________________
| |
New
Tekken Movie: Director discusses
adapting the videogame to film.
|
Film Director on Newest
Film Project: It's About The Fighting
Charles
Stone III is the latest director
given the opportunity to adapt videogame to
big screen feature film.
For Stone, adapting a fighting
game doesn't just mean creating an action
film with lots of fast punches and drop-kicks
thrown in; it means making the entire film
revolve around fighting, with hand-to-hand
combat treated as an art form.
Stone told Sci Fi Wire that Tekken
won't just have Hollywood-style action like
The Matrix. "I grew up on the Hong Kong films,
where fighting is filmed for the choreography
of the actual art form, whereas in America
we photograph fighting films with long lenses
[and] way up close, and then the editing becomes
the choreography," explained the director.
"One concern of mine is that the fighting
be good, because I personally think the fighting
in something like The Matrix, where a lot
of people are like 'Wow,' just doesn't do
it for me,"
The story of Tekken (which is Japanese for
"iron fist") will revolve around an important
martial arts tournament, with combatants vying
to defeat Heihachi Mishima and claim the grand
prize. Stone's previous work includes Drumline
and the baseball comedy Mr. 3000.
The film is expected to be shot and released
in 2006.
________________
Three Onboard Chasing
the Dragon
Ken
Watanabe ("Batman Begins", "The
Last Samurai") and Shu
Qi will unite with Wesley Snipes
in the upcoming action-adventure "Chasing
the Dragon".
In the movie, Snipes plays an
FBI agent who teams up with a poverty-stricken
Asian girl, Song, played by Shu Qi. Together
they travel from Chinatown to Taiwan on a
relentless pursuit of a ruthless Asian drug
lord, Jimmy Jiro, played by Ken Watanabe.
Production begins next month
on location in Taiwan and Toronto. Chris
Nahon ("Kiss of the Dragon")
directs.
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 |
MAT
CASTING NEWS:
Chinese TV
Show |
Chinese
Talent Show Needs Non-Chinese Martial Artists
Beijing TV Station, the second
largest TV station of China is coming to LA
to film a Chinese Talent show for non-Chinese,
similar to "Star Search". The top five performers
will be flown to Beijing for the winning ceremony.
Click
here for the casting listing (#238).
________________
 |
 AUDITIONING
TIPS:
Going to an
Open Call |
Be Relaxed. Be Prepared.
Once you start the ball rolling
you never know when you're going to get a
casting call. Make sure when that happens,
you have the basics covered.
Get your portfolio in order.
Have enough copies of your headshots
on hand. List any stage and screen credits
on the résumé
side, even if you only have student films
and minor productions as experience.
If the audition requires a monologue,
make sure you have rehearsed it many times
in ADVANCE of the audition. Stay away from
popular monologue books as the casting agents
and directors will have heard them many times
before. Do NOT bring classic monologues (e.g.
Shakespeare, Chekov) unless the role calls
for something similar.
For performance auditions, make
sure you warm up in advance. Wear loose clothing
so you can move. Be confident but not overbearing.
Most important, listen to directions. Show
the director and casting agent what they ask
for, not what you want to show off. Be flexible
(mentally!).
Finally. Be RELAXED. If you
make a mistake, don't become overly apologetic.
Breathe and continue on. Make a good impression.
Even if you don't get the part
(or think you do poorly), keep a professional
attitude. You never know when you might be
up for another audition with the same casting
agent or director.
See
Latest Casting Listings
________________
Seeking Martial Artists
for Ninja NY
What can $3.5 million and 6,500
square-feet of lavish space get you in New
York City? A Japanese restaurant themed around
Ninjas.
Although at first it sounds
heavy on the kitsch and not much else, Ninja
NY is actually an upscale restaurant with
a wildly successful sister restaurant, Ninja
Akasaka, located in Tokyo. Waiters
in Ninja garb lead you to your table and engage
in Ninja-like theatrics.
Looking to pay the bills while
pursuing your goal of stardom? Apparently
they prefer types with martial arts training,
(see
casting listing #196 for restaurant here).
Otherwise, if you're in New
York City and looking to "experience fine
Japanese fusion cuisine in a Ninja village",
the address is Ninja New York, 25 Hudson St.,
between Duane and Reade Streets, (212) 274-8500.
Prix fixe menus range from $80
to $200. Read
Restaurant Review Here.
________________
Tips
for Replying to MAT Listings
Your
success is our success. We
want you to get the roles and opportunities
that are right for you. With that said, we'll
review important tips for replying to our
listings.
 |
Two
Tips for You
Proofread and
Keep it Short and Simple! |
1. Proofread. We
cannot emphasize this enough. Take a moment
to spell check your correspondence."Your flim
sounds great" doesn't make the best impression.
Also, be sure to re-read your mails to catch
any language errors that spell check won't
pick up. E.g. "You're" and "Your".
Certainly, recruiters may be
more interested in your martial arts and talent
abilities than your penchant for proofreading,
but don't get ruled out at first glance because
of this.
2. Be brief.
Be concise. Read the listing. Target how you
are appropriate for the role/project. Send
images and résumés as indicated.
