by Katharine Schroeder

March 26

After filming on location for several weeks, the cast and crew was back in the studio to shoot some interior scenes on Jackie's latest Hong Kong film, Rob-B-Hood.  Jackie hadn't arrived yet when I got there since the schedule had changed and he wasn't needed for any of the scenes that day.  "No problem," I told his assistant, Dorothy.  "I'll just go have a look around."

I walked over to the main area where they were setting up an action sequence and was greeted with a punch on the arm by Park, one of Jackie's stunt guys. Of course it was all in good fun; Jackie's stunt guys are a really nice group of men.  Being greeted with a punch or a headlock means that you're one of the family.  The atmosphere on the set is always very warm and the crew seems to have gotten used to a very tall American (me) wandering around asking questions and taking photos.  There are few times when I feel out of place or in the way.

I watched as the crew set up a shot and repeatedly filmed it until it was just right.  I am not an actor, so I have a lot of appreciation for the ability of the cast to repeat the same lines, movements, and expressions over and over again.  They are as convincing in the first take as they are in the final one.  Most of the shots that I've seen repeated have been redone because of problems that have little to do with the actors making mistakes.  There are so many variables that go into creating a successful shot:  lighting, props, action, equipment.  It's a challenge to get everything just perfect. 

When I used to imagine what it would be like on a film set, I always had a vision of commotion, bright lights, and a screaming director.  Of course there are bright lights on the set of Rob-B-Hood, and always a flurry of activity, but it is controlled activity.  And I've never heard director Benny Chan scream, not even once.  Benny is quiet and thoughtful on the set and he seems to get what he needs by allowing everyone to do the job that they'd been hired to do.  He manages the cast and crew with a serene confidence that often leaves me wide-eyed with wonder.  Could I ever be that calm when so many things are going on and going wrong?  I doubt it.

I spent some time watching the stunt team help film the action sequences and I was very impressed with their skills.  It's not only the stunt men in front of the camera who are so impressive, it's also those who are helping to coordinate the action behind the camera.  Each stunt requires the support of the team in order to be successful and to prevent any injuries.  The JC Stunt Team works together in the kind of harmony and cooperation that comes from spending endless hours, days, and years training and performing together.  After watching them rehearse and perform stunts for this movie, I have a greater respect for what they do.  In the same way dancers memorize choreography, the stunt men must memorize and perfect the movements involved in executing the stunt.  In order to assure realism, excitement, and safety they must all work together as a team, which Jackie's group does so well.

As I stood admiring the stunt team, Dorothy came over to tell me that Jackie was on his way and asked if I'd like to walk with her to greet him. I was curious to see how he would be feeling since he'd suffered a pretty severe injury a few days before.  He'd gotten kicked in the chest by a stuntman who was not wearing the proper shoes for the stunt.  Jackie's pain was so severe that he went to the hospital to be checked for a fracture.  The doctors, however, gave him a clean bill of health and told him that he would heal with no intervention.

He looked okay when he came in, but as the day progressed it would become obvious that there were periods when he was in a lot of pain. After exchanging greetings, the three of us walked back to the set and I looked for a spot off to the side where I could sit down and make some notes.  There was a loft area set up, so I climbed the stairs to have a look around up there. The view from above was quite interesting and I leaned against one of the railings to get a few photos.  "Oh, that's a little loose," I thought to myself. "Better not lean on that."  I moved over to another spot and took a few photos.  I had a look around the area, then walked over to the opposite end so I could take a shot of Jackie talking to Louis and Benny. As I started to take a photo, my arm brushed one of the railings of the loft and the stupid thing just fell off!  Luckily I caught it before it clattered down the stairs, but I didn't catch it in time for Jackie not to notice what I'd done.  "Don't touch!  Be careful!" he shouted from below.  He must have seen my stricken expression because he smiled warmly and added, "Don't forget, nothing is real here.  They're all props.  And you can't lean on the rails."  It was then that I thought back to a few minutes before when I really had leaned on the rail.  I realized how incredibly lucky I was that I didn't fall from the loft into a collection of very dangerous looking equipment below.  "Lesson learned," I thought to myself.  I would keep Jackie's motto in mind:  Safety first.

