I am currently practicing wushu, capoeira primarily but also taking a self defense class (Mostly karate and akido with some tae kwon do) for PE in school. Anwya i hope to make martial arts movie or become a stunt cordinator in films. I just want to know, what are the best martial arts styles to learn for use in movies?
yes and no. For example, wing chun ( no disrespect to wing chun practitioners as ive done it myself) does not lend itself to the camera a much as wushu and northern style kung-fu, where there are higher kicks/jumping kicks and much more movement in general compared to southern styles. (again, no disrespect) so in conclusio, the BEST movie martial art would be wu shu just my opinion thanks
martial arts movie to be honest any MA should be ok for movies. Just depends on what type of fight you are looking for. Experience is the key. It all depends on how you film it, angles, techiniques, editing, camera movement etc. Check out a jackie chan movie, sammo hung, lau kar leung and study the way they portray fighting on screen. Alot of the top screen fighters are acrobats/gymnasts or dancers and it is only the skills of the fight choreographer that makes them look so good. for more info check out dragonsdenuk.com and click on the links tab. some stunt/fight choroegrapher s web addresses are on there. they may be able to help you.
Depends on the movie you want to make. "Martial arts movies" aren't really one genre. Once Upon a Time in China is a very different film from Ong Bak which is different again from Above the Law. The question is whether the style of fighting supports the story you want to tell. If it does, it's the right style. An epic period piece might work better with one style and a gritty cops-and-robbers story set in the back alleys of Chicago might use a completely different one. So figure out what stories you want to tell. Stuart
Keanu Reeves doesn't know any form of Martial Art to start with, but I suppose knowing any kind of MA will help you.
Its not the actor its the choreographer, who trained him specifically. Besides, CG and stuntmen did most of the work. To be a good choreographer, not only do you need to know MA but you also need to know how to make films. Choreographers are the ones who are usually holding the camera or at least their own people are. Film-makers use a form of planning called Storyboarding (which is my specialty) where they draw a comic book form of the film so they know what to shoot, unfortunatley you cant do that with fight scenes because there is just too much movement, therefore it'll be too much work. (there can be basic ones or panels which highlight moves) Usually they are shot using a digital camera as they go along, then when agreed upon they list it down. If you dont know how to use a camera a spinning butterfly axe handle kick would look crap. A good cameraman would make a jab look bloody good.
ive noticed that also, i used to think that only wushu type styles can be pretty on tv, but then i discovered that it depends on how you use it and make it look to make it movie-friendly
Sound Effects also help a great deal. Try watching an action scene with the mute button on and see the big difference.
