(中文翻譯在下面)After almost a week of 16-20 hours days of shooting the ending fight sequences for Kinta 1881, I finally have a few minutes to sit down and answer the questions I asked for in my last entry.
Instead of answering each question individually, I'm going to attempt to answer most of them at the same time with a short story of an ordinary fellow from midwestern America named Philip Ng (or Phil, as he is referred to by his friends) who decided to drop everything he was familiar with to start a new life as an entertainer in a crazy little city called Hong Kong.
Having graduated with a masters degree in education, Phil started his career as a school teacher in a suburb of Chicago while at the same time taught (among other martial arts) Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) and Choy Lay Fut at his father's (who's an accountant by day) martial arts studio in Chicago's Chinatown. Whist training to further enhance his Ving Tsun skills in Hong Kong, he was exposed to the entertainment industry there. After much thought and deliberation, he decided to take a chance and moved to Hong Kong with a determination to succeed in an industry virtually unknown to him. While there, he was immediately overwhelmed by all the complications and background politics behind something seemingly as harmless as making movies. Succeeding was going to be harder than he thought.
However, Phil was fortunate enough to have met an accomplished singer/actor named Joe Tay (Chang Ging Kei), who would be the man that would change the fortunes of Phil's then uneasy start in the industry. Joe was kind, and became a sort of surrogte older brother to Phil, and would eventually introduced him to a friend who was to be Phil's sifu (mentor) in the ways of martial arts choreography and film making in general. Chin Ka Lok was that friend. Chin Ka Lok, a well-known actor and martial arts choreograher in his own right, gave Phil a chance to be his assistant martial arts choreographer in the film Star Runner, where he would meet his best friends, Andy On and Vanness Wu. While working on Star Runner he met a man named Roger Lui who would later introduce him to his current artiste manager, Mon Ng. From that point on, Phil went on to work as a lead in his first TV series ( Dragonfly: Invincible) and would continue to act in films/television and work as a martial arts choreographer in productions all around Asia.
Hope that story answered a few of your questions. And here are the answers to a the rest.
Favorite Martial Arts -
I enjoy all martial arts. Though my backgound is mainly in the traditional Chinese martial arts, I have a black belt in TKD and am active in arts like catch wrestling, Judo, escrima, western boxing, and Thai boxing. I love watching stuff like K-1, Pride, Heroes, UFC, etc. I also really enjoy working on and learning new martial arts trickz and pakour/free running (fun, challenging, and good for film).
Worst Injury -
Injuries happen all the time on and off the set, it's just the nature of my job. But I'm fortuate enough to not have anything too serious happen to me. I guess the worst would be partial hearing loss in my left ear from a ruptured eardrum that I earned from a new actor in a film I did in China a few years back. I wrote about that experience in a previous blog entry (it's on here, moved from it's orginal place from Myspace.com)
Biggest Passion -
My biggest passion right now is just to be the best film maker possible, both in front and behind the camera. Working on producing my own film (schedule for next year). More on that as it happens.
Being in the Public Eye -
Honestly, I will always consider myself as an actor and film maker, rather than a "celebrity" (I'm really not on that level anyways). Since one's works are exposed to the public eye on a regular basis, one will expectedly become recognizable, but it's still just a job (one that I love, nonetheless). We all put our pants on one leg at a time (so to speak), and it's not cool to take ourselves too seriously (nothing lasts forever). But being the public eye does have its disadvantages. For instance, because of the nature of the Hong Kong media, normal stuff like hanging out with friends and (God forbid) dating is sometimes difficult if one minds public scrutiny. As for me, my friends and family are proud and supportive of every achievement that I accomplish, and I love them for that since it can get difficult in this industry at times.
Real vs. Reel -
I actually wrote an article last year for a US martial arts publication call Kungfu Magazine dubbed, Punching To Miss,dealing with this topic. I'll post it here sometime. Martial arts (in my opinion) was developed, first and foremost, as a method of combat, while movie fighting is more of a dance designed to look like combat. Lots of things have to be learned and adjusted before one can transition from real martial arts to reel martial arts.