As I began my descent from the loft, I heard a voice shout out, "Katharine, catch!!"  Not knowing what to expect would come sailing through the air, I poised myself for the worst.  I looked down and saw none other than our friend Ken Low preparing to throw a basketball.  Aware of all the delicate props surrounding me and of my precarious position up in a loft with fake railings, I gently encouraged him not to throw me the ball:

"Don't you dare!" I hissed. 

I needn't have bothered; Ken had no intention of throwing the ball; he's just an incurable tease.  I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way down the stairs to relative safety. 

As I stood looking around at another area of the studio, I was thinking that it was too bad I wouldn't be able to write about everything I saw.  But I can't because I don't want to spoil the movie for you.  I will tell you that there were lots of interesting props around and although I had now learned my lesson about trusting props, I couldn't help but think that it would be fun to play with some of them.  As I stood pondering this, who else but Ken should come sneaking up behind me, causing me to make a small noise in reaction.  Okay, so it wasn't really a small noise.  In fact, it was loud enough that when I turned away from reprimanding Ken, I was faced with an entire studio's worth of faces all staring right at me.  Luckily Ken's antics have become a source of entertainment not only for Ken, but for the entire crew and I was relieved to see that everyone was smiling, including Jackie.  Ken's face was joyous; he had gotten me once again.

"Look what you've done," I wailed.  "Everyone is looking at me!"

"Hello!" he replied.

I sighed and went looking for someplace else to sit, someplace where I could keep Ken in my line of sight.

I went over and sat down with Jackie to talk a little more about the accident.  He was very matter-of-fact about it, yet he couldn't hide the discomfort in his chest.  He said that it was just an ordinary accident and that no matter what, these things happen.  He talked about the care they take to insure safety for all the actors, but agreed that there are no guarantees that everything will always be completely safe.  I didn't ask him if he was angry at the stuntman; it was clear to me that he wasn't.  I was impressed that he chose to come to the set even though he wasn't needed for filming, but I wasn't surprised that he was there.  Since the beginning, Jackie has been totally involved in all aspects of the film.

After chatting with Jackie for a while, I went over to find a quiet place to sit down and make some notes.  I had barely started writing when I heard Jackie's voice. "Katharine!  Where's Stanley?"  I went over to Jackie and handed him Stanley.  You are now wondering who Stanley is, so I will tell you about him.  Stanley is a little boy made out of paper.  He's about 10 inches tall and he is visiting us from America.  A teacher in North Carolina sent Stanley to us to spend a little time and learn about Jackie.  His full name is Flat Stanley and he is part of something called the Flat Stanley Project.  Teachers have a student decorate a paper boy and then mail him out to celebrities, sports figures, businessmen, or anyone else they can think of.  The idea is that the person who is hosting Stanley will show him around, take some photos, and write a journal.  Then Stanley will be sent back to the teacher, and the students will read about his adventures.  It is a great way to encourage reading and it's a lot of fun for both the students and the host (not to mention Stanley, who had a terrific time in Hong Kong). 

Jackie took Stanley and put him in the director's seat, then took him over to where they were setting up for the next shot and put him up on a rope to do a stunt.  He spent a few minutes explaining to the crew who Stanley was, then he let Stanley have a turn at the camera, showed him a crane, and finished by giving him a big thumbs up.  Jackie loved the idea of the Flat Stanley Project and of course he had many creative ideas for showing Stanley around.  [Note:  Stanley headed back to America on March 28th to reunite with Miss Quinn's second grade class in North Carolina.] 

After storing Stanley back in my camera case, I settled once again on a comfy couch to make some notes.  No sooner had I put my pen to the paper than I was aware of someone standing in front of me.  Jackie.

"What size shoe do you wear?" he asked.

I just stared at him.

Jackie stood patiently waiting for my answer.

"Well," I mumbled, "I wear a size...big?"

He smiled.  "Let me see. You wear the same size as me," he declared.

"Sure," I replied as Jackie handed me one of his shoes (no, not the ones he was wearing).

"Put this on," he ordered.

My thoughts wandered back to the Ocean Park set visit when Jackie had Mr. Lee hopping around on one foot while Jackie showed me Mr. Lee's shoe.  What is it with Jackie and shoes?

