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who doesn't love 80s action cinema
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i mean just look at the heroes that
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graced the silver screen at the time
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you had john matrix john rambo john
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mclean
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and chan ka koi
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hi
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i've seen so many videos on youtube
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where people discuss 80's action cinema
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but never seem to bring
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even the most popular hong kong films
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into the conversation
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that's something i've always found mind
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boggling because if you've seen these
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movies you know how hard-hitting
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fast-paced and exhilarating the action
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was and sure they don't always have the
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rich dialogue of raiders of the lost ark
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or the intricate character dynamics of
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lethal weapon
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but when it comes to pure action
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filmmaking the stuff where the actors
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gotta shut up and do stuff for the
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audience to marvel at
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hong kong was unparalleled so what
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exactly made
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80's hong kong action cinema so damn
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[Music]
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good
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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foreign
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[Music]
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it's important to note that most of
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these actors were skilled not only in
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the martial arts
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but also in acrobatics since guys like
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jackie chan samuel hung
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bienview and many other notable hong
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kong stars were actually trained as
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peaking opera performers in their youths
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as many of you would have guessed the
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training required to get to their level
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of physical skill
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was absolutely grueling and back
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breaking
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and of course the peaking opera scene
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was dying in the 60s and 70s
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so these trained opera performers were
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forced to try their hands at stunt work
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for the early shaw brothers and golden
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harvest pictures
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soon enough they would climb up the
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ranks from stuntmen to actors
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to action choreographers and by the time
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the 80s rolled along
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these guys were pulling the strings of
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the hong kong action movie industry in
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front of and behind the camera
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and for good reason their knowledge in
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martial arts and acrobatics allowed for
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a new type of exciting and cinematic
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action
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for the hong kong audience to adore post
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bruce lee
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now let's examine what exact acting
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techniques these people use in their
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action scenes
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one is exaggerated movement where the
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director would often have the actors
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perform
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relatively simple movements in this
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grand staccato-like burst of action
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this was an obvious byproduct of 70's
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hong kong action again taking influence
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from the art of peaking opera
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another important thing for the actors
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to keep in mind is to actually sell the
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hits
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these filmmakers really want the
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audience to feel the blow and all of
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that impact can be stripped away
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if we don't even believe that these
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fighters are getting hurt in their
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physical altercations
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they actually take the time to grimace
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when they get punched in the face
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or roll over in agony after taking a
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nasty hit or fall
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it's actually really hard to make
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falling look good and the hong kong
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actors and stunt guys definitely
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mastered the yard of falling
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i mean just look at how 80 stunt guys in
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america fell
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and then look at how 80 stun guys in
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hong kong fell
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sure one is more realistic but the other
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is definitely more cinematic
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now it's one thing to sell the hits but
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it's another thing to actually want the
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audience to feel the blow
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and this is where hong kong had the
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actors utilize movie magic for their
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pursuits
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one technique that's ubiquitous among
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hong kong action movies is the use of
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power powder that really adds that extra
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visual layer of impact the audience
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enjoyed
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one could do similar techniques with
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sweats
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rice
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and of course blood
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[Music]
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and finally it's imperative to note that
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the hong kong way of shooting action
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really stressed clarity
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you can see how much hong kong values
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clarity by looking at how these actors
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are dressed for the action sequences
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the protagonist faction will always wear
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one style of clothing while the
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antagonist faction wears a completely
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different style
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just look at the final fight sequence of
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samuhun's my lucky stars
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you don't even need to have seen this
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movie to know who's who because with
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this image alone
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we already know which party we ought to
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root for
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furthermore the apparent differences
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between the heroes and the villains
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allow for a more clear and visually
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alluring fight scene for the audience to
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look at
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and this brings me to the second topic
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of analysis
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[Music]
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again it's crucial to remember that
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these people you see in hong kong action
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films
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aren't your average joes found on the
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street they are legitimately skilled in
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what they do
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with years of experience under their
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belts action stars who aren't as adept
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in martial arts
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acrobatics or stunt work would
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definitely find it difficult to even
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make it out
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alive after making one of these films
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because the speed
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power and pain that's demanded from the
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action directors is
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for lack of a better phrase absolutely
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bananas
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they sent me to the hospital and the
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doctor looked at and he said oh he
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kicked you so hard
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he split your internal ear open and
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there's nothing i could do about it i
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can't stitch it i can't go in
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so i see he says okay go back to the set
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so i go back to the set
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blood coming out of my face and continue
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the fight scene you know i'm going
