One thing I did pick up from Cannonball Run was the use of bloopers and outtakes under the final credits, which I've done in all my movies since.
Interpretation
Jackie Chan emphasizes the importance of including fun and candid moments in films.
In this quote, Jackie Chan reflects on the influence of 'Cannonball Run' in shaping his filmmaking approach. He highlights how incorporating bloopers and outtakes during the credits adds a playful element to movies, fostering a connection with the audience and enhancing the overall viewing experience. This practice not only entertains but also humanizes the actors, making the film more relatable.
In practice
During a film festival Q&A session, you can discuss how bloopers enhance audience enjoyment, using Chan's quote as a reference.
American stuntmen are smart - they think about safety. When they do a jump in a car, they calculate everything: the speed, the distance... But in Hong Kong, we don't know how to count. Everything we do is a guess. If you've got the guts, you do it. All of my stuntmen have gotten hurt.
Martial arts is not for hurting people, it's for protecting people.
Martial arts is for defense. It's not for attacking. So when people are fighting, always, always, defend.
We learn martial arts as helping weakness. You never fight for people to get hurt. You're always helping people.
In the past when I was in Hollywood, I was like a dog. I felt humiliated. My English was not good. People would even ask me 'Jackie Who?'.
Why did I become Jackie Chan? Mostly because I work very hard. When people were sleeping, I was still training.
We live in the digital age and, unfortunately, it’s degrading our music, not improving it It’s not that digital is bad or inferior, it’s that the way it’s being used isn’t doing justice to the art. The MP3 only has 5 percent of the data present in the original recording. … The convenience of the digital age has forced people to choose between quality and convenience, but they shouldn’t have to make that choice.
When we discovered cubism, we did not have the aim of discovering cubism. We only wanted to express what was in us.
You don't get music in your daily life, do you? Even in a movie, it's unnatural to have music. I always feel it's unnatural. But I want to make it not unnatural, to construct reality in another sense.
I began taking liberties a long time ago; now it is standard practice for most directors to ignore the rules.
Fashions fade, style is eternal.
It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.