I took the shoe and put it on.  It fit but it had such a big sole that I was afraid to stand up for fear of scaring Jackie away.

"Jackie, this shoe is going to make me too tall," I complained.

"Tall is good," he replied.  "I'll give you some shoes."

"Okay," I said as I sat back down on the couch and hoisted my foot up to Jackie so he could remove the shoe and let me get back to my notes.

He ran off to check on the progress of the filming and I continued scribbling notes in my book.  Soon I sensed that someone was standing in front of me again.

"Come with me," said Jackie. 

He took me on a tour of the studio, showing me all the different areas and explaining what this and that was used for.  Occasionally we would come across something that seemed so bizarre that I just had to ask what it was.  "Prop," said Jackie each time I asked.  I told him that it was hard for an ordinary person such as myself to get used to some things.  A hunk of wood that turns out not to be wood but styrofoam colored to look like wood.  A rock that is not a rock.  "Remember what I told you," he said.  "Nothing here is real."  I made a mental note to keep that in mind, particularly when I got the urge to lean on a railing. 

On our way back we passed a refrigerator and Jackie offered me something to drink.  As he handed me a box of tea I noticed that part of the refrigerator was sectioned off for Jackie. He is a very generous man and shares everything freely, but it was understandable that he would want someplace to keep things that he liked to eat safe from the dozens of crew members who were constantly raiding the refrigerator.  As we continued on we came to a table lined with baskets of snacks and bottles of vitamins. Jackie stopped and picked up a bottle containing gigantic gel tablets.  He plucked one out of the bottle and handed it to me.  "Here, take this. It's good for you."  As I started to put it in my mouth I thought that I should probably find out what it was, so I asked.  It was Royal Jelly, which is a substance that is produced by bees and is thought to enhance the immune system (I looked that up when I got home).  I figured it couldn't hurt, so I popped it in my mouth and followed Jackie down the hallway. 

Back on the set there was some discussion going on about a stunt, so I took a seat and watched Jackie talk with the stuntmen and the stunt coordinator until they'd figured out the sequence.  Then Jackie took a seat and watched the filming while I watched him looking around the room.  I wondered what he would notice and within seconds I had my answer.  He'd noticed some people standing in a doorway above the set area and realized that it wasn't safe.  He called Park over and asked him to put a safety strap across the open doorway.  Jackie notices everything that is going on around him.  Everything. 

After spending some more time watching the filming, I decided it was about time to head home.  A production van dropped me off at the MTR and I headed back to my apartment.

March 27

After lunchtime on a Monday afternoon, Fibe asked me if I'd like to join her at the set; she wanted to record some diaries with Jackie.  Although I'd spent the day before there, I was anxious to go back since I hadn't seen Matthew or his mom Vicky in a while.

When we arrived Jackie was filming a scene, so I took a walk around and soon found Matthew lying on a green screen surface acting very disagreeable while a crowd of adults did their best to try to get him to stay still for some close-up shots. It wasn't working.  They tried showing him toys, singing, making faces, making odd noises; nothing was doing the trick.  The patience exhibited by the crew was nearly saint-like.  They kept calm and never appeared frustrated or annoyed, even when Matthew refused to stay still and cooperate.  Matthew had his own ideas about what he wanted to be doing just at that moment, and there was no one who was going to convince him otherwise.   After several more attempts the crew decided that it wasn't going to happen and moved onto other things.  Matthew, his mom Vicky, and I went over to have a seat and visit for a while.

Matthew was looking cuter than ever and Vicky was her usual easygoing self.  We talked a little bit about what they'd been doing and about how Matthew was handling his role as a baby film star.  (He's doing quite well.)  As we sat at the table, Matthew visited with Benny Chan.  He really likes Benny and the two of them were enjoying each other's company while Vicky and I talked. Benny has such a gentle personality and he is very comfortable around Matthew.  I took some photos of Benny and Matthew and then moved on to see what Jackie was up to over on the set.

I found Jackie with Willie and Solon, who had stopped by the set for a meeting.  I said a quick hello from above, then walked back down to join Fibe while she watched the crew filming a fight scene.  From where we were sitting, we could see just how many people and how much planning was involved in a shot that would probably end up taking only about 4 or 5 seconds of screen time.  They redid the shot several times until they were sure it looked just the way they wanted it to.  Fibe and I sat and talked with Jackie for a while and then I went over to see how the crew was making out with Matthew. 

