Short video丨Bian Zhengsi, Meow teacher
Written by丨Bian Zhengsi
Editor丨Kino
"I also wanted to find a second JackieChan, but it was very difficult and the market didn't need it."
Recently, when Jackie Chan, who is almost ancient, talked about the current situation of the action actor market, his eyes turned red. The topic of kung fu actors finding a successor has once again become the focus of public opinion.
With the advancement of science and technology, the post-synthesis of special effects is fake and real, and many dangerous action shots no longer require actors to go into battle. Coupled with the rise of other genres, the situation of domestic action actors seems to be deteriorating.
As a famous action director in Hong Kong, Wong Mingsheng has a lot of intersections with Jackie Chan, and has served as action director and stunt director in masterpieces of action aesthetics such as "Police Story", "Who am I" and "Drunken Fist 2".
For Jackie Chan's confusion, how does Huang Mingsheng think? What are the action scenes worth paying attention to in the new film "Deep Sea Crisis" directed by him as a martial arts director?
Head action actors are hard to come by
"I think this question is actually very natural, because there are few kung fu superstars like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, they are all geniuses, and geniuses don't often exist, so it's normal." Under the spotlight, Huang Mingsheng said half-jokingly. In his opinion, there are still many Chinese head action actors, such as Jet Li, Wu Jing, Donnie Yen, Zhao Wenzhuo and so on.
These actors themselves have certain martial arts skills, so shooting action movies is more convenient and more ornamental. They are among the action actors, and they can meet unattainably talented players.
At present, there are fewer and fewer action actors, which is also caused by many reasons.
In the 80s and 90s of the last century, action movies became the golden signature of Hong Kong movies. "Shaolin Temple" starring Jet Li has also set off a wave of martial arts fever across the country.
In this context, the market has a huge demand for action movies, and action actors have naturally become market darlings. The number of relevant practitioners is at its peak.
With the passage of time, the aesthetic ability and viewing taste of the mainstream audience of the film have quietly changed. The development trend of the film market in the new century of "a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending" has made the era of action movies a monopoly no longer exist. The demand for the number of action actors has declined.
"Now that many genres of films have developed in the market, you think that the proportion of kung fu movies and action movies is getting smaller, but it's actually a good thing. This proves that the domestic film market is very inclusive. Huang Mingsheng said frankly that the current reduction of the proportion of action movies and action actors in the market is actually a relative process. In addition, some well-known Hong Kong action actors such as Yuen Heping and Sammo Hung have transformed into directors behind the scenes.
The improvement of the domestic film industry level, the maturity of green screen cutout, and post-production special effects synthesis technology are also one of the reasons for the overall decrease in the number of action actors. In the early years, when these techniques were not yet mature, the vast majority of dangerous action shots required actors to complete the actual shooting.
In addition, the current film production model often requires more recognition in the actor market than the ability to act. In addition to their own excellent business, action actors also need a certain box office appeal to have more opportunities to star. Under the combined effect of multiple factors, the golden age of action actors is gradually drifting away.
What qualities do you need to have to be a qualified action actor?
Huang Mingsheng admits that physical coordination is the most important. This is also the advantage of head action actors. Today's martial arts guidance team can express movements in many ways. After a period of reasonable training, ordinary actors can also complete many actions in person. But action actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Wu Jing who have experience in martial arts since childhood will have a stronger sense of visual impact and higher fluency.
In addition, a professional attitude and strict self-requirements are indispensable for the self-cultivation of an excellent action actor. In the process of domestic film development, action actors are still in demand.
The design concept of literary and martial arts opera is similar
"Actually, the action design is actually the same as the literary drama. First of all, you need to understand the whole story and characters, and you have to design a reasonable and realistic style for this movie. Huang Mingsheng, who has many years of experience in action guidance, said frankly that the design concept is related to martial arts, and truth has naturally become the key word of creation.
Produced by Huang Jianxin, directed by Shen Dong and guided by Huang Mingsheng, "Deep Sea Crisis" tells the story of international nuclear weapons experts hijacked by terrorists and causing world shock, and our public security counter-terrorism personnel and the navy working closely together to finally solve the crisis.
Since such anti-terrorism works are "few in the history of Chinese cinema", Huang Jianxin bluntly said that the filming is very challenging. This is a fresh field that needs more exploration. For the film's action direction, it is also full of challenges.
In Huang Mingsheng's view, every action scene in the movie is difficult and has its own difficulties. Among them, the clip where the good and the evil parties chase each other on motorcycles and fly from the beach to the fishing raft, and finally end with a big explosion scene, is the most difficult to shoot.
Because of the live shooting, the ebb and flow of the tide will change the distance from the shore of props such as fishing rafts in real time. This requires the action guidance team to calculate the variables in advance so that the movement route of the actors and motorcycles is within a safe range. In order to better present the screen effect of this scene, the actors conducted many rehearsals.
"In fact, we often encounter such a problem, even if the actor has some experience in making action movies before, it is not necessarily consistent with our (action) design, so we will undergo certain training in the early stage." Huang Mingsheng's action scenes are better visualized, which is inseparable from the cooperation of the actors. The professionalism of many actors in the film moved him.
The male protagonist Yan Yikuan's action scenes not only need to use professional grappling and fighting skills, but also complete some new moves designed by Huang Mingsheng. These actions are Yan Yikuan, "I have not done it before, and the level of danger has never been faced." The film's heroine Qu Jingjing began action training before the crew started filming.
After many years of practice, Huang Mingsheng's motion design concept is changing.
At present, although many movies are not action movies in terms of genre, there are also many action elements used. In the past, the theme of Hong Kong action movies was to serve action elements, but now action elements are more about serving the theme of movies.
At present, Huang Mingsheng is participating in the production of a sci-fi action film. In the future, he especially hopes to have the opportunity to cooperate with Wu Jing.