Happy Black History Month! This week, we’re celebrating by breaking down some of our favorite action films that feature Black heroes and action filmmakers! We’re talking Black Panther, Django Unchained, and The Last Dragon! Black Panther, Marvel’s action blockbuster featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, has become a cultural icon. We breakdown the incredible casino fight scene, analyze Black Panther's fighting style, air some visual effects grievances, and gush about Michael B Jordan’s...

Reintroducing: Vlad Rimburg, the bad boy from Belarus. Vlad is an action / 2nd unit director, fight coordinator, fight choreographer, editor, and performer. Notable works include Lucifer, Sultan, and Unlucky Stars. You can find much of his work, from professional pre-viz to action short passion projects, on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/vjvlad?pbjreload=102. In this episode, we go in-depth about Vlad’s work with indie action shorts, discussing how he riffed on John Wick’s...

Reintroducing: Vlad Rimburg, the bad boy from Belarus. Vlad is an action / 2nd unit director, fight coordinator, fight choreographer, editor, and performer. Notable works include Lucifer, Sultan, and Unlucky Stars. You can find much of his work, from professional pre-viz to action short passion projects, on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/vjvlad?pbjreload=102. In this episode, we discuss Vlad’s experience with Netflix’s hit show Lucifer, Indian action films Brothers and...

Introducing: Vlad Rimburg, the bad boy from Belarus. Vlad is an action / 2nd unit director, fight coordinator, fight choreographer, editor, and performer. Notable works include Lucifer, Sultan, and Unlucky Stars. You can find much of his work, from professional pre-viz to action short passion projects, on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/vjvlad?pbjreload=102. In this episode, we discuss transitioning from the indie action world to hollywood, the state of female representation...

Introducing: the best of 2020. It’s been a great year for Action Filmmaking Decoded, so today we’re taking a look back at some of the most interesting clips from our episodes thus far. You may even hear a bit from Skylar, the OG podcast host! This episode, we’ll hear from the action filmmakers on camera, off camera, and everywhere in between. Wade Eastwood talks dropping Tom Cruise out of a plane, Keir Beck explains how to rig a flame throwing guitar player on the front of a speeding truck,...

Introducing: Garrett Warren. Garrett is the self proclaimed “best one-eyed, balding stunt coordinator / 2nd unit director in all of Hollywood.” His filmography includes Logan, Avatar, and Alita: Battle Angel. He’s also worked with talent such as Hugh Jackman, Mickey Rourke, James Cameron, and Stephen Spielberg, to name a few. Most recently, Garrett has worked on the upcoming two sequels to Avatar. We sit down with Garrett to break down Alita: Battle Angel’s incredible bar fight scene and...

Introducing: Garrett Warren. Garrett is the self proclaimed “best one-eyed, balding stunt coordinator / 2nd unit director in all of Hollywood.” His filmography includes Logan, Avatar, and Alita: Battle Angel. He’s also worked with talent such as Hugh Jackman, Mickey Rourke, James Cameron, and Stephen Spielberg, to name a few. Most recently, Garrett has worked on the upcoming two sequels to Avatar. We discuss choreographing according to story, the incredible shotdeck.com, and the smell of a...

Welcome  to AFD’s Christmas Special! Join Darren and Mike as we explore some of  the best holiday action and stunt films of all time: Die Hard, Kiss Kiss  Bang Bang, Iron Man 3, and Home Alone. We discuss what makes John  McClane the perfect action hero, the incredibly witty dialogue of Shane  Black, the unique action of a powered-down Iron Man, how Joe Pesci’s  head was lit on fire, and the true whereabouts of Mr. Elvis Presley.  Today’s episode is laid back and a ton of fun- we hope you...

Introducing: Emmanuel Manzanares, prolific action choreographer and stunt performer. You can see his handiwork in Logan, Gemini Man, and Batman: Enemy Within, to name a few. We discuss what makes for great stunt camera work and “bending” martial arts for the screen. We also take an in-depth look at Logan, Gemini Man, and more. Join us as we chat with Emmanuel Manzanares, actor and orchestrator of on-screen combat. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a...

Introducing: Emmanuel Manzanares, prolific action choreographer and stunt performer. You can see his handiwork in Logan, Gemini Man, and Batman: Enemy Within, to name a few. We discuss what makes for great stunt camera work and “bending” martial arts for the screen. We also take an in-depth look at Logan, Gemini Man, and more. Join us as we chat with Emmanuel Manzanares, actor and orchestrator of on-screen combat. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a...

Introducing: Keir Beck, award-winning Stunt Coordinator, Director, and writer. Keir is well known for his remarkable work on Mad Max: Fury Road, The Matrix, and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few.   We talk about Keir’s filmography, his program teaching up and coming stunt performers and riggers, and how being a tree surgeon set up Keir’s film career. As always, we also break down some of our guest’s exceptional stunt work.  Join us for this conversation with the incredible Keir...

