When Zombies Attack! — A Cartoon!

Posted on | February 5, 2010 | No Comments

It’s about time. Check out this cool little ditty: a trailer for an CG-animation zombie movie.

It’s called A.D. and is directed by Ben Hibon, written by Haylar Garcia, and produced by Bernie Goldmann (300), Tarik Heitmann (The Sensei), and Renee Tab.

Looks pretty cool. I like the idea of taking the zombie genre into the digital realm — worlds of possibilities, I say, not just for animators, but for stunt coordinators and stunt fighters, too. A lot of people complain that with CGI movies, they’ll be less need for human actors. Not true. Look at Avatar or even how the video-game industry has revolutionized fighting games.

Any good animation director knows that to do convincing animated violence, you need flesh-and-blood stuntman to strap on a motion-capture suit to record his movements as the basis for a CGI character. That’s the only way to translate complex action scenes convincingly on screen.

With a successful zombie CGI cartoon, even more doors will open for the types of animated action that can be filmed — and for the variety of stuntman who can lend their talents.

So, strap on the mo-cap balls and let’s get undead, shall we?

Live Stunt-Fighting Demo at BlackBeltMag.com

Posted on | December 31, 2009 | No Comments

Check out this live stunt-fighting demonstration that I helped facilitate at Black Belt Magazine’s website.

It was held at the recent International Mixed Martial Arts Expo in Los Angeles and features stunt coordinator John Kreng and his stunt crew explaining the differences between a realistic MMA-style self-defense situation versus an MMA-styled fight for the movies.

It features the talents of actress/stuntwoman Lauren Mary Kim and professional wrestler/stuntman Van Asayit, among others.

Trailer for Jackie Chan’s The Karate Kid Remake

Posted on | December 24, 2009 | No Comments

Just caught the trailer for the Jackie Chan remake of The Karate Kid (AKA The Kung Fu Kid). After watching this clip though, maybe it should be called The Wushu Kid?

What do you think? After writing down my initial thoughts and now seeing some footage, I’m not sure what to think. Seeing Chan in a different type of role makes me want to champion it, but some of the other elements makes me just cringe.

Check it out for yourself below and let me know what you think:

Stuntwomen’s Awards in Black Belt Magazine

Posted on | December 23, 2009 | No Comments

My article about the recent Hollywood Stuntwomen’s Awards is featured in the February 2010 issue of Black Belt magazine and on the publication’s website.

Check out my story for a recap of all the excitement, from Jamie Lee Curtis receiving the Action Icon Award and Zoe Bell (Kill Bill) making an appearance, to actress/stuntwoman Natascha Hopkins (Spider-Man 3) tossing taekwondo expert Ilram Choi (Avatar) through a dinner table.

Let me know what you think!

Avatar: Amazing Set Pieces to Match the Mind-Blowing CGI

Posted on | December 19, 2009 | No Comments

Avatar is everything I expected from a James Cameron big-budget action-packed sci-fi epic — and more.

I’m most pleased that he’s maintained his own directing style. Rather than adopt the most annoying trend of vomit-inducing handheld camerawork and seizure-sparking rapid-fire editing, Cameron sticks with what made him the most successful action-movie filmmaker on the planet: imaginative set pieces, innovative and clean visuals, clear character logic, and (most importantly) story-based suspense.

He’s always been a great action director (re: from The Terminator to True Lies), but I’m even more impressed that he’s bringing stuntwork and storytelling to a whole other level with the way he combined motion-capture technology, CGI special effects, and 3D movie technology.

If you don’t believe me, check out Avatar yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

keep looking »

ScreenWarriorDotCom

Welcome to the blog of PATRICK VUONG: a stunt fighter and fight choreographer for films, short movies, and TV.

Here, you'll find his blog about the pleasures and pains of "fake fighting," get the latest news about his projects, and have access to his various demo reels.

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