncle or father asked before he died. Naturally, they unite into one team and travel together, but killer fighters will become an obstacle on their way. It's kind of funny because Ron Perlman is the leader of the killers and Kevin McKidd is his right hand man. In essence, there is only one killer out of a dozen, and the rest are stuntmen who add to the action. Therefore, there will be plenty of fights. When I first received the script, I counted twenty-eight fights in it.
Solid.
Stovall: Yes, and there were no [firearms]. I'm talking about fights. For the first time I can say that I am more satisfied than ever. I was just creatively salivating: “Oh my God, I can’t wait to do this.” The stunt coordinator, Clay Barber, who invited me, told me, “I know there are a lot of other projects out there that you could be involved in, but just read this script and then give it back to me. I think you’ll definitely like it.” I read from the first to the last page and couldn't stop.
A twenty-eight fight Western may be the greatest film of its kind.
Stoval: It doesn't have to be a Western. Just Josh from the West. Gackt is from the East, and they met in the middle of a very interesting place. Bunraku is a Japanese puppet theater. This is a paper world in which all the decorations are made of paper. There are computer graphics everywhere. A couple of weeks ago I finally watched one segment. The director's name is Guy Moshe. This is his first major film, sponsored by Keith Calder. It doesn't matter that not many people know about it yet, but I'm sure studios will be extremely interested in it.
But the events take place in 1800, right?
Stovall: No, no, no. Everything happens in its own separate world. You can't put a time frame on it. And it also cannot be confined within the framework of certain scenery or anything else. One person said: “It's like Moulin Rouge with fighting.” A play on color and background, but with martial arts. Such a cast: Josh Hartnett, Gackt, Kevin McKidd, Ron Perlman, Demi Moore, Woody Harelson - everywhere you look - there are only stars. I'm looking forward to it. It might be my first movie to be shown in theaters and I'll be credited as a fight choreographer. After this, things should improve.
In The Other Guys, did you also do stunts?
Stovall: Yeah, it was fun. When The Other Guys comes out, I think it will be a hit. This is a comedy. The trailer shows how funny the film will be, but it doesn't show how much action there will be. And it will be some of the most intense you've ever seen, from explosions to great car chases. I'll only have a cameo there, but it will be a big scene at the beginning of the film with The Rock and Sam Jackson chasing us. It was fun. Sam is great as always. “The Rock” was also very cool.
You worked with Dwayne on “Treasure of the Amazon” before, right?
Stoval: Yes. I worked with him on “Treasure of the Amazon,” but it only lasted one day. I was one of the stuntmen, but some members of our team worked with him for several months. They worked well with him, but for me it was our longest mutual collaboration. It was wonderful. I wish him all the best. I can't wait to see him take Hollywood by storm in the action genre. He currently has two projects that will have plenty of action.
Yes, the film “Faster” and?..
Stoval: Sort of like “Protector” or “Protection”. His opponent will be Clive Owen or someone else. Something interesting awaits us. I can’t talk about this, otherwise ninjas will come down from above and kill me.
So you have a big action sequence at the beginning of The Other Guys?
Stoval: Yes. Most of what happens is about the chases rather than about individuals. It's pretty funny considering my passion is fighting. When you create fights, the viewer is attached to the main character or villain, but when you start using computer graphics, weapons and explosions, your connection is broken a little, only a little because you know that one day there will come a moment when a stunt double will come out and play the role perfectly. Most often this is done because of insurance - the producers do not want their characters to get hurt, I understand this decision and respect it. But the fights turn out wonderful, as, for example, in “Undisputed 3”, when there are no doubles. This way you don't lose touch with the characters. Luckily, we had a good script, so there was a lot of subtext built into the fights you watch. You want to see if the guy who talks nonstop can get the job done. When you see a bad guy skilled in tournaments, you think: what will he do if he meets worthy opponents? All this was built thanks to a good script. Now it was up to me to have good fights, so that the audience at the end of the film would say: “Okay, it was worth it.” People shouldn't waste ninety or one hundred and twenty minutes of their time on crap. And I thought: “Let's give them the best.” My goal was to make all the fights epic. I hope the world views them that way when they watch the film.