Introducing Tom Struthers: international stunt extraordinaire. We had the pleasure of discussing his tales of Bollywood, tremendous impact in Inception and the Dark Knight Trilogy, and his innovative and revolutionary choreography techniques. Join us in our interview with Tom Struthers, revolutionist of the stunt coordination industry. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message:...

Introducing Tom Struthers: international stunt extraordinaire. We had the pleasure of discussing his tales of Bollywood, tremendous impact in Inception and the Dark Knight Trilogy, and his innovative and revolutionary choreography techniques. Join us in our interview with Tom Struthers, revolutionist of the stunt coordination industry. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message:...

Introducing Scott Adkins: actor, producer, and martial artist to the core. In this episode, we were graced with Mr. Adkins presence as we went down the line of his entire career in the film industry. In the realm of acting, we discussed his tutelage under Dee Cannon and Mykel Shannon Jones (Undisputed III) and his director and actor relationship with Isaac Florentine, Jesse V. Johnson (Accident Man, Debt Collector, Avengement), and Adrian Bol. These director partnerships have given Scott a...

We had the privilege of interviewing Wade Eastwood: one of the biggest names in stunt coordination, most famously known for his work on 'Mission: Impossible Fallout' and 'Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation'. He has worked on stunts for over twenty-seven years including the James Bond Franchise, Jumanji: The Next Level, Jack Reacher, and Edge of Tomorrow. Here, we had the chance to talk to Eastwood about his exciting stunt coordinating & 2nd unit directing experiences with Tom Cruise and...

Introducing part 2 with Michael Lehr: Professional stuntman who has worked on Rocket Jump shorts, video game mo-cap (Star Wars The Force Unleashed, Sleeping Dogs), the John Wick franchise, Logan, Extraction, Mulan, and now Fast and Furious 9 doubling as Han Lue. In this 2 part interview series he answers questions about his start in the industry, his martial arts background, Asian Americans in stunts, and breakdowns from his extensive stunt filmography. Join us in this interview with the one...

Introducing Michael Lehr: Professional stuntman who has worked on Rocket Jump shorts, video game mo-cap (Star Wars The Force Unleashed, Sleeping Dogs), the John Wick franchise, Logan, Extraction, Mulan, and now Fast and Furious 9 doubling as Han Lue. In this 2 part interview series he answers questions about his start in the industry, his martial arts background, Asian Americans in stunts, and breakdowns from his extensive stunt filmography. Join us in this interview with the one and only...

Today we introduce our newest podcast co-host, Mike Messina. As Skylar Tun steps down from more traditional interviews to focus on fight breakdowns, Mike will be co-interviewing guests with Darren. Mike is the former president of Binghamton University's Asian Student Union and the podcast host of 'Inside Outlook' and 'AO Story Time', podcasts focused on telling the experiences of different Asian Americans. He’s a Tae Kwon Do black belt and certified instructor with additional training in Krav...

Introducing Mike Moh: actor, martial arts master, and Bruce Lee aficionado. We had the absolute privilege of discussing his role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, martial arts philosophy in Taekwondo & Jeet Kune Do, and contemporary Asian representation in film. Join us in our interview with the Wanaukee Wisconsin’s one and only Mike Moh. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice...

Introducing Tyler Witte: stunt double and stunt driver. In this interview, we discussed his start in the stunt-driving industry, approach with performing dangerous scenes, and the mindset of this daredevil. Join us in our interview with the rising star Tyler Witte. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/action-filmmaking-decoded/message Support this podcast:...

Introducing Sam Hargrave: Professional stunt coordinator, stunt double for Captain America, and now, director. We've had the pleasure of asking him some questions about his martial arts background and the action in his directorial debut, Extraction, out now on Netflix. Join us in this interview of the Sam Hargrave, legendary stuntman and choreographer.

Today, we're diving into the dark, neo-noir world of John Wick and the underworld rife with assassins and crime families. We will be examining some of our favorite fight scenes from over the course of John Wick 1 and 2. We hoped to cover John Wick 3 more extensively in a separate episode as it is the most action-packed and creatively choreographed of them all. Until then, join us in the exploration of the battles of John Wick, the Baba Yaga.

Today, we're diving into the dark, neo-noir world of John Wick and the underworld rife with assassins and crime families. We will be examining some of our favorite fight scenes from over the course of John Wick 1 and 2. We hoped to cover John Wick 3 more extensively in a separate episode as it is the most action-packed and creatively choreographed of them all. Until then, join us in the exploration of the battles of John Wick, the Baba Yaga.

Today, we're exploring the choreography of the Ip Man franchise, known for its legendary fight scenes with Donnie Yen and company. This is an overview of the entire Ip Man franchise and it should be noted that the depth and pure volume of the movie's action sequences make it nearly impossible to cover every fight scene in-depth in a normal-length episode. We will be covering notable individual fight scenes in future shows but for now, join us in our examination of the legendary Ip Man.

In our first episode, we give a little background on who we are and why we do what we do. Our passion is placed in the creation of action films and the intricacies of fight scenes. In the future, we'll be exploring the choreography of films fron the Ip Man, Marvel, and John Wick franchises, along with many standalone features. Join us on the beginning of our journey.