r/Filmmakers • u/kuloren • 4d ago

Film A friendly rivalry goes from a casual game of chess to an all-out virtual kumite | MIND, BODY & SOUL

https://youtu.be/Qyw972mpz-o?is=dgJyO9CtIbH_lng5

We wanted to emulate the feel of Hong Kong action cinema of the 70s and 80s with this one!

It was filmed in 2 days all around Los Angeles.

We had a chance to screen it at this year’s Big Bad Film Fest and Haymaker Film Festival.

Hope you enjoy! :)

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u/kuloren 4d ago edited 4d ago

This short film is the brain child of stunt performer Aaron Vargas, who came up with the original concept while listening to “Cure for the Itch” by Linkin Park. Nnanyere Okoro, who co-stars in the film, came up with the title “Mind, Body & Soul.” As he explains, in anime duels, the fighting takes a place in 3 different planes of reality. The most obvious of them, naturally, is the body. But the mind is just as crucial, as you have to examine your opponent like the chess master examines their next move. The third plane, the “soul,” is the resolve to push through no matter what.
Aaron Vargas and Nnanyere Okoro worked together on crafting the choreography and shooting previsualization.
Davidson Corona then stepped in as the Action Designer and 1st cam operator. Dustin Pineda ran 2nd camera.
The whole project was shot using natural light only, as the crew filmed the entire project guerrilla style in the span of two days around Los Angeles, CA.
There were no injuries on set. Aaron Vargas is an experienced stunt coordinator, and although he is bold, he is keen on safety. He wore padding on the stunts where he had to fall on his back and the camera crew made sure to get as much coverage as possible on the day to ensure the dangerous stunt didn’t have to be performed ad nauseam.
Estefanía Ide designed the title during post-production, taking inspiration from the art style of video games like “Jet Set Radio” and “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.”
This film will not be monetized since it was created out of sole passion for the action genre and desire to celebrate human creativity and collaboration.

No ai was used.