Ever seen Jackie Chan pull off a move you didn't even think was possible? What if that's cuz it WASN'T possible? At least, not with the weapon he started with.
I'm NOT talking about some straight up prop-swap either.
Yeah, a prop…
Ever seen Jackie Chan pull off a move you didn't even think was possible? What if that's cuz it WASN'T possible? At least, not with the weapon he started with.
I'm NOT talking about some straight up prop-swap either.
Yeah, a prop-swap cheat DOES happen for one shot in the Police Story 2 playground fight, but something far more clever is going on throughout the scene.
Jackie trips a goon from the JC Stunt Team and takes his steel pipe.
We'll call this prop "PIPE 1".
After some sweet martial arts choreography Chan throws PIPE 1 at an enemy and picks up PIPE 2.
But PIPE 2 is a few inches longer than PIPE 1. You'd think all the JC Stunt Team goons have the same prop, but they don't!
This allows Jackie Chan to pick up progressively LONGER pipes throughout the fight.
He throws PIPE 2 and disarms a baddie to get PIPE 3. How long is PIPE 3?
It's basically a sword!
By this point Jackie Chan is choreographing martial arts moves that wouldn't have been possible with PIPE 1. This allows him to easily add variety to his choreography AND give the audience a better view of the action.
That's right. If you're out to learn how to choreograph a movie fight you need to learn how to CAPTURE that action. The more space their is between the actors, the more options you have for clearly filming the moves.
Never caught Police Story 2 playground fight scene? Here's a rundown:
In this kung fu action flick, Jackie Chan throws down the gauntlet with an insane playground fight. We're talking top-notch fight choreography and a JC Stunt Team member going all out in every dang shot.
The scene kicks off with Jackie Chan's character, Inspector Chan Ka-Kui, duking it out with a bunch of nighttime baddies rocking cheap suits. Seriously, choreographing a scrap this tight is a skill.
Jackie Chan’s flipping around like a parkour champ with that slick, effortless vibe that'd make Fonzie proud (if that shark hadn't got him).
They're using Escrima/kali moves and getting creative with swings, s..
