The Canton Boxer

THE SKYHAWK is a 1974 martial arts film, unique in the fact that in acts as a bridge of sorts. A passing of the "action movie torch". It stars a veteran superstar actor (nearly 70 year-old Kwan Tak-hing who had already portrayed folk hero Wong Fei-hung in about as many films) passed his prime but still kicking, along side up-and-coming superstar Sammo Hung, and powerhouse action actors Carter Wong, Hwang In-shik and even Nora Miao.

Luckily the film lives up to it pedigree. Packed with memorable action set pieces and lots of emotion, it stills thrills action fans today, while hinting at the lofty heights Hung would achieve in the decade to come.

For the cover art I followed the same visual template I designed for a previous series of kung fu/wuxia films from this period. It features larger than life villian, Hwan In-shik, menacing in a blue color theme with our weaponless heroes huddled in the center.

The booklet cover design shows our heroes walking toward their final showdown amongst the ruins of a Thai temple, rendered in a shilouetted minimalistic style. Why can't they make movie like this anymore?

Next up. The blonde fury herself, Cynthia Rothrock, gets her due in a starring role.

The Dragon Remembered

This year, 2023, marks a milestone in the history of kung fu cinema. It's now been fifty years since the release of Bruce Lee's 1973 seminal martial arts classic, ENTER THE DRAGON. The film was not only a financial success at the time, but was equally influential to subsequent action films and television programs. 

Bruce was in the middle of producing his magnum opus, GAME OF DEATH, when Warner Brothers offered him his first starring roll in an American film. So he paused his work on that film and made BLOOD AND STEEL (which he demanded by retitled ENTER THE DRAGON). 

Sadly, his untimely death right before the release of this film also meant he never got to fully expereince this new global adulation, or have the chance to complete GAME OF DEATH in Hong Kong. Just as Lee broke thru to worldwide stardom, his burgeoning career, and his life, abruptly ended. Aged just thirty-two. 

I was commissioned to produce some artwork for the cover of a retrospective look back at Bruce's Hollywood starring debut. Although the full-color image was utilized, two alternate monochromatic versions were also produced. (see below)

Bruce Lee cast a long shadow. We explore what has happened in those shadows, and see what the legendary Sammo Hung was up to the following year. Next time.

Remember. Revisit. Respect.

Late last year I was comissioned to create a poster for a new documentary which celebrates Bruce Lee's first major film role, 1971's THE BIG BOSS. The doc locates and revisits the surviving filming locations in Thailand as they exist now. 

Usually my clients for Blu-ray movie covers offer no direction. "Can you make us a cover for such-and-such film by next Friday?". But this time, my brief directed me to use this iconic shot of Bruce from the film as the focus image. (As well as incorporate the required text.) 

So my main concern, given the similar title, was to avoid confusion and clearly convey that this is NOT a poster for THE BIG BOSS, but a new documentary about THE BIG BOSS. So to that end I "watermarked" the background with many behind-the-scenes photos from the film. And pulled one such image to the forefront in the lower left corner. One in gold and a second version in blue.

I created a title font for the film, similar to the bold red original, but now distressed as if from age, set against a muted silhouetted Thai landscape. For added interest I included a familiar black shape of Lee performing his famous jumping kick from the film's finale. 

Below is the less common blue variant.

This year is an important one for Bruce Lee fans, as it marks a milestone. We shall dig deeper into that next time as we continue the Celebration of Bruce Lee. Would that make it a "Cele-Bruce-tion"?

*sigh*

I'll show myself out.  

Going Mad

There are two diametrically opposed ways to approach designing packaging for a film franchise boxed set.

1. Find a simple iconic image that can embody the entire cinematic saga —  For instance, this could be a lone X-Wing Fighter approaching the Death Star for the Star Wars saga.
2. Or... attempt to represent ALL the main (and some supporting) characters of each film in the collection, crowded together into one busy composition.

Personally, I prefer the simple elegance of the former, but feedback indicated film fans wanted the later. So chaos rules and madness is the order of the day. 

The art style and color palette is a continuation of what I used for a series of similar films such as the first MR. VAMPIRE, THE DEAD AND THE DEADLY, and ENCOUNTER OF THE SPOOKY KIND.  

