Question about combat training for actors.

H

harmonica44

I have an actor interested in playing the lead role the script I wanna shoot. He will be playing a cop, so and wants to take a combat course for the role. So out of all the martial arts types you can take, which one would be the best for him to replicate police moves, as realistically as possible? Where we live he can take, ninjitsu, karate, tae kwon do, or maybe kung fu too, but not sure if that still have that. Which art is the closest, that is if anyone here knows or has dealt with this before for movies. Thanks.

It will be a while before I make the feature like I said before, I need lots of practice, but a lot of times it can take months to train an actor so we have no problem starting now.
 
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CAN'T. TAKE IT. ANY MORE.

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You've got A LOT of practice to do, before you can successfully make this epic movie (even the short version). At this point, you shouldn't be worrying about this kind of stuff.
 
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I am practicing, but since it's only me practicing and no one else, to work with me (since it's hard to find people who wanna work on their craft in my area), I don't know if I'm ready yet. I mean I've been practicing with cameras and software, and audio equipment, but since I'll be getting other people to do this anyway, when it comes to making a feature, my practicing of it, can only go so far. Sure I'll be using the software, but I will get a DOP and a sound person for the rest. So I would like to practice directing more, but I have no one to direct. So what should I be practicing with then, when it's just me?
 
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Dude. Krav Maga. The Israeli-developed system of self defense. I've taken the basic course... it's brutal. It's not at all a Martial "ART," as most of the techniques are impossible to TRULY use in the sparring room. It's more of an approach to combat and a series of mental and physical exercises that accompany it. It's pretty much a kick-em-in-the-balls, scratch-out-their-eyes discipline, but some of the more extensive courses involve a lot of weapon and knife disarms. What you see in the Bourne Films is, I believe, a half-half mix of Krav Maga and Filipino Kali. Look it up, if you're in or near a fairly large city, there might be an instructor near you.
 
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I have been doing that. But since it's just them what am I suppose to learn really? How to direct actors? It would be nice to direct camera people and sound people to get more experience there. Since I'm directing people who cannot act and who do not know how to work the equipment, how do I know how well I am doing as director? How do I know when I'm good enough to start a real short film?
 
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harmonica44 said:
I have been doing that. But since it's just them what am I suppose to learn really? How to direct actors? It would be nice to direct camera people and sound people to get more experience there. Since I'm directing people who cannot act and who do not know how to work the equipment, how do I know how well I am doing as director? How do I know when I'm good enough to start a real short film?
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A good director has experience in bad acting just from his own cameos. Take the plunge, make bad films, harness your ego - a special note. Be an actor, a DP, a stunt double, - do something, anything, and post it as a screening.

You can't direct from a hill. Get dirty and be the people you want to direct.
 
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harmonica44 said:
I have been doing that. But since it's just them what am I suppose to learn really? How to direct actors? It would be nice to direct camera people and sound people to get more experience there. Since I'm directing people who cannot act and who do not know how to work the equipment, how do I know how well I am doing as director? How do I know when I'm good enough to start a real short film?
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If you can take your motley crew and make a decent film, I would think you are doing a good job as a director.:)
 
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harmonica44 said:
I have been doing that. But since it's just them what am I suppose to learn really? How to direct actors? It would be nice to direct camera people and sound people to get more experience there. Since I'm directing people who cannot act and who do not know how to work the equipment, how do I know how well I am doing as director? How do I know when I'm good enough to start a real short film?
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Your first film will suck. So will your second, and probably your third. This will hold true no matter how long you ask questions and make excuses for not actually shooting any projects. Yes, finding people to help you on your project sucks when you're starting out. It's still not a valid excuse. Go out and actually start learning already!
 
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SinEater said:
Your first film will suck. So will your second, and probably your third. This will hold true no matter how long you ask questions and make excuses for not actually shooting any projects. Yes, finding people to help you on your project sucks when you're starting out. It's still not a valid excuse. Go out and actually start learning already!
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Alright. I'll keep looking to get people together to make no budget shorts. I don't want to spend too much on hiring pros till I've had some practice. But if I can't get some people to work for free for their own practice soon, I will start hiring pros with pay, just for practice shorts. I have tried making shorts with only me, but I will have to be on camera, while not pointing it, and I will have to dub all the sound afterwords. But if that still helps I will continue doing it. My bro and my friend have helped too, but they don't have near as much time, and no know more than I do. But I'm learning. No one else in the business has let me onto the sets to observe though.

