Filming Hong Kong Movie Magic

AKA Ice Cold in Nanhai...

For all of you that wondered: how do they do all those crazy stunts in Hong Kong action films?, a show that answers the question 'how do they do all those crazy stunts in Hong Kong action films?'

Since we formed B&E a little over a year ago, we decided to focus on films (three so far), books (one so far) and TV (none so far). That's all changed with the production of our first fact-packed show 'Hong Kong Movie Magic'. I figured that, as I was always turning up on TV as an 'expert for hire' (for free!) for A&E and History Channel etc, I might as well pay myself to shoot a pilot.

Godard said that "all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun." In my case, all I need to make a TV show is a studio (check), camera crew (check), stunt team (check), script (check) and a girl, who took the form of the irrepressible actress Rachel Poon.

Of all the lovely lasses I know in this industry, Rach has the best work ethic, energy and attitude, and she leapt into the mix, training with the great Mak Sifu (prior to the shoot) and generally bending her mind and will to the mission. Thanks a million, Miss Poon!

We needed Rachel's warm smile, because it was c-c-cold in Nanhai. Usually, as a producer, I can set things up and then hide in my nice warm office, but on this show I was writer, presenter, producer, director and coffee boy. There was nowhere to run!

It was great to have The Poonster as my sidekick: I felt like Doctor Who with his Companion, the Dark Knight with his female Robin, Tarzan with a (much prettier) Cheetah...

So what's the low down on the show down? Well, in this pilot, we focus on kung fu movies, past and present, and we have 'Uncle' Mike Dinetz, our resident prosthetics wizard at Ace Studios, show us how to make and use the classic Shaw Bros blood. Here's B and R in Mike's dungeon...

And here's a fresh batch of SB Negative. Yummy!

When the stunt team arrived, courtesy of my action 'family', Ken Ip and Yeung Pang Pang, who stood us in such good stead on 'Shadowguard' and 'Beach Spike!', Rachel got to kung her fu in the studio's main stage (where Phoenix faces those merry monks at the start of 'Shadowguard'), and also got wired til she was tired! (Check out the cherry picker preparing the rig in the shot below).

Rach went from being a martial arts zero to a kung fu hero. I'll run some photos and facts on how she made the moves to groove, and you can see her in full fury in the finished show.

As ever, I have to thank the Ace team, and especially Cameo and the camera team, who, as ever, went the extra mile (or ten) to make this a reality. We at B&E are known for paying top dollar to top talent. Just look what Rachel took home after a hard day's fight...