Non-Action Acting -
An action-actor is, first and foremost, an actor, so the skill and art of acting takes prominence over any action. A fight scene without the proper story and motivation to back it up is nothing more than a martial arts performance, Drama is of utmost importance to make the fight more than just a fight. I have done a few roles where I'm not fighting, most notablely, Marriage With a Fool, where I play a shy toilet paper/tissue CEO who goes after a girl named Bo (played by Stephy Tang). I really enjoyed that role. Got some good reviews and gained public notice as an actor who can act in addition to kicking people in the face
Choregraphy -
I love being behind the camera as well. Being able to choreograph involves knowing about editing, camera angles, and the abilities of each actor involved. There are many skills to learn, but the most important is knowing how to control and manage your rhythm and tempo, as I said eariler, movie fighting is a dance designed to look like combat.
Education -
I got my bachelors and masters degrees at the University of Illinios at Urbana-Champaign. I loved it there, I even started a university martial arts club called the Illini Ving Tsun Assocation (I think it's still around, though who's teaching now, I'm not sure)
And finally, to answer's Patrick's question... I think you know a lot more cute girls than I do, lol
Lastly, I finalized my experiment on personal fitness. After a couple of weeks of working 16-18 hour days in a sauna like environment, my abdominals began peeking out of it's squishy exterior again...
What it's like on the set - most of the time I stand-in as a punching bag for my mentor (Chin Ka Lok) in between shots...
繁體中文:在每天工作16-20小時的繁忙一周之後,我終於結束了電影《近打kinta 1881》動作戲的拍攝,找到點時間坐下來,回答在Blog裏面被問到的問題。
不做一一回答,我想寫一個小故事,一個美國中西部的普通男孩Philip Ng(或象朋友一樣叫他Phil)的成長故事,看看Phil為什麼決定放棄手邊的一切,到一個叫香港的瘋狂的小城市開始他全新的演藝生涯。大部分問題都能從中找到答案。
