It’s more to keep them sharp and not get married to one specific thing, because more than likely it will change on the day of the shoot.īTL: Did that happen at all on The Woman King? We’ll say, “This is fight sequence number one,” or number two. Help keep them doing the strikes and the hits. ![]() A big part of my job on this project wasn’t the actual fighting, but helping to keep the actors’ minds open. We tell them, “Don’t get married to this.” We might put together little vignettes of fighting that won’t necessarily be part of the choreography. Then we start to teach the actors their fight beats and stuff like that. If we’re lucky, we get to work to scale if we have the measurements of the sets. We can put together movements in the open area, and we can work with weapons and props. Stevens: We have a rehearsal space with weights and fitness equipment. Sometimes writers aren’t completely sure what is physically possible. It’s a chance to see something visual instead of on paper. That’s the initial submission to Production. We all collaborate, and then the fight coordinator shoots the previz. The Woman King image via Sony PicturesīTL: Each fight has a narrative. It’s a collaborative effort between Stunt department and Production, but it’s really the coordinators who have this vision and put together these sequences. There are other people involved, so the set may restrict some movements. And even on the day, the fight might change because the environment’s different. We build them big so we can cut down if necessary. Production gives us notes, we go through more edits, and we continually revamp the fights. We get a certain creative license with the stunts submit our work to Production. What happens is, when we read the script, a lot of times the fight sequences aren’t written out fully. Johnny put together the fight sequences, other performers contributed as well, including me. Stevens: It was a long process because there were a lot of changes. Pretty much anything you can wield can be done through the Kali system.īTL: How did you work with the previz team on The Woman King? So that does correlate to the machete and staff. Single knife and double knife Kali sticks, which are about 12 to 18 inches in length. I train in the weapons art of Kali, which incorporates knives. Stevens: To an extent, but we weren’t making a documentary. Simple, yet effective.īTL: Did you do a lot of historical research? ![]() We used very basic functional weapon strikes to create the choreography. Johnny Gao, another Fight Coordinator, did a lot of the staff and spear training, especially with Sheila Atim (Amenza). My job was to teach her and some of the other South African performers about bladed weapons - machetes and knives, and such. He and his team had already started the fight previz when I came on to train with Viola. Jénel Stevens: Danny Hernandez, the Stunt Coordinator, and I come from the same martial arts background. Jénel Stevensīelow the Line: How did you first get involved with The Woman King? She spoke with Below the Line via Google Meet about working with Davis and the previz team on The Woman King as well as the importance of rehearsal time and her long-term goals in the industry. Stevens is currently working on Joe Carnahan‘s Shadow Force, which stars Kerry Washington and Omar Sy as an estranged couple who are forced to go on the run with their son when their former employer puts a bounty on their heads. A SAG Award winner for Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame, Stevens has also worked on several other Marvel projects as well as The Gray Man and Orange Is the New Black. Veteran stuntwoman Jénel Stevens helped design the film’s fight choreography in addition to doubling Viola Davis and performing other stunts as well. The furious action employs knives, lances, ropes, rifles, and even bombs, so designing, choreographing, and executing the film’s many stunts while ensuring the safety of the cast and crew took careful preparation over the course of several months. The film has grossed $76 million worldwide to date, and it has been Davis’ commitment to the project - both in her portrayal as the Agojie warrior Nanisca and as the film’s producer - that has impressed moviegoers around the world.ĭirected by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film’s hard-hitting battle sequences are another reason the audiences are coming away floored by The Woman King, in which fights erupt in villages and towns, spreading over paths, alleys, squares, and balconies. The continued box office success of The Woman King is, first and foremost, a tribute to its star, Viola Davis. Viola Davis in The Woman King/Sony Pictures
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