I look at the action scenes as placeholders when I arrive on a script, knowing that I'm going to expand on them when I understand the constraints of the movie, the locations of where we're shooting, the abilities of the actors, and where we want to go with the characters.

David Leitch

Categorized in : Look Understand Want Action

The way you present a stunt is tied in to the way you photograph it, so you're hanging out with the cinematographer.

David Leitch

present you photograph way

The vehicle-stunt world is so specialized. But when you spend so long in it as a stunt coordinator, you're exposed to all the disciplines, so it's always fun to combine the two ideas - a car chase and a fight scene - and make something more dynamic.

David Leitch

fight you car long

Stunt coordinating is a good training ground for directing because you have exposure to all the departments in film.

David Leitch

ground good you training

Spies go undercover. They take on different personas.

David Leitch

spies go take different

While filming 'The Matrix,' we studied how a Chinese fight-choreography team trains actors before production starts so that they can participate in action sequences in a more dynamic way.

David Leitch

more team action way

People have given their lives to this industry to make movies compelling.

David Leitch

make movies industry people

Film is a collaborative art form. I don't know why you wouldn't recognize the stunt performers.

David Leitch

why know you art

You have to make bold choices to be noticed.

David Leitch

bold make you choices

Choreographing a fight scene is telling a little story. You learn a lot about the characters involved.

David Leitch

learn story fight you

As a stunt guy, you become a mini-director. You're talking to actors about performance.

David Leitch

become performance you talking

You learn tricks to make action look more dynamic - having the fight come toward you or shooting on a longer lens to compress the speed.

David Leitch

fight look you action

There's a lot of directing within the stunt coordinator's job.

David Leitch

stunt directing within job

If you have John Goodman in your movie, you want to use him as much as possible.

David Leitch

your possible you want

If you're trying to get to the underworld of Berlin, it's not suits and ties; it's rock and roll.

David Leitch

you rock-and-roll suits trying

Great actors can transform, but sometimes there's just this person who speaks right to the role. When they walk in the room, you know they're that character. That is something you can't teach an actor; that's something that's luck and chance.

David Leitch

walk great you character

Take up martial arts and get proficient. Take a sword-fighting class. Dive in and immerse yourself in it as you would any other acting class, so when the opportunity comes, that skill can be really utilized, and it's not half-baked.

David Leitch

skill yourself you opportunity

Some actors have an affinity for dance, and they should explore it, train in it, and get good.

David Leitch

some good dance train

'Atomic Blonde' is about the characters' bigger existential crisis and their world. It's not so much the conceit of the spy game; it's more that being a spy sucks. But we're going to make it fun to watch.

David Leitch

game blonde fun world

Coming from an action background, I always approach the action sequences in any script as kind of placeholders.

David Leitch

coming background always action

In the stunt world, fights and vehicles are often two different disciplines.

David Leitch

stunt different two world