Martial arts project -HVX200

T

tonacidigital

Well-known member
Martial arts project -filmed with stock HVX200.
Footage is dark, I know..however, I sacrificed picture quality to retain the right mood. Soundtrack I got from Jet Li's fearless..I will compose my own when complete.

Let me know what you think!

update"***- download new footage- I haven't had time to do any color correction yet. here it is (the beer placement was required for the contest submission)

http://homepage.mac.com/tonesto/MARTIAL/FileSharing43.html
 
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Looks great to me. I just wanted to see more than 4 seconds though.

Where was it shot, it looks like the Shaolin Temple.

Good stuff.
 
it would look better if it was in a real 24fps timeline imo, the slow mo punch didnt do it for me, something was missing and i cant pin point it, but that set is kick ass! guys look great too.
 
I have to say I'm jealous of your location. I like the first shot, but not crazy about the 2nd and 3rd angles. Don't get me worng, they don't look bad. I'm not exactly sure what it is that feels off. Sorry, this can't be very helpful.

It might be how bright the room in the background is, keeping your actors from really standing out.

Just out of curiosity, it might be the compression, but was this shot on tape and not P2, or just not in HD?

I'm also curious about the style your actors study. I'm wondering why the fighter on the left has his thumb tucked inside his fist when he punches to the chest.

Overall I think it looks great. You mentioned keeping the mood with the dark image. Was that a choice made with the lighting itself, the exposure in the camera, or darkened in post?
 
"it would look better if it was in a real 24fps timeline imo,"
good catch! forgot to switch the 24 frame setting


"the slow mo punch didnt do it for me, something was missing and i cant pin point it"
its probably becauser the punch didn't look like it had much strength into it.

"guys look great too."
my girlfriend made both costumes out of 99 cent per yard fabric using a cheap ass 120 dollar sewing machine from target hehe. Total cost of costumes was like 10 bucks.

"It might be how bright the room in the background is, keeping your actors from really standing out."

I had to use all the light I could get because it was so dark as it is. I used vailable light from the lanterns to give it that mood. I tried my own lights, but it completely altered the mood. but I agree, the background does detract from the fighters..its all learning for me. This was the second production shoot (outside of videotaping home videos of family) I have ever done in my entire life..so im still very new. The hvx200 sparked my interested in filming and I must say doing this is really enjoyable.

anyone have any recommendations on what I could have done to pull of a night scene while keeping the same ambience of the soft light coming from the laterns? Should I have just lit up the place and darkened in post?


but not crazy about the 2nd and 3rd angles.
the second angle was the farthest left I could set up the camera (there is a low brickwall that overlooks the pond)..so I couldn't really get a better view facing the fighter getting hit. I do agree it's not an incredible angle. in hindsight, I could have directed the fight scene over more to get a better angle of the slow mo punch.
the third angle lasts 2 seconds and is only shot to show the fighters moving from one area to another.

"'m wondering why the fighter on the left has his thumb tucked inside his fist when he punches to the chest."

yeah the thumb..he unconsciously did it on accident in that take..and it was the best take overall..so I just used it anyway. but good point. you are not supposed to punch with your fist clenched around your thumb haha.

as for the lighting, I just used existing light. it was not darkened in post.
 
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I agree with the comments about the excellent set. I however am not a fan of the sound effects. I would think they are too high pitch and sound like noises someone is making from their mouth. When doing the effect think about someone slapping a slab of meat with their fist.

Also do any of your actor take martials arts ? The reason the slo mo puch looks so weak is because he doesn't go anywhere. The vertical punch that he is doing draws it's power from the triceps and from pulling power through the legs then twisting the torso. It doesn't feel like he punched him but more like he closes his fist then pushed him. Throw in the fact that after the hit he goes up in the air and twists completly to the side it dispels all his energy
 
"I however am not a fan of the sound effects"
yeah I'm working on toning down the hits. i unfortunately don't have any good fighting effevts other than the ones I found through google. I will upload a refined fight scene with better sound.

"It doesn't feel like he punched him but more like he closes his fist then pushed him."
i agree, the punch was awkward..but was the overall best take I had for that angle.

both actors had previous martial arts experience but have quit taking lessons. I took them out of retirement just for this project.
 
I was watching a show that was talking about foley sounds. One of the ways they get hit sounds was this guy hitting a wet shirt wrapped in something with a broom
 
Actually dont most maritail arts films shoot the fight sequences in 12fps or 15fps. So they can move slower and with the frame rate it looks faster. That is what I think i would shoot Martial Arts with.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS. You got some suggots for doing this. Please share where this location is. and Also Would like to know your settings, and workflow etc...
 
