Thursday, April 12
It was great working with George Foreman. He had sent me a pair of boxing gloves years ago so now I was really excited to take pictures with him and the gloves. When I met him, I gave him a big hug. He’s still in great shape!
I’ve been so busy these last few days filming the infomercial. Whenever I had a short break in between shots, even if it was three to five minutes, I would try and squeeze in meetings or interviews. During my last day in Hong Kong, I had so much business to take care of. Everybody had to come and visit me on the set so we could get work done.
All I could remember these last few days is how busy I have been. I met with my designers for my clothing line so they could show me the latest styles for the summer. I met with the two directors that I will be directing with in the near future, Ricky and Frankie. Stanley Tong, who directed me in New Police Story, and many other films, came to discuss ideas for a future film, four films from now. Jonathan Lee, the music producer of my last album also arrived to meet with me. He’s like the Quincy Jones of Asia. He talked to me about our new project and how we could find more talent. We met until 4:30 AM.
Normally before I go to sleep, I watch a little TV to relax. But these last few days, I have been so exhausted that I would just lie down on my bed and immediately fall asleep. When everybody left, I took a shower and boom! Fell asleep...Zzz.
Friday, April 13
I woke up at 9:15 AM, took a quick shower, picked up my luggage, said goodbye to my staff, and went straight to the airport. I got on the plane, read all the newspapers that I brought with me, and then fell asleep right away. When I woke up, I watched a movie called Déjà Vu. It was kind of like a science fiction movie. It was pretty good. I enjoyed some of the action scenes, like the explosions. The cinematography was pretty good too. I did have a bit of difficulty understanding the dialogue. After I watched the film and had some refreshments, I slept again.
When I woke up, the plane had just arrived in Los Angeles. I got off the plane and went directly to see an optometrist. For my next film The Forbidden Kingdom (formerly The Untitled J and J Project), I have to wear contact lenses. After I was done, I went straight to Bed and Bath to buy some things which I need to bring back to Hong Kong.
I had to meet with Curtis about some business so we decided to have an early dinner at 6:00 PM. When we were done, I took a shower and then slept right away.
Saturday, April 14
Wow, today we are filming a big chase scene that takes place on the 110 Freeway. It’s been partially shut down so we can film on it and in surrounding areas. Only in a big American production can this be done. Eight streets were blocked and we used about a hundred cars, with about twenty of them being driven by stunt drivers.
Warren Drummond is a storyboard artist brought in by Conrad Palmissano, our Second Unit Director, to draw out this elaborate chase scene. Because he studied martial arts, he understands how to draw actors doing action and he also understands the kind of action that is necessary in the scene. He’s worked on over thirty feature films, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Bourne Identity.
He says that most directors don’t need the entire script storyboarded, just the action. As a result, he’s only brought in to draw the action scenes. Many times, the directors tend to frame the shots according to how he’s drawn the storyboards. This goes to show that he must have a full understanding of how to use visual images to tell the story.
What we shot was really easy to film. If you didn’t really care about a couple of details, you could just shoot a few quick shots and save money and time. But it’s amazing how important every detail is to the production. The streets are filled with background actors and drivers. Every single person is accountable and paid for by our company because this chase scene starts on one street and moves to another.
All of Los Angeles seems to support the film industry. No matter how long we block normal vehicles, the drivers don’t seem to mind. When they pass by, they yell supportively, “JACKIE, HELLO!!!” “GOOD LUCK!!” “I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE “RUSH HOUR 3!!”
I remember that about twenty years ago in Hong Kong, the citizens were not that supportive of the film industry. If you blocked the streets, people would yell at you, or give nasty finger gestures or scream obscenities. They were not nice. It was really difficult to film in Hong Kong because the streets are so small. If you block one street, people get upset because their business gets disrupted or their routine is broken.
I’m so happy that for once, we are filming on the street and not on the stage. It was a nice change to see the residents in Los Angeles and to hear their support.
