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Pain is Temporary, film is forever |
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The film boasts an incredible mix of genuine World class fighters, including Pride Japan veteran James Thompson and 'Cage Rage' stars Brad Pickett, Dean Bray and Jamie Spooner. The film also sees two World Karate champions in action, Paul Newby (Big Jim) and Leon Walters. Added to their number is top international Matt Price, known as the hard man of Karate.
Many films boast real fighters in their cast to boost publicity, but in some ways it is a bit of a smokescreen because these fighters are so heavily insured that doing something that might actually hurt them is often out of the question. The result being that they look ponderous and cumbersome. Not so with 'Sucker Punch', where our real fighters were willing to make sure that the fight scenes looked totally believable and if that meant taking the odd knock or bruise they were prepared to do this without complaint, as long as we got the shot.
That's not to say that we weren't safety conscious, we were, Gordon Alexander is a brilliant and meticulous choreographer and safety is his number one priority but in the heat of the action, these real fighters were so committed to making it look real that they were constantly telling each other to go for it more, no matter how many takes it took, with a true British Bulldog spirit. The result is some of the most hardcore action ever seen in a British movie with some of our toughest fighters showing why they are true fighting champions.
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When it came to wrapping principle photography, the Sucker Punch crew wanted it to be really memorable, so we engineered it that the last scenes shot would be the central fight sequence between Buchinsky (Gordon Alexander) and Maitlands unbeaten hitter Creel (Karate world champion Leon Walters) at the Hackney Central. This was to be a brutal affair in front of a high-class crowd of toffs and so a large amount of extras were needed all suited and booted in their Sunday best.
Many answered the call and the result was that cast, crew and extras had a great day, with our background artists really getting into the spirit of filming and creating a fantastic atmosphere and backdrop for the fight. The result will be one of the most moody and memorable sequences in the movie and this is all due to the people who came on the day and gave it their all. It also gave them a unique insight into the way a fight sequence was put together and although everyone saw it unfold over numerous takes, they couldnt wait to see it all cut together with everyone agreeing that the fight is going to be awesome.
All of our background artists had their moment to shine in front of the camera and did everything that was asked of them with patience, big smiles and a real sense of fun, ensuring that the principle cast and crew had a fantastic final day shooting. After the scenes were all filmed, there were a couple of group photos (check out the gallery) and then everybody hung out together, having a variety of photos taken and laughs shared with their favourite actors.
After Malcolm (the director) had thanked everyone for their enthusiasm, it was party time and everyone was able to let their hair down. Unfortunately for the director a phone call from a close family member forced an early night (dont panic, it was a false alarm) but Malcolm, Gordon, Danny, Ian, Joe, Jimmy, Leon, Kara and all the crew agreed that it had been one of the highlights of filming Sucker Punch.
The last days filming will remain in my memory as a special part of this film for me, thanks to the way everyone joined in the spirit of the occasion, you were all great and we hope to do you proud with the finished film. I would like to thank all of my cast and crew for all of their hard work throughout the film and to remind you all that this is just the beginning. Nobody may have seen us coming but theyll know weve arrived!
Malcolm Martin (director)
Special thanks to the team at Hackney Central for their unswerving support of the movie and everyone who turned up on the day-it meant a lot to us and we hope you all get a real buzz when you see yourselves on screen-you deserve it! |
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