Q. Tell us a bit about who "The Stunt People" are, and how the group began.
A. The Stunt People are a group of independent action filmmakers, stunt persons, and screen fighters. We're non-union and do work for our own projects and other independent films. Dissatisfaction with modern action films is what bonds us, and through our skills we strive to bring something fresh to action cinema.

Q. Is "The Stunt People" a fixed group of people, or do members come and go? Who "owns" or controls the group as an entity?
A. We don't view the group as a club. There's no real membership. The doors are open to anybody who can dedicate the time to work on projects, attend practices (open gym sessions), and promote our values. Chelsea Steffensen, Ed Kahana, and I use the SP name for our projects, while other members often have their own groups and projects on the side that may not carry the Stunt People name at all. But our cause is the same, and that makes the group stick so well. We thank HKFlix for aiding us in making our vision better known.

The Stunt People is a business operating out of Hayward, CA, owned by myself. When we incorporate it will still be me and perhaps a few others.

Q. Who decides which moves and which fights get into the film? There must be some friction when one person's big fight scene or stunt is scrapped in favor of something else during shooting or editing.
A. The choreography process is organic. Unless it's otherwise dictated beforehand by the director or someone in charge, anyone participating in the action (cameraman, actors, stuntmen, director) could have a say in what goes on camera. Some of us are more experienced in action choreography than others, and ideas will trump other ideas, but there's rarely friction because the choreography that looks the best wins out anyway. There's playful competition on set to see who can do the craziest fall or best move, but we all help each other in these things because in the end it should be safe and benefit the film more than anything.

Sometimes a fall or a move is scrapped in editing, but these things happen and it's never personal. He/she can always use it for a demo reel anyway. I can think of only one instance where we had this problem.

Q. We were really blown away by the action sequences in "Contour". How did you make sure your entire team was motivated to work so hard for so long to pull that off?
A. The crew was motivated from the beginning. This was a chance to do whatever we could on camera to make a kick-ass action feature. I took time to edit the fights every day, and I could come back to the set the next day with an edited action scene, complete with sound effects and temp music. We would decide that some shots didn't work, or that we needed to go in a different direction, but we were always ecstatic to see the previous day's work turn into a real action scene that was arguably the best thing we had done to date. That was a huge motivating factor. And while I played the main character and had the most screen time to do what I wanted to do for myself, everyone else needed to shine and they did, and they were responsible for their own performances. The choreography process we have allowed for that.

Q. Which action scenes in "Contour" are you most proud of and why?
A. I think my favorite fight is the fight between the 2 bodyguards at the end, Ray and Andy. It's really thick choreography, and Mark did a great music track for it. Plus it gets the most laughs because of Vlad, the most badass drag character I've ever seen. I love the rooftop fight between me and Ed because we shot it with a tripod and went for a late-80s Hong Kong feel, but it's so short.

Q. Do you feel that "Contour" accurately represents the current range of your group's abilities? Or are there some things you know you could improve on now?
A. Some of the choreography I could still vouch for, but I know we can do better in everything for the next project. We've all improved since Contour because we keep training and doing other projects that challenge us. Recently Ray and I worked on Micah Moore's Dogs of Chinatown and shot a 2.5 minute long finale in 8 hours, which was unheard of during Contour. Our heads didn't work like that back then. We're more fearless stuntmen now, but also smarter about the spills we take. As a result we can avoid injury while still pushing the limit.

Aside from choreography, our writing, acting, lighting, sound, editing, producing, and marketing are far superior than they were during Contour. We're dying to put them to the test.

Q. In the "Contour" DVD interviews, Dennis Ruel mentioned a few times that he wanted the group's acting to get up to par with the action. Will there be a greater focus on acting in future Stunt People productions?
A. Considering Dennis is arguably our best actor, that says a lot. Without solid acting, you can't sell action. The best action heroes can sell their acting both inside and outside the action, and that brings the audience in. If you catch the audience, you can get away with almost anything. Better acting also calls for better writing, which is my central focus for future projects.

Q. Speaking for the entire group, can you tell me what your primary cinematic influences were for the screen fighting sequences in your film? Any particular styles, actors, directors, subgenres that you particularly wanted to emulate or avoid?
A. There are plenty of influences, for sure, both Eastern and Western. I'd say that Contour's style was the result of my watching six hundred Hong Kong films mixed with Beat Takeshi and Blake Edwards. I can't hold a candle to these directors, but my film knowledge has expanded since Contour and I think the product will show it next time. I don't want to recall the number of times someone has looked at me in disbelief and asked, "You haven't seen Rocky?!?! You haven't seen The Usual Suspects!??! I thought you were a filmmaker!!" I haven't seen it because it's American. I can see it whenever I want! It's the same reason I've never been to Alcatraz: I live right next to San Francisco!

Q. What are some recent martial arts-related films that have impressed you and why?
A. Recent action films only impress me if they combine good action with good storytelling. Movies have so much money now, I don't pay attention to cinematography or production value. Death Proof, History of Violence, and District B13 come to mind because they use solid methods to develop action scenes. I can believe WHY these action scenes happen, which makes the fight scene itself more enjoyable. Flash Point has a great new take on choreography, and I think we're going to see its influence everywhere soon.

Q. What's coming up next from The Stunt People, and how can we stay abreast of developments?
A. The next project is Contour 2. We're writing it so that people don't have to see the first one. Some of the characters will still be there, but they don't know each other anymore. It takes place in Uruvia, the mythic island-nation we invented for Contour 1. Crocodile festivals, circular roads with no exit, and deadly Mariachi bands will find their way into the fold.

We're currently seeking investors so we can get a couple big names, score some killer locations, and pay our medical bills.

I'm redesigning the website, complete with blogs and some user-content, which should be ready by December 2007. I'll post blogs about Contour 2 and any other projects once the site launches.

Thanks for the interview! It's an honor to be a part of your business!