Matthew was back on the green screen mat and the crew was once again gathered around him trying to make him stay still so they could get some close-ups of his face.  Again, Matthew was being fussy and uncooperative.  That is, until Benny climbed up on the ladder above where Matthew was lying, took over the camera, and started speaking to him in a low, soothing voice.  It was like magic.  Matthew became completely enraptured by the sound of Benny's voice and as we all stood by holding our breath, Benny got the shot he needed.  I went over to watch the replay on the monitor and expressed my admiration.  "No one else could get him to cooperate," I said to  Benny, who looked pleased.  "That's why you're the director!" I told him, and he laughed.

When I rejoined Jackie, he was in the middle of a discussion with the stunt team regarding the movements involved with the next shot.  I sat quietly and watched as Jackie described - and then demonstrated - his idea to the others.  It was remarkable to see how quickly the others picked up the sequence of movements that were shown to them so briefly.  But that's how it works.  A few words are exchanged, a quick demonstration, and the team is ready to move on with the scene.

After Jackie's demonstration, he moved away to let them film the shot and within moments he had Matthew in his arms and was showing him some of the props on the set.  If you have been reading the Scrapbooks from the filming, you know that Jackie is completely captivated by Matthew.  Their relationship has certainly changed from the beginning of filming when all Matthew would do when he got near Jackie was to burst out crying.  They are definitely buddies now, although that in no way guarantees Matthew will do what Jackie wants him to do.  Whether Matthew cooperates is up to one person and one person only:  Matthew.  But even when Matthew is being bull-headed, it is still obvious that Jackie adores him.

Since it was getting late Fibe and I decided to head for home.  After saying goodbye to Jackie, we left, not knowing that at that moment, Jackie's body was incubating some of the worst germs known to mankind:  Baby Germs.

March 30 

Filming was cancelled on March 29th because both Jackie and the baby were sick.  The next day Fibe and I headed back to the set in the afternoon with the intention of interviewing one of the cast members (who ended up not being there).  When we arrived Jackie was filming a scene up in the loft area so we just had a seat and waited for him to finish.  When he came down, we went over to greet him and immediately saw that he was sick.  Really sick.  He motioned to me to come closer to have a look at his throat.  I am no doctor, but after examining his throat, it was clear that he had quite an infection - his throat was an angry red. He also asked me to feel the sides of his neck and I cringed when I did - something didn't feel quite right there.

"You feel that?  What do you think?" asked Jackie.

"Oh, yeech," I offered, silently congratulating myself that I hadn't chosen a career in health care.  After making my diagnosis (possible throat infection, possible tonsillitis, definite case of Baby Germs), I decided to keep an arm's length away from Jackie for the remainder of my visit.

The next hour I spent at the set was very, very difficult.  It was the first time I had experienced watching what Jackie goes through when he works with pain.  The fight scene was short and pretty straightforward, but one of the movements that Jackie made when he swung his arm for a punch caused him to have severe pain in the area of his chest injury.  Couple that with the fact that he was feverish, coughing, and nursing a terrible sore throat and it was just about the most awful thing to watch.  Take after take, every single time he made the necessary movement, it caused him pain.  Even the experienced crew was wincing and turning away - it was that hard to watch.  But Jackie just would not give up.  Take after take, for FOURTEEN TAKES.  Each time something else seemed to go wrong, and each time Jackie and He Jun (the other actor/stuntman) ran through it again.  If the movements were perfect, the camera angle wasn't.  When the camera angle was just right, one of the kicks wasn't high enough.  It was torturous for Jackie, but he kept on until finally it was perfect. 

After spending a little more time talking with some of the crew members and taking a few photos, Fibe and I left.  It had been difficult for us to watch Jackie in such pain and feeling so sick.  When I asked Fibe why he didn't just take some time to rest and recover, she said that it's just his nature to keep on going. He doesn't want to throw the film schedule off, and he just has a need to keep moving and get things done.  Me, I prefer bed rest and chicken soup when I'm sick, but I'm no Jackie Chan.  We all know there's only one of those.

Photos © 2006 The JC Group

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