DOBA vs J.J. PERRY - 1

Zahvaljujući našoj drugarici S. došli smo u mogućnost da kontaktiramo sa Jordanom J.J. Perryjem, jednim od najpoznatijih i najaktivnijih reditelja akcionih scena i koreografa borbi u ovom trenutku, eksperta čiji CV obuhvata manje više sve ono moćno što je privoljeno na ekran poslednjih sezona. Ako vas zanima njegov ceo opus, pogledajte ga ovde a potom uživajte u intervjuu koji smo uradili sa njim:
- To say that you worked with a lot of different directors is a gross understatement since you not only worked with the most accomplished action directors - you actually introduced Steven Soderbergh to the action genre in his upcoming film HAYWIRE. So, let's start off with him - what does Soderbergh bring to the game? What kind of action inspired him? And how did your collaboration go?

Soderbergh is a beast in the game bro, he is an Oscar winner, it was a pleasure working with him because he knew exactly what he wanted, and knew how to get it. He is a true film maker, he directs it, shoots it and cuts it, he was editing it at night after wrap, so if he owed anything he would go get it the next day, I would love to work with him again, it was a real pleasure watching him work. And I learned a lot from him.

- Soderbergh cast Gina Carano in the leading role which is a lot like casting Sasha Grey in THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE. She obviously brings authenticity to the table. Is Soderbergh inspired by the MMA and how do you feel about art house guys like him and Mamet tackling MMA projects? What aspect of MMA attract those intellectually inclined directors to it. Do you feel MMA is the new boxing?

I’m a huge fan of MMA, so i am happy that it has become so popular! And its popularity is what a lot of producers and directors are betting on, besides its cheaper to shoot a fight sequence than it is to shoot a car chase. I love boxing as well, but MMA is the bottom line, and it is more cinematic to watch than boxing is, so from a choreographer’s perspective, I have more opportunities to WOW the audience with MMA as opposed to boxing.- Your career began in the mid-80s but to me it seems that it picked up with UNDISPUTED 2 and that you got the true recognition after that film. Am I wrong in this assessment and can you tell me how your unique voice in stunt choreography and direction developed?
Being in this business is a blessing, and I feel very fortunate to have had all of the opportunities that I’ve had, having been a stuntman for so long, and having been able to work all over the world and with so many of the best people in the action game, UNDISPUTED 2 gave me the opportunity to choreograph what I like, Isaac was very receptive to my work, and having Mike White and Scott Adkins as principles, was like a perfect storm, and it all just came together, we shot the entire movie in 30 days! I was a big fan of UNDISPUTED 3, i hope we all have the chance to work together again.

- You seem to be the tie that binds the essential titles in the DTV revival which began with works of Isaac Florentine and then spread to such high-impact titles like Ben Ramsey's BLOOD AND BONE and Scott Mann's THE TOURNAMENT. What did you guys do to reinvigorate the industry which seemed like a dead end up until then and bring even some sort of critical acclaim to it?

Calling me the tie that binds is a huge overstatement! But thanks for the compliment, I love action, and when I get hired to do the action in a movie, from the moment I read the script I am constantly thinking of ways to make the action better, every frame of every shot in the action will have been thought thru, and worked and re worked for weeks be me and my team before we film it, I try to combine powerful choreography with cool camera angles, and big old school impacts, this has been my method, I am constantly working out new choreography, and looking for great performers, and trying to evolve and learn, 3D is what every one is trying now, lets see who can do the first bad ass 3D fight movie, imagine ONG BAK in 3D!!

- Do you feel that studios were responsive to the things you guys did in the DTV arena? Are they looking into it for new stars, directors and stunt coordinators? For a while it seemed that people who entered the industry by working in DTV had a tendency to remain there. Do you think that producers of theatrical features are now ready to be more propulsive and give DTV pros a chance in big leagues?

Anything you do in this business that’s good can only help you, if every job you do is better than the last, you will climb, if you put a bunch of stinkers out there, you will end up out of work. But the big studios don’t really care about DTV, they only care about the bottom line, which is, how much $$$$ did the movie make. I treat every job the same whether its $ 1 million, or $150 million budget, every frame of the action is important!

- Back in the day, most of the action stars had certain street cred in terms of background in some physically-demanding jobs or martial arts. It seems that such stars are back now. A lot of MMA guys are entering the industry and actors like Michael Jai White and Scott Adkins are accomplished martial artists. What do you make of this?

