It’s always fun to learn the nitty-gritty about how a director and his cast/crew prepared for a film shoot. Of course, some filmmakers barely prepare due to time constraints and lack of space in their tight schedules, whereas others prepare extensively. A fine example of the latter would be what Ben Wheatley did by creating the space and environment needed for his movie “Free Fire” on, of all things, Minecraft.
John G. Avildsen, director of 1984’s “Karate Kid“, had a peculiar way of preparing his cast and crew for that film. Avildsen and his team shot an entire “rehearsal” version of the now classic movie on, what looks to be, a VHS camcorder. And as these things go, its wound up on YouTube for fans to watch.
What we see, through the grainy and shaky footage, are the actors and stuntmen rehearsing, nearly shot-by-shot, the film with attention being paid to dialogue, gestures, fight scenes, and even the way to properly drink Okinawan tea. If you’ve seen the 1984 film, many of the scenes end up being immediately recognizable and closely resemble the final product. We also see Avildsen talking about the challenges every scene represents to his cast and crew. Uber-fans will be delighted to know that the actors do rehearse deleted scenes that did not make it into the movie’s final cut.
This way of preparing for a film is not uncommon in Hollywood but is usually done with computer generated animation and not real actors; it is usually referred to as “previsualization,” but rare is it to see an established filmmaker attempt what Avildsen did here. It’s also a great way for aspiring filmmakers to learn more about the craft and to be inspired by Avildsen and company’s work ethic.
In other “Karate Kid”-related news (via The Hollywood News), the original characters from that movie, played by Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, will be returning for a new YouTube Red TV series entitled “Cobra Kai.” The show will focus on the original characters and is being described as a “scripted comedy” set thirty years after the events of the 1984 original. I’m not sure what to make of this, but it’ll be interesting to see what the creative minds behind “Cobra Kai” will attempt to do with this. There is currently no announced release date for the project, which is being produced by Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment.