Premise: Character Props + Jackie Chan Prop Fight Analysis

 Before coming up with the choreography for my fight scene, I want to firstly have a perfect understanding of who my two characters are in order to solidify their motivations in the narrative.

Things to identify

Traditional side - Manages to steal the technology which can grant the people of the cyberpunk world eternal life. Is alone on the mountainside as he makes his way back to the palace in order to regroup with his people. 

Technology side - Appears to be more machine than man, has been sent out on a mission to retrieve the stolen technology. 

What is the basic outcome of the fight? - I want technology yo win over man but do it in a way which is dishonest. For example win by a sword to the back while the traditional man is showing mercy. 

I also need to identify what the object they are fighting over looks like as well as the weapons each side will be using. 

Firstly I want to reasearch the different fighting styles found in Japan in order to see what options their are for my two characters

Kenjutsu - The art of sword fighting

Sojutsu - The art of spear fighting

Bojutsu - The art of fighting with a staff

Kyujutsu - The art of fighting with a bow and arrow

Jiujutsu/taijutsu - Grappling and wrestling

I also found something called Daisho (carrying a long sword and shot sword), an art required for all Samurai. This is an interesting concept which I could put into my story when referring to the idea that the robot kills the Samurai with a secret blade. 

After looking at the different weapons used throughout Japanese culture by Samurai, I found a weapon called a Naginata. The Naginata is a spear like weapon with a long, curved, blade at the end. This was an iconic weapon wielded by Samurai throughout their reign. I like the idea of both the characters having different weapons so that they have their own unique fighting style. Naginata's can be used to stab, hook and can be spun. 

When it comes to the cyberpunk character I want to give him a traditional katana sword. Although coming from a world of technology he still fights with the desire to win on equal terms, at least on the surface. To him his modifications are an extension of himself, he feels he really is doing the things he is doing and so in his mind this is not a disadvantage its just giving the opponent the chance to fight him as his 'best self'. This moral code of course is cheated when by the end his stabs his opponent when he shows him mercy. I like the idea that the robot can transform his arm into a sword and use that trick to kill his opponent even when he has lost the battle. 

Along with the fighting style I also have to incorporate the prop into the fight. I decided that I want the prop to be an upgraded version of the robots eye. I feel this ties the idea for the audience that this will be used in some way to upgrade the robot once they see what he looks like. They will then be able to make a clear connection between the robot and object in question as they can clearly see he already has a version of the object already. 

Now that the prop has been decided their is still one more element which I need to research and that was how the prop would be included into the fight. In order to research this further I looked at Jackie Chan films who has been regarded as the prop play master. 

Jackie Chan

I started by watching an analysis video which breaks down a Jackie Chan fight from the film "First Strike"

Firstly the introduction of the prop is important and should be visually prominent in the stablishing shot. This creates a form of anticipation for the audience.

Jackie Chan usually does not look for weapon prop but instead uses what he is forced into by his attacker. This makes the prop used seem natural

Throughout the fight different props will begin taking up more of the frame in order to show off upcoming props. The closer to the middle of the frame the more likely it is to be used.

If an object is not foreshadowed correctly in a shot, when it is finally used it feels as if it came out of nowhere. That's what makes foreshadowing important.

Their is also a natural progression throughout the fight as the audience can trace back each part based on the fallout of the props in the shot of the scene.

After watching the analysis video I watched additional Jackie Chan fights. Below is some additional things I picked up on: 

Fast paced camera shots

Intense look on Chan's face/reaction to attacks

Intense music

Over the top sound effects, particularly weapons (swords) - sounds more dangerous

Sometimes uses slow-mo shots to help the audience digest what they have seen (this is used sparingly so that the pace is not thrown off).

Jackie Chan is always outnumbered/against a visually stronger enemy - more tension

Scenes are sometimes sped up in order to make action more intense

Always has some sort of visual disadvantage e.g. no shoes, hand cuffed, no gun and often times starts beneath opponent. 

I can now use the information I have gathered in order to structure the events which will take place in my fight scene.