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Dragon Tiger Gate - A Wilson Yip
Film
aka Long Hu Men / Lung Fu Mun
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Action Concept
Kung Fu Movies have had a long history in the Hong Kong film
industry. With its unique style and spirit, it has withstood the
onslaught of big American and European action films, and the young
pretenders coming from other Asian countries such as Korea and
Thailand. In the heart of fans around the world the Hong Kong
martial arts film is still seen as the ‘real thing’.
In the past, Hong Kong martial arts films can be separated into two
distinct styles – the period (costume drama) martial arts film and
the contemporary comedy kung fu film. Over the past 20 years, this
seems to have developed into a staid formula bringing no surprises
to the audience. In order to bring a fresh breeze to the genre,
‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ is about to open the doors to a new fashion of
martial arts film both in its style and character.
In the traditional period martial arts film, the spirit of the hero
is embodied in his ability to achieve super human moves such as
leaping over buildings and flying over roof tops. On the other hand,
the martial arts film set in the present has focused on gun battles
or acrobatic-like moves, the emphasis is on the agility of the hero
and the rationality of the fight scenes. Donnie Yen remarks, “In
‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ we have taken the strengths of the two styles of
fighting and blended them together, retaining the lavishness of the
period costume film and adding the rationality and realism of the
contemporary fight. In other words the heroes retain their
supernatural powers, but the moves are still based on true physics.
This will allow the audience to easily accept that the characters
are contemporary.”
Yen’s action choreography, which stands out amongst Hong Kong kung
fu movies, is known for its realism - you can almost feel the pain
in each punch. Yen remarks, “In the past, martial arts movies have
relied heavily on digital effects to create those unreal fight
moves. The result can seem superficial. In ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ we
will use the effect of film elements such as lighting, camera angles
and props, together with an acceptable amount of ‘wire’ work so that
these fantastical fight scenes become more grounded.” Yen has also
insisted that the stars Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue go into training
so there is a minimal use of stunt doubles. As he believes that
actions are the same as expressions, it is part of the
characterisation of the role. The best way to achieve a full
performance is for the actors to do their own actions.
It so happens that the two disciplines that Yen is known for,
kicking technique and the use of nun-chakus, happen to be the
disciplines that the two heroes Tiger Wong and Turbo Shek specialise
in respectively. He has instructed Tse, who plays Tiger, to avoid
single kick actions and instead link his moves rhythmically. A
triple-kick action is used as a base to build a forceful fight
scene. Yen has also incorporate agile moves such as jumps, turns
etc. to show not just the power but also the suppleness of Tiger
Wong. As for Yue’s Turbo Shek, Yen has designed his use of the nun-chakus
to coordinate with his stepping in a dance-like rhythm. This
emphasizes the speed, accuracy and force at the moment of attack.
The nun-chakus is a weapon that is effective both for close and long
range combat, and is perfect for both defending and attacking. For
the legendary move ‘Nun-chakus Golden Bell Energy Field’, Yen has
played on this distinctive trait and manoeuvres the weapon so fast
that it creates a protective field - thus successfully creating a
martial arts conceptual style from real actions.
Compared to Tiger’s kicking technique and Shek’s nun-chakus, Dragon
Wong’s (played by Donnie Yen) special discipline ‘Open Palm
Technique’ seems rather tame. This is because the internal energy
style of martial arts used in the Open Palm Technique does not give
room for lavish moves and limits the range of action. Yen comments,
“I decided to focus on the power of this move – using camera
movements to show the extension of the force and using props to show
the destructiveness of this move.” From this we can see Yen’s talent
as an action director. What most Hollywood productions would use
digital effects to achieve, Yen has managed to achieve with genuine
action, using digital effects only to enhance the quality of the
imagery. As a result, an authentic yet forceful texture permeates
the fight scenes of ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’.
Production Design and Art Direction
‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ not only demanded that the fight scenes
should be innovative and ground breaking, much time has also been
spent to ensure that the set design should also be unique and
innovative. Most contemporary action films are shot on location.
