Making a low/no budget action movie is never going to be a simple affair, one of the main headaches is going to sort out the music and sound effects which are essential to give Land of the Kami the right amount of emotional charge and drama.
To help me out with this job I somehow convinced Derek to join the crew to take a lead on researching and selecting the right sound tracks and effects. He may soon regret it but for now he was more than happy to take part in a quick interview.
Were you surprised to be invited on the project and what was your initial reaction after reading the script for Land of the Kami?
Really suprised, I’m still not sure why I was chosen, my initial reaction was oh my God how the hell am I going to do this!
Land of the Kami is a short action movie with numerous fight scenes punctuated by dramatic and atmospheric moments. In you opinion what will be the main challenges in terms of music and sound effects?
My biggest challenge to date is finding copyright free music that sounds like the music I want for the scenes, I know what it sounds like in my head but finding the right piece of music is currently the bane of my life, the rest such as the sound effects will be experimentation probably involving various vegetables and sharp blades!
You seem to have an extremely varied taste in music. Is that indeed the case, have you always enjoyed listening to music, and what kind of music do you particular like?
I’m like most people, my mood influences what I listen to, I’m not a smiley happy person so songs about ponies and butterflies don’t really appeal to me, most of the time it’s rock or something with a fast rythmic beat.
You and I spend a lot of time talking about movie soundtracks, do you have any favourites and why?
Jaws, I defy anyone who hears the opening notes not to think of sharks, it was a huge film with an understated musical soundtrack, perfect!
I once read that the music in movies should be almost ignored by the audience, in other words as they are watching the movie they should not be thinking ‘this is a great soundtrack’. What do you think?
I think a good soundtrack should have a subliminal effect on the audience.
I would like to ask more about you as a fan of action cinema.
Do you remember the first martial art movie you ever watched at the cinema?
The first Martial Arts film I watched was Enter the Dragon, I didn’t see it at a proper cinema, it was at an after school cinema club, they put up a projection screen in the school hall and screen films there, it was once a month if I remember correctly, I was quite impressed with the small Chinese man making hooting noises as he floored the baddies.
Did your passion for action cinema start then or was it before?
It would have been around about then growing up we didn’t have a lot of money so a trip to the pictures was a major treat, Star Wars made a huge impact on me I went to see it three times.
Can you remember the first martial arts movie you bought on video?
The first Martial Art video I bought was Nico, I saw Steven Segal in action and thought I’d like to try some of that! And I did and here I am thirteen years later still doing it.
I know that you enjoy action movies with an edge and a great story, this is going to be tough but can you list your:
a) top 10 UK and European action movies
I don’t think there has been any that have made any kind of significant impact on me (Note from pascal: clearly we need to do something about that!)
b) top US action movies
Nico
Sin City
Die Hard
Lethal Weapon 1 (not the rest)
Blade
The Transporter
Equilibrium
Gladiator
Matrix 1,2 & 3
The Chronicles of Riddick
c) top Asian movies
Anything with Jet Li in
Zatoichi (Beat Takashi Version)
Azumi 1&2
The Twilight Samurai
What are the worst action movies you have ever watched?
The Punisher ( I felt punished after watching it)
Highlander 2 ( You take excellent Highlander 1 turn it on it’s head and the resulting turd sandwich you’re left with is Highlander 2)
Now be honest, you know they are bad but you love watching them. Which movies are your guilty pleasures?
The Evil Dead so bad it’s good, Southpark the Movie I like to sing along to the musical numbers.
I know you are a film fan so do you have a theory in terms what makes a great action movie and why some are so bad?
That’s a hard question I think Movies are a subjective experience what might have me standing up applauding could have you retching into your popcorn, so for me, a great action movie would consist of great stunts, lots of action, a good story line and realistic fighting scenes. Some movies are so bad because of poor or non existent story lines where the film has been purely used a publicity vehicle for its “star”, who has less acting ability than a dead mouse but is an excellent martial artist (Gary Daniels cough,cough).
On the subject of martial arts and action film making, could you tell us more about your personal dreams and ambitions?
I am an unambitious man, I will continue my Martial Arts training until I die and I try not to dream as I wake up screaming a lot.
Thank you very much for your time and I will be in touch soon to talk about your martial arts background and your plans for the future.
Pascal
Other Interviews:
Pascal aka Producer and Director Part1
Pascal aka Producer and Director Part2
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