Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 606 Kung Fu Philosophy
Summer Lucky Star was just a cameo appearance. Gu Ming stayed here for one night and then left. Before leaving, he said goodbye to Brother Hua, saying that the young man was good-looking and welcoming him to develop his career in Japan.

Sigh! Maybe they can even be sent to Toei to film Super Sentai.

This made Liu Furong feel somewhat flattered.

It seems there are still people who can notice his strengths!
Of course, going to Japan to develop one's career is out of the question; consider it just a polite remark.

Filming continued on location in Hong Kong, and Gu Ming still had to shuttle between the two places with the crew.

He needs to cooperate with Dragon Might Boy to play the role of Master Miyagi.

In the movie, he will also co-star with Hiroko Yakushimaru as the poor, troublesome father who tries to settle disputes everywhere.

……

……

On the set of "Dragon Boys," Keanu Reeves was kneeling on the ground, completely disregarding his image. His hair was smudged on the side of his face, making his face appear exceptionally long, making him almost unrecognizable from his usual self.

It was half acting, half real. He was genuinely exhausted!
Gu Ming knelt opposite him, looking down at Keanu Reeves with a compassionate expression, bearing a stereotypical Western view of Asian kung fu masters.

"Ralph, stand up."

"You're in pain, but that's life."

"You're in pain, but that's karate."

"You're in pain, but that's what kung fu is all about."

"It is pain that has made you who you are today."

Keanu Reeves hastily wiped away his sweat, stood up, and made sure the entire scene was filmed and no one called him to NG before walking over with limp, exhausted legs to greet Gu Ming.

"Master, these words sound very philosophical. Do you think I can learn karate?"

“Uh…” Gu Ming scrutinized Keanu Reeves, but held back his refusal.

In fact, it’s not impossible.

"Reeves, when you want to practice kung fu, you're already practicing kung fu."

Gu Ming said something pointless.

Keanu Reeves, however, looked thoroughly pleased.

Is this kung fu? It's so good!
Although it may seem like it hasn't said anything, come on, isn't that how kung fu is? It looks like it's full of philosophical insights!
Keanu Reeves raised his arm and felt his not-so-firm muscles.

"I feel that this period of cultivation has been very helpful to me. Dennis, he taught me a lot. I don't want to smoke, I don't want to drink, and I don't want any more... Master, can I continue my cultivation after the movie is finished?"

Gu Ming was speechless, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Bad thing.

Keanu Reeves has been trained to dream of kung fu!
“Reeves,” Gu Ming could only say tactfully, “Your mental cultivation is not yet complete. You haven’t broken free; you just can’t access it. If you return to America, you will return to normal. So I cannot teach you.”

As Gu Ming spoke, he stood up and made a Tai Chi circular gesture with his hands.

"Karate originated in the Zhou and Tang dynasties, so it is also called Tang Hand. The real kung fu is in the Zhou dynasty. But you don't have the mindset to practice kung fu yet. Forget about it. If you go back to the United States and finish filming, you can still control your desires. You can try to become a disciple of that master."

Gu Ming pointed at Jean-Claude Van Damme, who was putting on makeup.

"He is... well, a complete novice in kung fu. Although he is a complete novice, he has considerable skill. You can learn from him."

Those who are family know their own business; there's really no point in discussing it. Gu Ming thought it would be better to let Keanu Reeves learn some boxing from Jean-Claude Van Damme and build up his muscles, which would be better than him smoking opium and drinking heavily every day.

Keanu Reeves was seriously considering this question. Indeed, Dennis looked quite imposing in his robe; despite his young age, he truly resembled a master.

Keanu Reeves thinks he can't reach that level. But reaching Jean-Claude Van Damme's level seems possible!
……

……

Filming at Longwei Boys' place was non-stop. Gu Ming finished filming Master Gongcheng and had to rush back to cooperate with the filming of "Why Hell Is So Wicked".

Gu Ming didn't know how bad hell was, but the filming conditions were definitely not good. Because there were similar places on both sides, they even used the same set of clothes.

He usually looks like Master Miyagi, but once he takes off his headband and puts on his wooden clogs, he becomes Team Leader Muto.

This scene is considered one of the most important scenes in the early to mid-stages. Even Takeshi Kitano treated this scene with great seriousness, repeatedly directing it, for fear of any problems arising.

This scene depicts Ayako's initial, playful attitude towards filming, without taking the matter very seriously.

Just then, rival gangs attacked, and a fierce battle ensued. Fortunately, Muto, the gang leader, was on patrol nearby. The two sides clashed and fought fiercely, and Ayako picked up a katana, the symbol of Muto's gang's power, for the first time.

Of course, the Yakuza don't actually fight with samurai swords; at most, they secretly send people to shoot rival gang leaders.

However, this is a movie. So of course, the goal is to make the scenes as grand as possible.

Takeshi Kitano prepared a cartload of arms and legs and two cartloads of blood plasma, hoping to do a good job with this scene.

Before it began, Gu Ming suddenly called out to Kitano Takeshi.

"I have an idea, which may be a bit daring, so don't be too nervous after you hear it."

Gu Mingdao said, "I plan to use a long take to film this battle scene in one continuous shot. I and the actors in the killing formation can fight for real, while Yakushimaru Hiroko's side will not need a stunt double since she only needs to pick up the katana at the very end."

Takeshi Kitano's eyes lit up.

That's really bold!
But he quickly realized the most crucial issue.

“Brother Gu, if there’s a mistake, we’ll have to start all over again. This scene is very demanding.”

Gu Ming patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Do you not trust me, or do you not trust the actors in the agency?"

Takeshi Kitano stared for a moment, but ultimately chose to back down.

Also.

So let's trust everyone, and trust the Killing Array Agency that we've been training together with all along.

Gu Ming gathered everyone together and first explained this statement.

Then, he drew several lines on the field.

"We've decided to divide the scene into a nine-square grid. During filming, the main camera will be here, and the secondary camera will be here. The handheld camera will follow me the whole time. Don't worry about the camera being exposed. Don't forget, this is a play within a play. We're filming a play, but we're filming a film crew filming a play. So even if the handheld camera is exposed, it won't give us away."

"The handheld camera followed me the whole time. Now I ran quickly from outside the set and found that the set was being attacked by the ground gang. So I drew this samurai sword and came over to start fighting. The handheld camera had to record the changes here the whole time. We used a zigzag movement, going around in a circle and coming back to complete the whole shoot."

Takeshi Kitano suddenly spoke up: "I'll take the handheld camera. After all, I'm playing a director who gets hacked to death. If I also get hacked to death at the end when the handheld camera is on, the effect will be even more impactful."

Gu Ming and he hit it off immediately.

If the effect envisioned by Gu Ming can be achieved in the final shot, then the violent aesthetic effect of the entire shot will be fully realized.

Of course, just splattering blood doesn't make it violent aesthetics; it has to be beautiful to be called aesthetics!
The handheld camera, shooting the battle from a third-person perspective, creating a near-realistic depiction of combat, embodies an aesthetic philosophy.

(End of this chapter)