在大學裏獲得教育碩士學位之後,Phil開始在芝加哥郊區的一個學校當老師,同 時教授(其他武術中的)詠春拳,還在他父親(那時是會計師)在芝加哥中國城開設的武館教蔡李佛拳。在香港接受詠春拳深入訓練時,Phil被演藝圈發掘。經過深思熟慮,他決心接受這個機會,搬到香港,要在全新未知的新生涯中取得成功。但不久他就發現電影行業表面看來簡單,實際上有複雜的環境和政治背景。成功比他想象的要困難得多。
但Phil還是很幸運,他遇到了成功的歌手和演員Joe Tay(Chang Ging Kei),是他令Phil在演藝圈的起步不再艱難。Joe人非常好,象大哥一樣幫助Phil,還介紹他認識了教他武打設計和電影動作的人,也就是後來Phil的師傅-錢嘉樂。錢嘉樂是著名的演員和動作指導,他讓Phil在電影《少年阿虎》做他的動作指導助理。這部電影讓Phil結識了最好的朋友安志傑和吳建豪,同時他還遇到一個人Roger Lui,他後來介紹了Phil認識了現在的經紀人Mon Ng。從那時起,Phil就開始領銜主演他首部電視連續劇《蜻蜓:無敵》,在亞洲很多的電影和電視劇中擔任武術指導。
希望上面的故事能回答你們的一些問題,下面是其他的回答:
最愛的武術項目- 雖然我學的主要是中國傳統武術,但所有的武術項目我都喜歡。我是TKD黑帶,也愛降服式摔跤、柔道、菲律賓短棍、西洋拳和泰拳,喜歡看K-1、Pride、Heroes、UFC等搏擊比賽。我還喜歡學習新的武術項目比如trickz、街頭疾走/跑酷(有趣、挑戰性而且適合電影)。
受過最嚴重的傷- 台前幕後的受傷對我來說簡直是家常便飯,也是工作中一定會有的。但很幸運,目前為止還沒有受過什麼很嚴重的傷。我想最嚴重的應該是幾年前作為新演員,在中國拍一部電影時左耳膜破裂,失去了部分聽力。我在以前的Blog裏寫過這個(我已經把原先寫的Blog都從Myspace搬過來了)。
最大的熱情-
我現在最大的熱情是努力做最好的電影人,不論在台前還是幕後。(計劃明年)開始拍攝自己的電影,那時我會更努力。
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作為公眾人物- 說老實話,我始終把自己當作一個演員和電影人,而不是什麼“名人”(再說我也沒到那個級別)。一旦有作品在大眾面前曝光,當然希望被更多人認識,但這還只是工作(儘管是我愛的工作)。我們有時單腿站著穿褲子,太把自己當成一回事,一點好處也沒有(沒有什麼是永久的)。但作為公眾人物當然有不好的地方。比如香港媒體的習慣,正常的社交活動如和朋友一起出去或(上帝禁止的)約會,如果你在乎公眾的評價就會很困難。對我來說,朋友和家人為我取得的每一個進步和成績自豪,儘管因為我處的圈子時不時會帶來麻煩,但他們都非常支持我,我因此更愛他們。
真實vs.轉換- 我去年為美國的一本武術雜誌《Kungfu Magazine》寫過一篇稿子,叫"Punching To Miss",下次給大家看。武術(以我的觀點)最初是為因為格鬥而不斷發展的,但電影裏的武打更象設計舞蹈動作,看起來象格鬥而已。一個人要把真正的武術轉換到電影的武打動作必須學習和調整很多東西。
沒有打鬥的演戲-
一個動作演員首先必須是一個演員,表演的技巧和動作比任何的武術動作更重要。一段武打場景如果沒有正確的的故事和動機作為背景,只能是一段動作表演。戲劇性使動作不僅是打鬥。我演過幾個不是打鬥的角色,最有名的應該是《獨家試愛》,我在裏面演一個害羞的洗手間服務生,他追求一個叫Bo的女孩(由鄧麗欣扮演)。我很喜歡這個角色,除了踢別人臉之外[if gte vml 1]>
動作指導- 我也喜歡幕後工作。作為幕後工作人員,我可以了解到很多東西,包括編輯、攝影角度和每個演員的能力。有很多技巧要學,最重要的是知道如何控制你的節奏和速度,象我之前所說,拍電影的動作實際上象設計舞蹈,只是看起來象打鬥。
教育背景- 我在美國伊利諾斯大學香檳分校畢業,獲得學士和碩士學位。我喜歡那兒,我在大學裏還組織了一個武術俱樂部叫“伊利詠春拳協會”(我想這個協會還在,只是不知道誰在教課,不確定)。
最後回答Patrick的問題…我覺得你認識的可愛女生比我要多得多,lol
用身材做結束,在桑拿環境下每天工作16-18小時的幾周後,我的腹肌又出來了,雖然表面粘乎乎的…這張照片看起來象什麼?-拍攝間隙,我經常站著被師傅(錢嘉樂)當成沙袋…
简体中文:在每天工作 16-20小时的繁忙一周之后,我终于结束了电影《近打 kinta 1881》动作戏的拍摄,找到点时间坐下来,回答在 Blog里面被问到的问题。
不做一一回答,我想写一个小故事,一个美国中西部的普通男孩 Philip Ng(或象朋友一样叫他 Phil)的成长故事,看看 Phil为什么决定放弃手边的一切,到一个叫香港的疯狂的小城市开始他全新的演艺生涯。大部分问题都能从中找到答案。
