Click on the title to watch Scott Shaw and Donald G. Jackson discussing Zen Filmmaking on YouTube.
Scott Shaw Zen Filmmaking
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Zen Filmmaking: Now and Zen By Scott Shaw
By Scott Shaw
Zen
Filmmaking has gone through a lot of evolution since I first
came up with the title and concept while Donald G. Jackson and I were making, The
Roller Blade Seven back in 1991.
Though
there has been a lot of criticism of that movie, I think all that is very-very
funny. Some people just don't get that we knew what we were doing. And, as I
have stated time-and-time again, we did what we did very consciously. We meant
to make that movie and the sequel the way we did.
One
the other side, there are a lot of people, who really dig the film. They get
what we were doing. That's life...
Anyway,
as many of you know, at the heart of Zen Filmmaking is allowing actors to
deliver their lines and develop their characters via guided improv. One of the
main things to realize about Zen Filmmaking, particularly in regard to Roller
Blade Seven, is that there was very little improv in that movie. That is accept
for much of the dialogue delivered by Joe Estevez and Don Stroud. In fact, most
of the lines spoken were fed to the actors by Don or myself. Back then,
Don and I didn't trust that most of the people could deliver their lines with
any believability, if they were allowed to improv. So, we told them what to
say.
One
of the greatest exchanges of the film, “You mean my sister that became your sister?
Yes, our sister, sister...” Don and I had come up with while eating burgers at
Tommy's in Granada Hills just prior to filming Frank Stallone. We had gone
there to write down what dialogue he should deliver and we came up with the
scene where Don and my character interact in the film for the first time.
This
trend of feeding lines followed through to Samurai
Vampire Bikers from Hell. There was very little actual improv. in
that film. My friend and co-filmmaker on that feature, Kenneth H. Kim,
and I came up with virtually all of the dialogue in that movie and then I
pretty much fed everyone, everything.
Ken,
who was a budding screenwriter, wanted to write some of the dialogue. Though
that is not in the tradition of Zen Filmmaking; as a friend, I let him have at
it. And then, I let some of the more experienced actors in the film work from
that premises.
The
greatest dialogue exchange of that film, I believe, is when in the opening of
the film an actress, Kimberly Bolin, exclaims, “I thought you guys were going
to take me to Hollywood!” The response, “Hollywood... Hollywood's just a
state of mind.” That was a little ditty I had come up with on the spot
and gave it to the actors.
A
memorable line, that I think really sets the tone of the film...
Don
liked to call himself a Zen Filmmaker. And, certainly without our interaction,
Zen Filmmaking may never have occurred. But, in the films he made, where I was
not involved, he virtually always based the film upon a script. Then, he would
let some of the actors add their own interpretation.
As
I’ve continued as a filmmaker, since the days of RB7 and SV, I have continued
to evolve the concept of Zen Filmmaking. What I have found is that if I
surround myself with actors who can do what they do very believably – if they
can be themselves. Then, they can really deliver a very natural performance.
From this, the concept of improv. has continued to grow in my films. I get good
people and then I let them run with it...
Recently,
when I was speaking with a potential actress, she asked me, “Does it always
work?” No, it does not. There have been a few times when, mostly due to a
person's ego, I have had to pull the plug and recast. But, it is rare.
The
funny think about Zen Filmmaking and its evolution is, most people have never
seen my films that I believe are ideal examples of Zen Filmmaking. Films like: The Hard Edge of Hollywood, Blood
on the Guitar, Killer: Dead or Alive, Undercover
X, Hitman City, Super
Hero Central, Vampire Blvd., or Vampire
Noir. Most, have based all of their appraisal of Zen Filmmaking upon
seeing, The Roller Blade Seven. Which, even I will
tell you, was designed to be STRANGE.
I
guess, whatever... That's life. But, FYI, Zen Filmmaking has, and continues, to
evolve.
Copyright © 2008 –
All Rights Reserved
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Zen Filmmaking: The Definition
By Scott Shaw
When
I first coined the term, Zen Filmmaking, during the period when Donald G.
Jackson and I were making, The Roller Blade Seven, it was simply
a means to categorize and loosely define what we were doing -- based upon our
metaphysical perception of reality and filmmaking. Give it a name for
those who were working with us and wondered what we were doing. I never assumed
that over two-decades later there would still be a need to be clarifying the
subject. That being said, when people saw The Roller Blade Seven that was
when the discussion of Zen Filmmaking truly began…
Don
was very big on interacting on the Internet prior to his passing in 2003. That
kind of stuff never interested me. He would go around the various chat rooms
and newsgroups that were up at the time and, in many cases, get into on-line
confrontations with people about what and how we were doing what we were doing.
