Quentin Tarantino Breaks Down Hong Kong vs. American Fight Scene Styles

Tarantino on Hong Kong Action 

According to Tarantino, Hong Kong filmmaking is characterized by its fluidity and organic nature of shooting.

Unlike in the West, where we set up one direction, get all the shots, and then flip around, directors in Hong Kong might film a scene from one angle and then, on the spur of the moment, completely change their setup to capture the next shot.

This style is particularly well-suited for action sequences. The camera becomes an active participant in the action, rather than a passive observer.

For these fights, they try to plan this via movements or attacks within the fight scene.

Each attack is done in three fluid motions, and then those are all the shots they get.

The fourth motion bridges the gap or edit, and also starts the next series of three fight movements that are shots as well.

In that way, you're trusting that you're getting the shots you need for the edit, so it saves time. But you aren't really planning it until you're in the final space with the fight choreographer, so that can be a little stressful.

Other benefits include costuming. Since you're shooting the fight in sequential order, any rips of mud or blood that get on costumes are fine, since there's no continuity to keep track of.

According to Tarantino, they also shoot every other scene this way. So, their actors can feel more natural on set and not have to worry as much about hitting a mark.

That approach honestly sounds really stressful, especially as you try to figure out movements and angles in real-time, but I am sure that after years of practice, filmmakers become accustomed to it.

Summing It Up

I love it when Tarantino gets nerdy about the things he's interested in. His insights here are fun and open up a new way to talk about the action in Kill Bill, which truly is steeped in the martial arts history and style of the movies it's referencing.