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okay this is hong kong this is what you
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do perhaps the most notable difference
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between american action cinema and hong
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kong action cinema
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is the elegance of the action
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choreography where in the 80s
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hong kong remained unmatched if you've
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seen these fights you know exactly what
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i'm talking about
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the movements within the fights are
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timed to a capital t
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and the choreography is so damn
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intricate that it makes you wonder how
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these action directors find the time and
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money to perfect these moves in the
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first place
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hong kong also makes sure to have their
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fights tell little stories
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where instead of just having two guys
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beat the hell out of each other until
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some winter comes out on top
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you get little wins and little losses
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from both opponents
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including some time to breathe in
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between for not just the opponents
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but the audience as well this back and
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forth tugging of wins and losses
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keeps the viewers on their toes because
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they too are tugged along for the
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nail-biting ride
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these fights also seem to strike the
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perfect bounce between legitimate
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fighting which can get rather ugly and
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uncinematic
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and operatic non-realism which is pretty
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but ends up feeling like a dance rather
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than a fight
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the end result of this blend is magical
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because you often have the legit
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jabs blocks bobs and grapples for an mma
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match
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but still retain that cha-cha 1-2-3
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rhythm for a dance number
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the hong kong temple is actually quite
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fast the balls per second rate is easily
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the highest among all the other fighting
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movie markets around the world
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but despite the insane speed of the move
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shared by the opponents
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these action directors still managed to
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keep every hit block
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and dodge precise and clear enough for
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the camera to see
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and as if getting these hits precise
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wasn't intense enough hong kong action
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directors also make sure to actually
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have these actors hit each other
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no i don't mean actual ufc knuckle
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sandwiches to the face
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though hits like that do happen from
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time to time i'm referring to the manner
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in which they block each other's attacks
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these actors are legitimately stopping
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full force punches and kicks with their
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often
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non-padded arms and it definitely
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doesn't seem like a pleasant experience
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every day after shooting i had to have a
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magical treatment for my both arms
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because the movers were very difficult
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and i didn't have enough experience
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while the time so i resourced talk so
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many takes
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until director say cut okay
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and on the topic of unpleasant
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experiences let's talk about the
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notorious
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hong kong stunts
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in case you didn't know jackie chan was
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not the only hong kong stunt guy
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as there was a whole industry full of
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these people in hong kong who were
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willing to put their lives on the line
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for the audience's entertainment
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and sure jackie did the wildest and most
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iconic stunts
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but with the lack of cgi in 80s hong
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kong no one was safe
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male fighters
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female fighters
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[Music]
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men and women who aren't even action
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stars
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hell why not bring children into the mix
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too
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[Music]
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i'd also like to stress that these stunt
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guys weren't just daredevils who fell
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from high places without any care for
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their lives
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these guys not only used pads but they
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also had excellent body control and
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landing techniques that saved them from
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rather fatal consequences
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safety was still first for hong kong but
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as you know
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there's a reason why you don't see these
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sort of stunts in movies anymore
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no matter how much padding you have on
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you need balls made of titanium to take
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this fall
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ouch
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[Music]
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one quirk of 80s hong kong action cinema
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was the wide lens which was used to
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capture every inch of action needed for
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the audience to enjoy
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sometimes you'll even find the wireless
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distorting the frame to magnify the
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action that takes place in its center
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like making an overhead shot of a kick
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twice as powerful
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or making a pistol look like a comic
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book hand cannon
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the hong kong way of shooting action
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also took advantage of the space within
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the frame the action was captured
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the actual blocking of the action is
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very dynamic as they often times utilize
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the depth of the action space by having
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the action occur
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in the background in the foreground this
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was revolutionary for hong kong
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because if you've seen movies like
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drunken master or five deadly venoms
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you know that 70's hong kong action was
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shot in a more two-dimensional fashion
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that rarely ever let the audience get
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into the fighting ring themselves
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using zoom's time down action and having
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subjects literally pop in and out of the
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frame
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were other trademarks of hong kong
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action cinema as they allowed for more
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jolting and kinetic spikes for the
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action taking place in the frame the
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thing people praise the most about hong
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kong action cinema though
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is how they keep the camera steady to
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let the audience just see the action
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and of course hong kong is worthy of
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that praise because as a result
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we get to see the already amazing action
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set pieces very clearly
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but it's also worth it to note that when
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hong kong moved the camera and varied
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the shots
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they did it right a lot of times you'd
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find the camera laterally tracked to
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capture action
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by following one opponent overpowering
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another providing the suffocating
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sensation similar to ken cornering
00:11:00
jurassic street fighter 2.