In those chat rooms he discussed Zen Filmmaking, which really set its concept
into Internet motion.
After
RB7 and with the creation of films such as Samurai Vampire Bikers from Hell, Samurai Johnny Frankenstein, Samurai Ballet, Max Hell Frog Warrior, Ride with the Devil, Guns of El Chupacabra, The Rock n’ Roll Cops, and my writings
on the subject being published, people then began to further form their own
opinions about Zen Filmmaking. The word spread… Some wrote that what we were
doing was Direct Cinema or Cinema Verite.’ But, that wasn’t the case. We were
doing what we were doing, based upon nothing done before. It was completely
organic.
As
the discussion continued, some filmmakers begin to move forward, using elements
of the Zen Filmmaking philosophy, and they began to make their own Zen Films.
All good…
As
Don’s health faded and I moved forward with Zen Films such as Hollywood P.D. Undercover, Undercover X, Hitman City, Super Hero Central, and Vampire Blvd. the word of Zen
Filmmaking spread further. And it has continued to spread. People have
continued their discussion about Zen Filmmaking. It is written about in several
books, numerous articles, detailed in courses at a number of universities, and
even a few documentaries have been made on the subject. All this being the
case, the reason I was, (in some-ways), forced to formally define Zen
Filmmaking is all the talk that has taken place and a lot of the
misunderstandings about what a Zen Film is or is not. In actually, it was never
my plan. I just wanted to let the concept remain wholly (or holy) Zen. But…
For
better or for worse, with the passing of Donald G. Jackson, it was left to only
me to define and explain the art form and philosophy known as Zen Filmmaking.
But, the more I have written and spoken on the subject, the more I realized
that people continued to use my words to feed into their own misunderstandings.
From the moment I first discussed it; some people immediately got it. That was
great. Others only wanted to take my words and use them as a means to
criticize Zen Filmmaking and Zen Films. But, that’s life… People like to talk
and say nothing about philosophies they do not understand.
Which
brings me to the point of this discourse. Finally… The ultimate truth of Zen
Filmmaking is there are NO DEFINITIONS. A Zen Film is what it is in its own
moment of time and space. Just as each film begins in the mind of the filmmaker
and follows its path to creation, there is no definition or logical
explanations for creativity. There is no definable reason why one person wants
to create a film and another person doesn’t. There is no definition for art.
There is no definition for satori. As such, art and enlightenment should simply
be allowed to exist within their own perfection. It is only the mind of the
unenlightened that attempts to draw conclusions so that they may find a reason
to love or hate a creation.
Criticizing
a creation is criticizing life. Criticizing a philosophy is simply a person
attempting to find fault with the spiritual understandings of another person
based upon their own preconceived notions of reality.
Freedom
of spirit is the true soul of Zen Filmmaking. Zen Filmmaking has no ultimate
definition.
Copyright © 2005 –
All Rights Reserved
A Few Thoughts On The Roller Blade Seven By Scott Shaw
By Scott Shaw
It
always amazes me that a week virtually never goes by that somebody doesn’t
contact me regarding the film, The Roller Blade Seven. Some love it,
some hate it, but everybody wants to talk about it.
As
most of you know, I have made well over fifty films. The Roller Blade Seven was
made twenty years ago. As I have mentioned in so many interviews, books, and
articles, it amazes me how many people are still watching and talking about
that movie. I mean books and Master Degree Thesis’ have been written about the
film!
As
I have also mentioned many times, everything Don Jackson and I did in that
movie, its sequel, Return of the Roller Blade Seven, and its off-shoot, Hawk:
Warrior of the Wheelzone, was done very consciously: from the casting, to
lighting, to the cinematography, onto the acting. Some people have called it
bad-acting. But that too was a choice. For those of you who want to reference
the acting style, all you have to do is watch some of the Sci-Fi Republic
Series from the 1940s and 1950s. Plus, I mean look at the careers of some of
the actors that took part in the film(s): Golden Globe Winner and Academy Award
Nominee, Karen Black. Don Stroud who had a phenomenal acting career. And, the
list goes on... Even the locations were very consciously chosen. I mean just
look at some of those locations in the film. They are spectacular! This,
“Choice,” went onto the editing and the music.
We
knew what we were doing! We were very consciously pushing the envelope of
modern cinema and presenting an expression of abstract art upon film. If
someone doesn’t understand Film Art then they may not like the film. For those
who are cinematically refined enough to appreciate Film Art, they love it!
So,
whatever we did, I guess we did the right thing. If you ever want to read more
about the making of the film, check out my book, Zen
Filmmaking. There is a chapter on the film in there.
But,
people, believe me, I have made a lot of other films!!! Some better, some
worse. But, few have been talked about as much.
Copyright © 2009 –
All Rights Reserved
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