Is it difficult to work with actors who have not acted in combat? Why do you think there are so few fight scenes with women fighting each other? When I was a kid, I remember there were always female fights in Hong Kong movies, but that's not the case anymore.
Stowell: Yes. Quentin [Tarantino] did a good job a few years ago with Kill Bill with Uma [Thurman]. It became one of those American films that truly earned respect, while also earning good money. However, I haven't watched it yet. But we have Gina Carano, who will star in Steven Soderbergh's Knockout. Plus, she trained with us. I say “trained”, and Gina is already a trained fighter, meaning what I said earlier. You need to take your usual training, skills and endurance, and turn them into something more suitable for showing on the screen. In a fight I can throw a punch a certain way and it will work, but in front of the camera it needs to be thrown more powerfully, with exaggeration. This is what I meant. Okay, time to get back to women's fighting. I see potential in them and would not mind working on them. Studios always give women a chance, but sometimes they look at the history of previous films. Have they made money, and is it worth giving them another chance? This influences their decision. Once you've been on the big screen and released enough good DVDs, the studios may take notice of you and give you the go-ahead by providing an available script for that new, "hot" actress they'd like to see. A good example is Watchmen. I think the women there did a great job, but Sucker Punch with Zack Snyder will be released soon. Damon Caro was appointed stunt coordinator. There were two teams of stuntmen, but I wasn't involved and I don't know how the fights will turn out. But I'm confident that with my teammates and the vision of the man who worked on 300, Watchmen and now Sucker Punch, we can expect some great women's fights. Maybe this will open the door for others. Yes, we clearly lack a female protagonist who would confidently take on her enemies and be popular. In the end, over time, everything returns to normal. Maybe there's a script lying around somewhere, gathering dust, that will soon be put to use. Who knows.
You also worked with Jason Statham in Mechanics. Did you have a big role there?
Stowell: No, little one. Very, very, very small. I appear several times for just a couple of seconds. I filmed because I was at home in New Orleans at the time, and my team was filming a film there, so I was invited to work for a couple of days. It was a small episode, I just made a little extra money. Sometimes you try to come up with great fights for a movie, and two months later you just pick up a gun, you get blown up, you get shot at, you get hit on the ground, and the audience doesn't really notice you. From time to time, between projects, it is interesting to diversify your work in this way. Now I have five or six scripts that I need to re-read and choose the one that suits me best.
What new should martial arts fans expect from “Undisputed 3”?
Stoval: What they can expect is long takes. When we watch TV series or some big-budget films, they suffer from epileptically edited choreography.
A nightmare. Sucks.
Stovall: Watching a fight like that will give you a headache. I feel sorry for the choreographers because they actually put a lot of effort into creating great fights, which are then cut in the edit by either the editor or the director, or they are too dark or cut. It frustrates me when people who spend a lot of money on pre-production say they want to see great, colorful fights, but when we give them the finished product, they cut it into little pieces in the editing room. In the end, the audience and we suffer from this, since the same studios or producers in nine out of ten cases only care about money. They believe their formula worked because the film made money. But this is of no use to us, because we could not present the fight to you properly. The viewer will have to buy damn headache pills after watching a fight consisting of only six movements and cut into ten parts.
Most of the problems come from these guys shooting with a handheld camera for the immersive effect. In most of these cases, it is impossible to make out what is happening on the screen.