But since I'm doing all the jobs, it's hard to know if I'm ready, since the sound and being dubbed afterwords, and I can't move the camera and be on film at the same time, so me and the camera have to stay in one place. Not a lot of freedom for experimenting with camera movement there. So when I feel that I'm ready to make my first short, and hire pros, what mistakes will still be made, if the pros are doing the camera and sound right? I know I will still make them but I think it might help to know in advance maybe so I work on that too. So at what point do you think I should actually pay to hire pros to make a short? How many practice shorts should I make first?
 
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You don't need to "practice" for your first film. Just make them I totally agree with SinEater. Your first film will suck, so will your second, and your third. You just keep on making them. Grab people who may be interested.

Do you have friends who is into photography? Grab him and make your camera person (While allowing him to take some photos while you are there)

Anyone vaguely want to be actor? Cool, grab him or her. Just make project after project. If people don't see results, they won't want to help you. But if they see their work paying off in form of short films it's all good. They may help more and more, and you may even start your own production company or something with your friends.

I know you want to be a director, but for small productions, a director is also a producer, who is also editor, and sometimes camera person or even actor. That's just how it is. But still you can make a perfectly good movie with just two or three people.
 
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SinEater said my first to third films will most likely suck though, so I feel uncomfortable spending money on hiring people to make them, without enough practice, if they are going suck. I don't mind making films for free as my firsts but spending the money without practice may not be the best way to go.

I have one friend who is cameraman but he is so busy working on other things his is payed for that he never has any time. But I think he may need to practice too since he has done music videos, but not action sequences, like the one in my short script, so he feels he needs to practice on that, rather than just jumping right in working with pros.

I would like to believe you can make a good movie with two or three people but it seems hiring has to be done. I will keep looking for other people though, other than him. I don't mind acting and editing my films as well as directing, but I don't feel comfortable yet with a camera or sound equipment, and feel best to find someone else.

There is one person who said he wants to practice with me, sound wise. I will see if I can work with him over the next couple of months as well as my friend but if not, I think I will just hire pros for my first short. Hope it's not sucky since I'm paying for the pros lol.
 
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It is extremely unusual for a filmmakers' first short to involve any money, whatsoever. Everyone should be volunteer, and the jobs that you can't find volunteers for, you do yourself. So, be prepared to produce, write, direct, operate camera, edit, and anything else. You'll need volunteer actors. You'll need a volunteer boom-op (and if you can't get a volunteer boom-op, just accept that you'll have crappy audio, and use in-cam mic).

Here is your comprehensive list of everything you need to get started:

1. You
2. A camera
3. Volunteer actors

I don't think you have even the slightest grasp of how much there is for you to learn, and you won't learn it by asking a bunch of questions on a forum. Don't get me wrong -- this forum is great for a lot of reasons. But the stuff you need to learn, to become a competent director, can only be learned by DOING!

The time for you to start has long since passed. Go make a movie this weekend. Seriously. THIS WEEKEND. A one-minute short, with a coherent narrative. You'll be surprised at how much you learn in one weekend. It won't be anything you'll want to send off to any festivals, but it'll be a learning experience, you'll probably have a lot of fun, and I'll bet your volunteer actors will have fun and will want to work with you again.

This is how we do it. Start small. Just start working with what you've got. Over time, your body of work builds and improves, as do your connections. Eventually, you'll be wanting to spend some money to make a serious production. But you will not get there unless you start small and work your way up. And the way you start small is to just start making movies with the following:

1. You
2. A camera
3. Volunteer actors
 
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Well I've shot a few scenes myself and done some sound recordings. It's not like I'm just doing nothing. But I get it. I need to do, to learn. But it's hard to do when I have no people other than me to do it with. I can get a volunteer boom op, but whoever I can find, will not know how to boom and I will have to teach that person what I know, about it, which isn't much so far. Same with the camera. That's the reason why I have been asking so many questions, is because it's hard to learn when I am learning with other people who I have to teach what I know, which still isn't much.

I will film a scene though, once I get some more people and post it, for feedback. There will of course be a lot wrong with it lol.
 
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What you can do is call your local police station and tell them that your an amature film maker and that you want to acuratly portray police officers then see if the will help you with the combat training
 
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