By Kavishna Wijesinghe
Australian martial artist, action film star, and fight choreographer Richard Norton, known for his work on massive Hollywood movies such as Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), The Amazing Spiderman (2012), and the upcoming Suicide Squad (2021) spoke to High School Junkies Founder and Junkyard Theory Host Akash Sunethkumara on his widespread knowledge in the world of action and stunts.
Here’s what we learned.
Richard’s origin
Richard started his martial arts journey at a very young age with judo first and then karate. He opened up a system of schools for martial arts with his friend Bob Jones in 1970, and gave birth to a new style called “Zen Do Kai”. They had over 500 schools throughout Australia and nurtured people who liked martial arts and then they met action movie legend Chuck Norris who had just completed shooting his movie Good Guys Wear Black (1978).
Richard revealed that he got an enticing invitation from Chuck and later on, after he moved to the US for work, Richard started training with Chuck. Richard’s first foray into film was via The Octagon (1980) where he played Chuck’s nemesis upon request. He also believes that his willingness to bring out his own potential and “being in the right place at the right time” helped him in this journey.
Thereafter, he worked on mainly martial arts movies with people who became household names in the ‘80s and ‘90s such as Cynthia Rothrock, Benny Urquidez, and even Jackie Chan.
Working in Hong Kong vs. Hollywood
Richard was one of the earliest White actors to work in Hong Kong films. He believes that working with greats such as Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Andy Lau has given him the experience of choreographing fight scenes in a more practical manner and adapting to situations, as Hong Kong cinema usually has no script for the fights.
As opposed to Hollywood where there is a tonne of planning ahead of shooting, in Hong Kong everything is planned out on set and the choreography is improvised according to what the performers can pull off. “It was challenging to work spontaneously without scripts or pre plans and the effort is huge in the set without having a proper blueprint.”
Having worked in both ends of the spectrum, Richard stated that he personally prefers to have a guide or pre plan, as it gives the ability to choreograph the fight in a more deliverable way.
Moving into stunt choreography
Richard later moved on to choreographing fights for bigger films through his connection with Guy Norris who directed him in Rage and Honor. When questioned as to how early on in the preproduction stage he joins a project, Richard revealed that the budget and time decide how versatile the preparation time is for a film. Ideally, he prefers to hop on as early as possible and take as much time as he could in order to prep the actors for the fight sequences.
Giving depth, characteristics, and feel to the film depends mainly on the capacity of the characters, plot, and the actors. Richard tries to incorporate story elements into his fight scenes as much as possible, as he believes the action needs to be organic and not forced. “In a good film, you should be able to take out all the fight and action and the story should still work.”
Richard co-ordinates with other departments based on the requirements and designs the fights in a believable way. Costuming is a major factor to be considered, as the performers need to be able to move in their attire and he prefers functionality blended into the aesthetic of a costume.
Answering an audience question on what qualities a fight choreographer should have, Richard stated that one should have all the skills within him; the language, script, acting, and also proper grip of the capabilities of the actors that one is working with.
Technology and fight choreography
Richard believes that fight choreography in animated movies is much easier for martial artists and directors with new motion capture technology. The same shot which needs 100 takes could be shot in one go and technology has evolved to such a degree where the camera angles could be changed to any position as required in virtual space.
Even though he adores the technology, Richard hopes that the industry doesn’t get too dominated by the technology to preserve the raw organic energy of the fight scenes in films. The realistic aspect of a fight with untidiness, power, and strength is more believable than CGI (computer-generated imagery) and adds more gravity.
The fights which look very real can often look very boring on screen. The quality of the fight scene could depend on the camera shots and cinematography. The audience would not focus on the reality sometimes; they need enthusiasm like they enjoy the Jackie Chan movies. It’s great to have a balance.”
Richard states that it’s consistency and practice that mould a good martial artist; not genes. Even with ageing, Richard prefers not to give himself a psychological crutch by thinking that age has limitations. As to what movies are lined up, Richard teased that he will be part of the next Mad Max film due to be shot sometime next year.
The full conversation with Richard Norton can be found on the Junkyard Theory YouTube channel.
In 2015, filmmaking collective High School Junkies started creating short films out of passion and soon gained momentum as a film production house that championed frugal filmmaking. Their second short, EIDETIC, became the first-ever Sri Lankan film to be screened at the San Diego Comic-Con, and has subsequently been screened all over the world. They host guests from Hollywood on their webinar, Junkyard Theory.