Scott and Mike are superhumans!! I’ve had the pleasure of training with them, and i will tell you they arent just bad ass martial artists, they are also really cool guys, i hope they both will be successful, they deserve it.
- On a couple of your productions that haven't been released yet there is a mention of a potentially very dangerous guy being involved - namely Aaron Cohen who has experience in Israeli military and he acted as an actor and technical advisor on HAYWIRE and HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION. Is he as bad-ass as his resume claims he is?
Yes!! Aaron Cohen is a bad ass! He is for real, and I have mad respect for him, he brought a lot realism to the table from his experiences, and it was a pleasure working with him.
- You worked on both BEOWULF and AVATAR - films that set out to change the landscape of contemporary cinema with use of motion capture and animation. What was exactly your task in these productions?
I was a stunt man on BEOWULF and AVATAR, and there was a lot of wire work in both films, Garrett Warren was the coordinator of those films, aside from being a man that i respect and admire, he is also a friend, and a great master of action.
- How many of the stunts in AVATAR are actually physical stunts?
All stunts are physical, does not matter if your on an interior set, or exterior, or green screen set, what we do as stunts are always real, they can motion capture us, but it’s still us doing it, unless it’s an animation. If they knew how to do it without us, they would, because we aren’t cheap!!!

- You worked on two most recent Mel Gibson films. He is an action icon of the last twenty years but he hasn't done an actioner in almost a decade. However EDGE OF DARKNESS did contain some action. How about his upcoming film HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION - is it going to be action-packed?

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION will have plenty of action, shot in a real prison in Vera Cruz Mexico. We also shot in Perote and Mexico City, was alot of fun.
- Did you work as stunt coordinator on EDGE OF DARKNESS during the whole shoot or just in reshoots that were supposed to add new action sequences? Which parts of the film were added in those reshoots?
Gary Powell was the coordinator of EOD, he is another action master, I am a huge fan of his work, the opening sequence from CASINO ROYALE is about as good as it gets!! The apartment fight was shot after we got back from Boston…

- When you work with an already established star like Mel Gibson how far do you go in reinventing their action style? Do you keep some stuff that worked in their previous films?

Mel Gibson is one of the best living directors in the biz today (imho) so I learned a lot from him, especially long lens work, it’s a dark comedy with cool, fresh action, when I work with someone like Gibson, or Cameron, or Soderbergh, I will make suggestions as far as the action goes, like a waiter showing the menu, what about this or that, but I would never be so bold as to say "I am gonna reinvent". My job as a stunt coordinator is to help the director achieve his expectations in his or her movie, and doing so in a safe manner.

- Since you work with different kinds of directors I guess their command of action varies and your involvement is different every time. Can you tell me the difference in approach when you work with Isaac Florentine compared to Steven Soderbergh?

Isaac is a friend, and also a master in karate, so we communicate much differently, I can just tell Isaac about choreography, I don’t have to show him, he already knows, and we watch all the same action movies, so we like the same things. So I can reference a scene from a movie with him, I hope that makes sense.

- Did you work on films where director gives you full control over the action proceedings since he is not into that stuff?
Yes I have, some directors are not into action, this is where 2nd unit fits in.

- In your opinion, which crew members are essential in the process of choreographing and shooting action?

All departments are essential, the crew is like a diamond, ALL the facets have to be good if the diamond is going to shine, having great cameramen or women is huge, but it all boils down to the editor, a good editor is like a chef, he can make a bad piece of meat taste good, or ruin a good piece, so everyone has to bring their A game.

- Many Hollywood stars try to be involved in fights and stunts. What do you make of it? Do you think it can really add to intensity or is it just a risk for the whole crew and a vanity thing?

For insurance reasons producers can’t let actors do dangerous stunts. we want them to do as much as they can, this always helps the movie.

- In your case what does second unit work actually mean? Which shots and scenes do you work on?
That depends on the movie, I like to direct action, so more is always better for me, but again my job is to help the director achieve their vision without being selfish.
- For quite a while there were stories that in many cases second unit directors are guys that are running the set and directing the film instead of guys who get credited in the end, especially in case of actors and producers who try to become directors. Is there any truth to those rumors?
Again we are just one facet of the diamond, I really don’t care about credit, I just want the movie to rock!!!!! And for every one to be happy, that’s how you will continue to work, know your job, do it well, don’t complain, be part of the answer, not a part of the problem!!!!
- Many productions that you worked on were shot in Eastern Europe. What do you make of local film crews?

I think they are great, I love working in Eastern Europe, they have great work ethic, and strong crews, Hollywood is not the king, it’s a global market now more than ever, so every chance I get to work anywhere, I jump at the opportunity, meeting new people, and making new friends is what makes this job so much fun for me, when it’s not fun anymore, then I will really have to call it work! I really enjoy going on the road, most of the time alone, so it’s an adventure, I try and learn something new every time. It’s a small world bro! And we only get 80+ years on this planet, so I hope to go everywhere and work with everyone...

- What do you think about East European stuntmen. What skills do they lack and what are their strong points?

I thought they were great, I had a man named milan as my key rigger, he was a pro, he had great gear and really knew what he was doing. You have some great drivers there as well, and I got to watch one of the teams practice by the river, and I had a young lady named Stanka doubling Paz Vega, she was a real pleasure to work with, she was a kick boxing champion. So overall the stuntmen and women in Eastern Europe are the same as anywhere else. It’s all about having the opportunity to work on lots of films, the more you work the better you get, and when your not working, to practice your craft, always try to improve and learn… I really enjoyed my time in Serbia, the people were very cool, and the country was beautiful, I would go tomorrow if they call.