Although this lends itself to a modern feel, it lacks somewhat in
stylisation. The story of ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ occurs in a unique
setting. On the one hand it needs to feel contemporary, but on the
other hand it also needs to retain the elements of a traditional
Chinese culture. Modern Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan metropolis, it
is not easy to find a suitable location to shoot and there is always
the problem of causing damage to the area. As such, the ‘Dragon
Tiger Gate’ team decided to move to ‘Hengdian World Studios’ in
China and build their own set. This gave the freedom to design and
create the ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ of the director’s imagination.
‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ is divided into four main sets – the Japanese
Restaurant, the Floating Restaurant, Dragon Tiger Gate and Lousha
Gate Ceremonial Hall. The concept of the Japanese Restaurant came
from Yip Wai-shun and Donnie Yen. Production Designer Mak Kwok-Keung
built a ratio 1:1 set and care was taken to great detail all the way
down to the props that were as small as a piece of sushi. In order
to maximise the camera angles of the set a tower was built on the
side with a camera crane, allowing a top shot of different rooms to
emulating the feel of being caged in. Another top shot covers the
entire Japanese Restaurant thus fully utilising this unique set. At
one point over a hundred swordsmen dressed in black file in from one
side and fill the entire corridor. In a single shot the camera can
follow them into each room and catch them as they engage in combat
with our three heroes. In post-production this set-piece is intercut
with scenes outside of the restaurant. This allows the audience to
simultaneously see the full view of the fight inside the restaurant
and also the cars speeding on the highway outside.
In order to add the flavour of Hong Kong to the film, the second set
is a floating tea-house/ restaurant similar to the floating seafood
restaurant in Aberdeen. The Art Director chose red as the dominant
colour of this set. From the walls down to the carpets, the whole
set is made up of different shades of red. Large red lanterns hanged
from the ceiling emphasizing the hustle-and-bustle of a Hong Kong
style dim sum restaurant. This creates an obvious contrast with the
dim emerald lighting of the Japanese Restaurant. In the private room
where Ma is negotiating with Lousha, two blue lanterns have been
placed. Although this is not something you would see in a real
tea-house, it adds a menacing coldness to Ma’s character. In the
centre of the restaurant is a staircase reaching to the second floor
which men, dressed in black, line both sides of the stairs. When
Lousha, unfazed by this show of power, walks calmly up the stairs,
the stairs become a catwalk perfectly displaying the chilling beauty
of Lousha.
Dragon Tiger Gate is Tiger’s home. It is also where his uncle
schools his students in literature and martial arts. The design is
based on a courtyard style house, but it has been modified as Mak
hopes to give the feeling that this is a home where children live.
In an open air area in the centre there is a fighting ring; in the
inner hall there are desks, blackboards, stepping-columns to fight
on top of and other such equipment used for studying and practising
martial arts; in the lower side the doors have been removed from the
lower level and daily implements such as washing machines, storage
shelves, medicine cabinets etc. have been placed – the idea is to
create a sense of ‘home’. Mak cleverly used the concept of a
loft to transform this courtyard style house into a semi-open style
martial arts school. The walls and beams have been aged to emphasise
the atmosphere of innocence.
The Lousha Gate Ceremonial Hall is the base of their leader Shibumi,
and grey has been chosen as the dominant colour to underline this
acheronian and satanic character. The structure of the set is based
on the design of a coliseum. Using strong linear shapes and rough
concrete, the art director has constructed a towering temple that is
10 stories high and the size of a football field. This awesome sight
instils fear into beholder. The massive size of this set is broken
into partitions creating many spaces and layers that bode well for
the fight scenes. Bronze statues that seem emotionless and cold are
positioned strategically and in the centre of the hall, on a
towering platform, is Shibumi’s throne. From a distance the throne
which is constructed of steel and covered with fibre glass looks
like a bat about to attack. In order to bring out the mastery of
Shibumi’s fighting skills, the two directors have designed a
punching bag that weighs 600lbs and is over 2 metres high and a
giant wooden dummy that is over 3 metres high, which are Shibumi’s
practising apparatus. It took over ten men and many metal cables
just to hang the punching bag in place. In order to facilitate the
numerous fight scenes the whole set is constructed of steel rods
covered over with concrete slabs, for easy replacement in case of
damages during the fights.
The End
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