Stovall: I understand what is meant when people say, “I want realism, I want street style.” Think about a street fight you've seen. Think about what you consider realism. Will you pay $10 to see this on screen? No, you won't pay. It's messy. People were knocked down. They hit and missed, but you wouldn't pay $10 to see that in a movie theater. You crave entertainment. Our goal is to provide you with realistic battles, but present them with high quality visually. It depends on the director, on the picture on the screen. This happens if the creators are thinking the same thing: “Hey guy, do me a favor and move the camera back a little for this sequence so the audience can see him take the knife away. He cut his wrist. Then he untied his shoelace.” After this you will understand why the shoe fell off. These tiny little details happen up close and we don't need a magnifying glass to see them. Sometimes it's really nice to work with independent directors because they value your vision. At times you have to fight for your vision. It happens that they understand you: “Hey, you will improve our low-budget film.” Then your opinion is valued more. Sometimes when you get into the studio you're just a puppet and all you can do is cash your check and say you did your best. I have to be ready for this. Fortunately, I didn’t have any projects about which they would say: “These are not the fights that he promised. Corrupt bastard!” If they happen in a couple of years, I apologize in advance - I had no way to control what was happening. It’s good that there are such small projects as “Undisputed,” and, as far as I know, they want to make a fourth part. Hopefully I can continue to work on smaller projects like this where my vision remains intact, just in case some $100 million movie ends up with my hands tied and management only worrying about the angst, teen drama and more. They are not particularly interested in the fights themselves.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we should look forward to?
Stovall: In fact, all the projects I'm working on now are unknown to most people. There is one project that makes me very happy. It's not very high level, but I'm sure it will shock the world. It is called “Trunk” (Romp). He is an underground comic book character created by Adam Pollina. He will also take pictures. Everything will happen in the real world, like, for example, in “Kick Ass”. There are no supernatural abilities, but the uniqueness of the character lies in the fact that he has no arms. We're talking about a guy, I've already shot some test footage, I'd love to show it, but I can't. Creating choreography for such a character is very interesting because you have to think about how he can protect himself, because our hands are the first line of defense. Everything he did in life, he did with his feet. I had to find the best approach. “Okay, let's take aikido.” Aikido is known for its inertial slips, holds and other things, but how do you make a hold if you have no hands? “Let’s use our mouths instead.” Then, during a blow with your hand, you can step aside and grab the clothes with your mouth, carry out a counterattack to the neck and break it. Various reasons can make me, as a choreographer, approach things more creatively. These things intrigue me. Not candy, popcorn, a fluffy “big-punching, big-knee-throwing hero,” or a lot of high-wires, computer effects, exploding buildings, or anything else. That's how things are. I understand that sometimes you need those “big” films to get more people to know your name, but sometimes small projects like Gunslinger can become a cult classic and shock people when they get financed. It may happen that another studio wakes up and says: “Okay, we need something like this.” And then he will give the go-ahead and give out that dusty script lying there. This definitely makes me happy. I have two more work projects, unfortunately, I cannot talk about them, but they will shock some.
Many thanks to Larnell Stovall for the interview. He's a great guy and martial arts fans should check out “Undisputed 3,” which comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD and VOD June 1st.
Author: George “El Guapo” Roche
Source: latinoreview.com
Translation: EvilDollaR
Home » The Interview »
Tags: Undisputed 3: Redemption, Larnell Stovall, Scott Adkins
Tags: Undisputed 3: Redemption, Larnell Stovall, Scott Adkins
EvilDollaR did you translate that tiny piece of Larnell's biography from IMDB?
I managed to find a little more information about him, maybe you can supplement this article with his short bio? Still no information.
Larnell Stovall - Biography.doc
rapidshare.com/files/418976561/Larnell_Stovall_-_Biography_for.doc
The choreographer's biography ends in 2001, just when his career began... What's the point of publishing? For the sake of his birth date and the titles of several early films in which he starred in episodic roles (usually as a bandit with a gun in his hands)?
Take me for any role, you will see. I actually have a great desire, it is my dream to star in a film, and not just to star, but to outshine and surprise everyone..
phew I finished reading)))))))))) with the new design it’s much easier))))) thank you))))
You're welcome =)
Thank you, Sasha. Great job! Finally, I found out who this Larnell Stovall was and was surprised :)
It would be interesting to look at these videos with an armless fighter who knows aikido.
wow I’ll finish reading it tomorrow, it’s hard....
Thank you.
Thank you. ;)
The largest news article on the site. Commendable work.
Please note, there is a lot of text. :)