Do NOT wax
on philosophically about how you want to be
the next martial arts action star.
Do NOT send long paragraphs of information
about your background.
Do list essential
details and achievements if relevant and applicable.
Do make yourself
stand out as the right person for the job
by integrating good presentation and following
the directions of the post.
Note
for new MAT Members:
Ensure that you allow emails from Martial
Arts Talent or otherwise important mail may
end up in your Spam box. Allow: info@martialartstalent.net
If you
have any questions, email us.
| |
Weinsteins
Sign Up for Kung Fu High School Film |
Weinstein brothers Bob and Harvey
have acquired screen rights to Kung
Fu High School, a Ryan Gattis
novel that has been scripted by Ernesto Foronda.
The film will be done as a co-production between
the Weinstein Co. and Dimension Films.
The novel revolves around a
high school where the students matriculate
in bloody martial-arts mayhem. Nicknamed "Kung
Fu High", the school is a prisonlike venue
ruled by five gangs, each of which employs
a stylized ancient Asian martial-arts discipline.
The Weinstein Brothers have
produced a string of hits including Kill Bill
Volumes 1 and 2, Sin City, Lord of the Rings
and others.
________________
Your Age: Actual vs.
Your "Look"
You spot the perfect role but
it asks for someone 10 years younger. Should
you still apply? Will they ask for proof of
age? One aspiring actor wrote this question:
"When the casting notice or
open call specifies a particular age range,
does it mean actors who look that age? Or
does it want actors who are in the age range
specified? I am 35 years old, but I can easily
pass for 25. A good opportunity has come up,
and I don't want to miss out..."
Answer: You should submit and
audition for any role you look right for.
Casting directors, like employers and human
resource personnel in other fields, should
never ask your age. The only exception to
this is for minors, which is why you'll see
a space for "Age, if under 18" on most casting
size cards.
If you feel you must specify,
list a broad range of about 10 years unless,
of course, your age is an asset you want to
publicize.
________________
Which martial art is
best for self-defense?
We have come across this question
many times. Often we get requests from instructors
to teach our talent the "best martial arts",
or we get people asking us which is the "best
one to learn". These discussions can quickly
turn into debates about which martial art
is the most effective, most powerful, most
applicable.
The straight answer: All of
them and none of them. Simply stated: ANY
martial art system can be used for self-defense.
You can also use the best way to get away
from the situation and hence have no further
need for self defense at all. Read
more on world martial arts here.
The main point: Every martial
art style has value. We do not stand behind
and neither endorse one martial art over the
other.
The Return of Bloodsport?
Jean
Claude Van Damme has decided
to star in a direct sequel to his breakthrough
hit, "Bloodsport" (1987).
"Bloodsport : A New Beginning",
to be penned by the original film's writer
Sheldon Leitch, is expected to go before the
cameras next year. According to a source,
it will bring the "Bloodsport concept into
the 21st Century in a way you can hardly imagine".
In the original, Van Damme played
Frank Dux, a man who entered an illegal underground
martial-arts competition which often had fatal
consequences.
Van Damme and Leitch are also
about to start work on another film, "Hard
Corps".
Jackie
Chan says too old for film fights
Hong Kong action movie star
Jackie Chan said he is getting too old to
do the stunts that made him famous and hopes
to prove to audiences he can act too. Read
More.
________________
Martials
Arts Instructors needed. Visit
the Job Listings section.
Highlight Site: Visit
the World's Leading Magazine of Self Defense.
________________
A hose is a deadly weapon?!
View
Transporter 2 Hose Fight Scene
________________
__
New Warrior Heroine
FOX has hired Sienna
Guillory, previously seen battling
zombies in Resident Evil: Apocalypse to play
Arya, a skilled fighter and powerful leader
of a combative tribe, in their new movie "Eragon",
says The Hollywood Reporter.
Apparently, there was a long,
hard search to find the right warrior heroine
for the film before settling on Guillory,
a former British model and actress.
Based on the best-selling novel
by Christopher Paolini, the film centers on
a boy named Eragon who harnesses his magical
powers and becomes a great dragon rider. The
fate of the empire depends on his ability
to kill the evil king.
Also starring teen newcomer
Ed Speleers in the title role, and Djimon
Hounsou, Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich.
Guillory can also be seen in Helen of Troy
and Love Actually.
Kung Fu Hustle
Returns
With the breakout success
of Kung Fu Hustle, plans for Kung
Fu Hustle II are already underway.
Hong Kong actor and
director Stephen
Chow was in Beijing recently
casting for a leading role for the
sequel. Asked about this and the start-date
for shooting, which is said to be
in September, the star actor remained
tight-lipped. I never say who will
star in a movie. It’s too early
to say that, said Chow. Promoting
new actresses and actors is always
our company’s policy. We will
definitely invite some new faces in
the movie
|
Auditions need to be thought
of as an opportunity to show your acting chops,
create a new character and network. Period.
Read
More
Academy
for action film fighting in Studio
City, CA. Learn action and fight choreography
from some of Asia's top fight choreographers
and performers.
MTV2 Wants Black Belts