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the actual varying of camera shots and
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angles is another notable asset of hong
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kong action filmmaking
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in general when you want to film fights
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and actually get the audience as close
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to the fight as possible
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then you shoot as close as possible the
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basic formula is to shoot wide when the
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guys are using the full range of their
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entire body to fight
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shoot medium when the guys are punching
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and shoot close when guys are being
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strangled or when you really want the
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audience to see the impact of a punch or
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a cake
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this formula is effective and can be
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seen in world action cinema as a whole
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but hong kong decided to take this a
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step further by getting creative with
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the placement of the camera
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you've got fights like the factory scene
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from dragons forever where i saw high
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angle shots
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low angle shots badass overhead slow-mo
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shots
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and i don't even know what to call this
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transition
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this variation of shots angles and
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perspectives all the while keeping the
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action clear and rarely moving the
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camera
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makes these stunts and fights all the
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more sleek and fun to
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[Music]
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come watch the big question pretty much
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every film editor has to tackle
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is when should i cut perhaps you could
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just go with your gut
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and cut when it feels quote unquote
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right but editing action is tricky
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action scenes deal with movement emotion
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violence
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and tension all in one frame so you
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can't really say there's one way to edit
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fights
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in the 70s the generic hong kong way was
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this
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our fighters would exchange 10 to 20
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blows in two or three shots
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before someone gets hit and right before
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or after that person gets hit
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you cut and do it all over again this
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alongside with the midi sound effects
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really stressed the operatic rhythm the
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hong kong action directors wanted to
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showcase back then
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now look at how america edited fight
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scenes in the early to mid 2010s
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okay okay okay but you get the point
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there really are so many approaches to
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editing fight scenes
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the 1980s hong kong approach is in fact
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very similar to the 1970s hong kong
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approach
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but with many more editing renovations
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added onto it
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the 1980s hong kong action directors
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would also hold the shot to maintain the
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rhythm found in the fight just like
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1970s hong kong
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but this time you find a lot more fluid
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cuts on movement
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whether it be to see the fight from a
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different angle or to set up a scene for
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an awesome slow-mo cake
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for 80s hong kong cuts aren't just about
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rhythm
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it's about involving the audience and
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bringing them into the fighting ring to
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make sure they aren't bored
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and this basically shattered the editing
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norm set by 1970s hong kong
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so here's a list of very effective and
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unique edits
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that i will name myself since i don't
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know if there are professional terms to
00:13:57
use for these edits in the first place
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that i find pretty often in 1980s hong
00:14:01
kong action cinema
00:14:04
first there's what i call the power cut
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where you begin in a wide shot where
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some opponent is about to hit their
00:14:09
enemy
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but you cut right when that opponent is
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about to make contact with the enemy
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then in the next shot you don't match
00:14:16
continuity
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as the opponent has his blow pulled all
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the way back again and from here