Today I had to do a stunt where I had to jump from the side of a building onto a tree and slid down. Even though the tree was not very high, I didn’t really feel like doing it. If you readers can remember, it was this same stunt on an even higher tree that caused me to have one of my most serious injuries. I knew the same thing wouldn’t happen today, but every time I had to jump onto the tree, I dreaded it. I was happy when we were finally done with the shot!
If the camera was to move just a bit to the right or left, you could see so many people watching us make the film. It’s a big production so we have a lot of equipment and crew. I’m amazed that all the background performers can act. Take after take, they do the same thing, pretending to converse with each other and stop when they see the chase sequence. Some people may not realize how important these people are, but they help bring a lot of realism to the scenes that we are filming. Leading actors need not just the cast and crew to help make a film, but all the background actors too.
In particular, I was impressed with these two background performers who were pretending to be a couple. Even though they had just met, they were walking back and forth, genuinely talking to each other as if they’ve known each other a long time. We had to do this shot many, many takes, but they did it the same way every time. I was impressed. It turned out they were both professional actors and did background work to make some connections and to be on a set of a big budget feature film. By being on a set, you can learn a lot and sometimes even make connections.
Some directors improvise scenes a lot more than others, so this is always an opportunity for background actors to get “upgraded” into a speaking role. When I used to be a stuntman, I always looked around me and tried to absorb everything I could from a film set. I wanted to learn everything and I did. I think it’s paid off for me. There are always opportunities around you, you just have to be ready to reach out and grab them.
In the past, when we filmed on the streets of Hong Kong, we would just hide cameras everywhere. Then the director would tell me, “Jackie, just run across the street before anybody notices you.” We didn’t need to hire any background actors, pay off the various locations, drivers or get permits to shoot on the streets. Of course we also don’t have too many rules and regulations when it comes to filming in Hong Kong.
During the filming of Police Story 2, in one particular scene, I really did run across the street. We used two cameras and I did it in just one take. I could have gotten killed by a driver any time. It was very dangerous and I don’t recommend anybody else doing it. We had limited budget and we were reckless. I would never do that again. Life is precious and sometimes when we make a film, we forget that. In Hollywood, you would never be allowed to do that. Here, every single car and driver is accounted for and we all know what speed they are driving at.
Today we have one shot that had to be filmed with the steady cam. Our Director of Photography, Jimmy Muro, is considered one of the best steady cam operators. He really is amazing; the greatest. Carrying a steady cam is already difficult because it’s so big, bulky, and heavy. Can you imagine what it’s like to have to carry a steady cam and run with me at my pace? It’s really difficult. He was so good and he was able to keep up with me. It’s been a busy day because we have so much to shoot. We are now part of the second unit, which means we are filming mostly action and Conrad Palmissano is directing. He was also the second unit director on Rush Hour 2.
Carrying the Steadycam, Jimmy runs after JC during filming. You can tell how fast
Jimmy's running just by looking at his hair blowing back!
Jay came to visit and brought some food for lunch. After we wrapped main unit, we had to clean out the trailer. We don’t have any condiments to cook anything. As you know, I don’t normally like to eat at catering. Western food tends to be a bit too rich for me, so I prefer to eat light, Asian meals.
It’s 5 PM and the sunlight is quickly disappearing. You can only shoot so much once the sun set. Two more days for me and I will be done with this film. Today was a happy day for me. I felt really productive because I was busy working on the set. Today many friends of mine and friends of the crew came to visit the set. I guess everybody knows that I will be leaving soon. I took many pictures and signed many autographs.
As soon as I wrapped, I went straight to Home Depot. I had to buy some more things to bring back to Hong Kong. I went to a Japanese Restaurant for dinner. I walked in there and walked back out four minutes later. I think it was that quick! We ate fast.
The night before, I didn’t sleep much. I think I only slept for two hours. When I went home, I took a shower and slept right away.
Note: The April 12-14 diary overlaps the April 7-13 diary slightly.
Text and photos ©2007 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.