Great set. I found the lantern(s) in the back room very white/hot, and detracts attention from the talent and the softer yellow lanterns in the foreground. Starting higher with a jib/crane on a dolly, making the camera move to avoid seeing them as you move in ($100mil later :d), but I am not saying to do a reshoot on that basis. I still like what I see. Just my 2 cents. :thumbsup:
 
CRANE! yes.. I wish had one to do a sweet pan of the. i had my doubts about doing this..and tossed and turned sleeping at night about how i wanted it to be. granted, I could have done much better..i am very satisfied with what i have..and considering this is only my second shot at directing.. hopefully this is a stepping stone for more things to come. I have gained a GREAT respect for anyone in this field.

thanks for all the feedback..I'll have more to post by the end of tonight. back to editing!
 
Great set. Sound effects need sweetening.

The Slow mo hit could use tweaking. I got a hint from someone about fight direction, though. The slow-mo hit might not work because:

A) Imposed weight. The angle that you shot that specific punch in is "inferior". It's off to the right, giving the person who got hit too much time to back out of the frame.

B) The chosen power punch to the gut. A nice touch, but if you would've had his hand hit his face, the impact on the audience would've been increased. That specific shot would play better in real time.

I realize that you probably will not shoot that specific scene over again, but just some thoughts for next time. Also, as cheesey as the chalk dust is, it's still VERY effective in the world of kung fu fight choreograhpy. It's metaphorical values are still just as great as they were when it was employed years ago. You expect it, it's a staple... and doing different is just as fine. Not harping on you at all! It would've been great to see the dust fly with that slow mo if you were to keep it.

Add some post Chalk dust and see how it fairs.

Overall, I'm totally jealous. The people doing these kinds of projects are great. =(
 
I would actually ramp the speed of the hit, from teh 60fps (100%), to Speed 90%, then to 400 to the hit and then when the actor reacts, I would ramp back down to 60fps (100% normal)
 
Actually... best to shoot the stuff at 22fps and play it back at 24.. so it's slightly faster, but not too noticable....

I've shot a lot of martial arts fights, classes, tournaments and film/stagged fighting. This looks pretty darn good for a start. The only thing is that it looks telegraphed and on a rhythm... like the counting and acting is stagged a little bit too on point. You probably could use another cut-away... maybe the fist impacting and feet and all of that. You have to break it up and take away the choreography and make it more natural and frentic.. othewise it looks like a dance... Kind of like the 70's kungfu flicks.


Another couple of things to add to this would be the ability to make serious contact with the people and use padded shoes and or body pads. Putting some baby powder on the hands and clothes.... really also sells the hits... especially on the slow-mo shots.. Just don't overdue it.

I'm going to doing another kungfu project next year. My cousin has made a few films and has been quite successful. I'm opting to do something different and make it a close-quarters wing chun film.. Might be quite a nice niche' there.


Looks like a good start....
 
Justyn said:
Actually... best to shoot the stuff at 22fps and play it back at 24.. so it's slightly faster, but not too noticable....

I've shot a lot of martial arts fights, classes, tournaments and film/stagged fighting. This looks pretty darn good for a start. The only thing is that it looks telegraphed and on a rhythm... like the counting and acting is stagged a little bit too on point. You probably could use another cut-away... maybe the fist impacting and feet and all of that. You have to break it up and take away the choreography and make it more natural and frentic.. othewise it looks like a dance... Kind of like the 70's kungfu flicks.


Another couple of things to add to this would be the ability to make serious contact with the people and use padded shoes and or body pads. Putting some baby powder on the hands and clothes.... really also sells the hits... especially on the slow-mo shots.. Just don't overdue it.

I'm going to doing another kungfu project next year. My cousin has made a few films and has been quite successful. I'm opting to do something different and make it a close-quarters wing chun film.. Might be quite a nice niche' there.


Looks like a good start....
Click to expand...

Great advice.

On a separate note:

More footage please!
 
The dude makes a weird face at the end.. it got laughing for a while.. especially when i keep repeating the last part. anyway.. looks good bro.. i wanna see more.
 
If you trust anyone on this forum about martial arts, trust Justyn. The guy lives at the do jo.

"There is no chin under Justyn's Beard. There is only another fist."
 
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