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you carry on the motion until the enemy
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gets hit
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the end result is fantastic because your
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brain registers this as one powerful
00:14:28
shot
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so the continuity error is not only
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unnoticeable but it's also ironically
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benefiting your action
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then there's the shock cut where you let
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the opponent hit the enemy in one shot
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but have the following shot be the
00:14:43
unexpectedly huge after effect of the
00:14:45
blow
00:14:46
[Music]
00:14:48
these cuts are so effective because you
00:14:50
can't guess what the victim's reaction
00:14:51
will be
00:14:52
until the film cuts and reveals the
00:14:54
surprise for you
00:14:56
you also don't even need to wait for the
00:14:58
hit to cut sometimes cutting right
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before the hit will get the job done as
00:15:02
well
00:15:04
a scene like this could have easily been
00:15:06
done in one shot
00:15:10
but it's the shock cut that really
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leaves the viewer
00:15:15
well shocked we let the film hold our
00:15:18
hand in the long take
00:15:19
and then the cut gives us no time to
00:15:21
register the setting around jackie
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and once he gets his head slammed
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against the glass
00:15:26
it's too late to take time to process
00:15:27
what in the world just happened and all
00:15:29
we can do
00:15:30
is grimace with him the use of slow
00:15:33
motion also evolved in 1980s hong kong
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where initially in the 70s the most
00:15:37
common slo-mo edit was the classic shot
00:15:39
of someone about to hit a guy
00:15:41
and then having that someone hit the guy
00:15:43
and then you see the guy's reaction to
00:15:45
the hit
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fast forward to 1980s hong kong and
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you'll notice that these guys get a lot
00:15:50
more creative with slow motion editing
00:15:52
so here's a montage of different kinds
00:15:53
of slo-mo edits that are commonly found
00:15:55
among these 80s hong kong action movies
00:16:08
[Music]
00:16:48
do
00:16:54
[Music]
00:16:59
the final editing technique i would like
00:17:00
to touch on is the way hong kong handled
00:17:02
fast paced editing
00:17:04
after watching a movie like say taken 3
00:17:07
fast-paced editing is probably the last
00:17:09
thing you want to hear an action film
00:17:10
associated with
00:17:12
however when done correctly fast-paced
00:17:14
editing can be a very effective tool
00:17:16
that can help electrify the action for
00:17:18
the viewer for hong kong the key was to
00:17:20
not cut on action
00:17:22
just allow the barrage of quick shots
00:17:24
convey the sense of speed and fury
00:17:25
needed
00:17:26
without getting the audience confused
00:17:27
about what they're looking at
00:17:29
take this very quick scene from
00:17:31
samuhung's winners and sinners
00:17:37
that clip was 3.88 seconds and it had
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three cuts
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with each shot running 1.50 seconds
00:17:45
0.50 seconds 0.30 seconds
00:17:49
and 1.58 seconds in that order and yeah
00:17:52
it honestly does sound like a mess on
00:17:54
paper
00:17:56
but let's actually break this scene down
00:17:58
and understand why it works
00:18:01
the first shot is a shot of our bad guy
00:18:03
reaching for his gun
00:18:04
then the camera zooms out to dynamically
00:18:06
reveal the gun
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only for the gun to be smacked out of
00:18:09
his hand end of action
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the next shot has samuel hunk spiking
00:18:14
the bad guy in the stomach with his pole
00:18:16
leaving our bad guy no choice but to pop
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into the center of the frame to once in
00:18:20
pain
00:18:20
end of action the next shot is samuel
00:18:23
kicking the bad guy's gun out of sight
00:18:25
end of action and finally the last shot
00:18:27
is samu whacking the bad guy upside the
00:18:29
head with the pole
00:18:30
resulting in him being violently slammed
00:18:32
into the powder bags
00:18:33
and falling onto the floor to miserably
00:18:35
wallow in agony end of action
00:18:38
all four shots end with the stoppage of
00:18:40
action so there's no action for the
00:18:43
editor to cut on
00:18:44
this as well as the lack of camera
00:18:46
movement allows for something that could
00:18:47
have looked like this
00:18:53
actually end up looking more polished
00:18:55
because everything on screen is clear
00:18:57
quick cuts on movement is very dangerous
00:19:00
because cutting means that we have a new
00:19:02
shot to focus on
00:19:03
and therefore a new place on the frame
00:19:04
to look at but if this is the
00:19:06
continuation of the action we were
00:19:08
watching before
00:19:09
and we don't get enough time to gather
00:19:10
ourselves after the new cut to find a
00:19:12
place on the frame where we should focus
00:19:13
on
00:19:14
then we lose information in time and we
00:19:17
as an audience
00:19:17
will suffer from confusion add some
00:19:20
camera shakes and now the audience has
00:19:22
to go to their personal eye doctor
00:19:24
hong kong action directors wanted their
00:19:26
audience to shut off their brains and
00:19:28
enjoy the action
00:19:29
so the last thing they wanted was their
00:19:31
audience to be confused
00:19:33
or i traumatized as a result
00:19:36
they made sure to be very careful with
00:19:38
fast-paced cutting
00:19:39
so that we can not only keep up with
00:19:41
what's going on but also feel the impact
00:19:44
of the action being displayed
00:19:51
[Music]
00:19:54
it's an understatement to simply say
00:19:56
that hong kong knew their stuff when it
00:19:58
came to making good action
00:19:59
hong kong was full of absolute masters
00:20:01
of their craft who went above and beyond
00:20:04
to make the most entertaining
00:20:05
and heart-stopping action for their
00:20:06
local audiences
00:20:09
now while i do think hong kong is
00:20:10
superior at choreographing
00:20:12
shooting and editing fight scenes let me
00:20:14
also make clear that this isn't a video
00:20:16
bashing american action movies i adore
00:20:19
80s american action cinema
00:20:21
as they have multiple strengths that i
00:20:23
simply won't cover on this channel
00:20:24
because i'm a weeb
00:20:26
hell even modern american action movies
00:20:28
are getting better by the year
00:20:29
as john wick and ethan hunt are
00:20:31
consistently showing us the most
00:20:32
beautiful action sequences
00:20:34
america's seen in years and if you look
00:20:36
closely
00:20:37
you'll see that they probably took some
00:20:39
notes from hong kong action film making
00:20:40
as well
00:20:43
if you haven't seen any of these 80s
00:20:44
hong kong action movies or fight scenes
00:20:46
do yourself a favor and check them out
00:20:49
they are truly one of its kind when it
00:20:50
comes to action filmmaking
00:20:52
and they are definitely something you'll
00:20:53
never see be made again in the future
00:20:56
and if you still don't think 80s hong
00:20:58
kong action cinema's worth your time
00:21:00
then hopefully this scene will change
00:21:01
your mind
00:21:17
[Music]
00:21:25
[Music]
00:21:28
yes
00:21:30
my