The four horror-comedy films collected for this presentation (MR. VAMPIRE II, MR. VAMPIRE III, MR. VAMPIRE SAGA IV, and VAMPIRE VS. VAMPIRE) are thematically connected by the jiangshi (hopping Chinese vampire) genre, with some reoccurring cast and crew. In typical Hong Kong fashion they are sequels in name only, without repeating characters or any over-arching storyline. Regardless, the films are a lot of goofy fun, and are prime examples of this uniquely Hong Kong film genre made during the original jiangshi boom of the 1980s.  

The essay booklet cover art features a jiangshi rendered immobile by a prayer scroll attached to his brow. A familiar sight in all of these types of films. This is an example of a more minimal design approach.

I also designed menu backgrounds for each film, but I don't know if they were used.

That's all for today. Catch me next time... for something new.

Becoming Jackie Chan

This is a cover piece done for a magazine publication to accompany an article about the early Jackie Chan's films THE YOUNG MASTER and THE BIG BRAWL (aka BATTLECREEK BRAWL). The collage features three images from each film set against a bold watercolor wash with some Chinese articles watermarked into the background. Using a homogeneous color palette of orange and blue tones, along with consistent eyelines, help pull the disparate imagery together. I contrasted the blue figures with red to pop them forward.

Next time... things start hopping. Things get scary. Things go mad.

Blood and Steel

This piece was done for the cover of a violent martial arts epic from celebrated Hong Kong film director Ringo Lam. BURNING PARADISE offers another tale of young folk hero, Fong Sai-Yuk, battling the forces of evil - this time in a labyrinthian underground prison lair where one wrong move spells sudden death of an extremely "uncomfortable" nature.

The extreme violence of the movie naturally dictated the color palette. Blood is everywhere. Inside and out. The Chinese character for "fire", rendered in blood red, looms large and splatters everything in sight. It's emphasis is heightened by reducing all other colors down to a monochromatic grayscale wash of character action/reaction.

It's a strange dichotomy. It's a constant back-and-forth, as I struggle with the tools of the trade to render physical my vision for each piece. I wouldn't say I ever get fully comfortable in any given style. But I'm also aware of the fact that I never want to exhibit a recognizable style. I don't want to be a "style". (The art direction of the thing I'm marketing should dictate the style if it has any at all.)

If I feel I'm getting too comfortable, repeating myself, I immediately attempt to move from on it. Unless I'm doing a series where all the items need to match, I want to welcome each new design job with a set of fresh eyes not relying to previous works to guide me.

If I'm not stretching, I'm not growing. (And I've got a long, long way to grow.) That's the dichotomy. I try to improve in a certain direction, but then if I feel I'm approaching that goal, I immediately move on from it to try to pursue a different direction. I never stay in any comfort zone. The compounded effect is I'm never fully happy with the work. 

I think this comes from decades of working for hundreds of different clients, all wanting something different. So I have to be everything to everyone. So my own vision takes a backseat. But that's life as a graphic designer. Do your best. Hopefully learn something in the process. And onto the next one. 

See you on the next one. 

The Streets Run Red

This is a piece I did for a early 70s Japanese gangster film directed by Hideo Gosha. It's dark, violent and, well, takes it's brand of yakuza action to the streets. So, in a flagrant example of "truth in advertising", it's actually called VIOLENT STREETS.  

I've never been a fan of the "stack of floating heads" poster style so popular in the 1990s. (ie: names across the top, head over shoulder, head over shoulder, head over shoulder, horses running in silhouette across the bottom, done call it a day.) So when possible, I always try to give the characters a little bit of business. Holding a prop, a weapon, a phone, some sort of indication to who their character is. So viewers can get a hint of the story, or at least the type of story from the imagery.

Also juxtaposing protagonists and antagonist facing each other can visually express a sense of the conflict. In this film it's not so much "good guys versus bad guys", they are all pretty much "bad". But it's still one group versus another and my composition splits them down the middle with our protagonists on the left. The bloody Japanese title divides them and spills out onto the dark street itself where it joins the bleeding body of a woman. While the whole scene is rendered off-kilter, is contrasting hues of reds and blues. Hot and cold against a neutral gray night.    

Various elements, such as tiny flying chicken feathers, a pack of German Shepherds, a transvestite with a knife are all pulled from the film, but don't spoil any major plot point.

The rough comp is shown to the right (inset) with the final finished piece below.

The other primary color, a prominent yellow muzzle flash, subtly reflects on the actors faces and is echoed in the director's name. While all the red lighting the scene emanates from the Japanese title.

Take the sex and the violence from this film, and add martial arts. Stir until it comes to a fine boil. That's next time.