在大学里获得教育硕士学位之后, Phil开始在芝加哥郊区的一个学校当老师,同 时教授(其他武术中的)咏春拳,还在他父亲(那时是会计师)在芝加哥中国城开设的武馆教蔡李佛拳。在香港接受咏春拳深入训练时, Phil被演艺圈发掘。经过深思熟虑,他决心接受这个机会,搬到香港,要在全新未知的新生涯中取得成功。但不久他就发现电影行业表面看来简单,实际上有复杂的环境和政治背景。成功比他想象的要困难得多。
但 Phil还是很幸运,他遇到了成功的歌手和演员 Joe Tay(Chang Ging Kei),是他令 Phil在演艺圈的起步不再艰难。 Joe人非常好,象大哥一样帮助 Phil,还介绍他认识了教他武打设计和电影动作的人,也就是后来 Phil的师傅 -钱嘉乐。钱嘉乐是著名的演员和动作指导,他让 Phil在电影《少年阿虎》做他的动作指导助理。这部电影让 Phil结识了最好的朋友安志杰和吴建豪,同时他还遇到一个人 Roger Lui,他后来介绍了 Phil认识了现在的经纪人 Mon Ng。从那时起, Phil就开始领衔主演他首部电视连续剧《蜻蜓:无敌》,在亚洲很多的电影和电视剧中担任武术指导。
希望上面的故事能回答你们的一些问题,下面是其他的回答:
虽然我学的主要是中国传统武术,但所有的武术项目我都喜欢。我是 TKD黑带,也爱降服式摔跤、柔道、菲律宾短棍、西洋拳和泰拳,喜欢看 K-1、 Pride、 Heroes、 UFC等搏击比赛。我还喜欢学习新的武术项目比如 trickz、街头疾走 /跑酷(有趣、挑战性而且适合电影)。
台前幕后的受伤对我来说简直是家常便饭,也是工作中一定会有的。但很幸运,目前为止还没有受过什么很严重的伤。我想最严重的应该是几年前作为新演员,在中国拍一部电影时左耳膜破裂,失去了部分听力。我在以前的 Blog里写过这个(我已经把原先写的 Blog都从 Myspace搬过来了)。
最大的热情-
我现在最大的热情是努力做最好的电影人,不论在台前还是幕后。(计划明年)开始拍摄自己的电影,那时我会更努力。
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说老实话,我始终把自己当作一个演员和电影人,而不是什么“名人”(再说我也没到那个级别)。一旦有作品在大众面前曝光,当然希望被更多人认识,但这还只是工作(尽管是我爱的工作)。我们有时单腿站着穿裤子,太把自己当成一回事,一点好处也没有(没有什么是永久的)。但作为公众人物当然有不好的地方。比如香港媒体的习惯,正常的社交活动如和朋友一起出去或(上帝禁止的)约会,如果你在乎公众的评价就会很困难。对我来说,朋友和家人为我取得的每一个进步和成绩自豪,尽管因为我处的圈子时不时会带来麻烦,但他们都非常支持我,我因此更爱他们。
真实
我去年为美国的一本武术杂志《 Kungfu Magazine》写过一篇稿子,叫 "Punching To Miss",下次给大家看。武术(以我的观点)最初是为因为格斗而不断发展的,但电影里的武打更象设计舞蹈动作,看起来象格斗而已。一个人要把真正的武术转换到电影的武打动作必须学习和调整很多东西。
一个动作演员首先必须是一个演员,表演的技巧和动作比任何的武术动作更重要。一段武打场景如果没有正确的的故事和动机作为背景,只能是一段动作表演。戏剧性使动作不仅是打斗。我演过几个不是打斗的角色,最有名的应该是《独家试爱》,我在里面演一个害羞的洗手间服务生,他追求一个叫
Bo的女孩(由邓丽欣扮演)。我很喜欢这个角色,除了踢别人脸之外
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我也喜欢幕后工作。作为幕后工作人员,我可以了解到很多东西,包括编辑、摄影角度和每个演员的能力。有很多技巧要学,最重要的是知道如何控制你的节奏和速度,象我之前所说,拍电影的动作实际上象设计舞蹈,只是看起来象打斗。
我在美国伊利诺斯大学香槟分校毕业,获得学士和硕士学位。我喜欢那儿,我在大学里还组织了一个武术俱乐部叫“伊利咏春拳协会”(我想这个协会还在,只是不知道谁在教课,不确定)。
最后回答
Patrick的问题
…我觉得你认识的可爱女生比我要多得多,
lol
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用身材做结束,在桑拿环境下每天工作 16-18小时的几周后,我的腹肌又出来了,虽然表面粘乎乎的 …
这张照片看起来象什么? -拍摄间隙,我经常站着被师傅(钱嘉乐)当成沙袋 …