You could take almost any 10-second segment from PROJECT A's action scenes and make it an example for how well it works. Here for instance, we have at least 5 lessons in dynamic directing/editing in a row that feel organic and enhance audience engagement/viewing pleasure. The...
...clip opens on a zoom out while the camera readjusts its position. It's actually something we see a lot of in HK action movies of the period, and not a trick that has travelled much abroad in spite of its benefits in terms of dynamism and syncing of movements with actors....
Then we have a fairly long shot capturing a series of beautiful moves by Yuen Biao. His way of fighting is very dance-like here, but the best trick comes after: the camera cuts to a close-up of the action without breaking its flow. The cut is near imperceptible because it...
...aligns perfectly with what the brain is expecting to see, except it shows it even more clearly, which stimulates the eye without giving a feeling of lost continuity. The fight goes on and moves into a traditional face off configuration, and Yuen throws his knife at his...
...opponent. Another common directing trick: the slow motion kick, which stands out as the highlight of the short action sequence both in terms of filmmaking and athletic performance.
I find PROJECT A's choreographies extremely musical, set up like a dance number would have been: each change in shot is designed to give maximum impact to the specific movements performed, and inserts come in to make sure details aren't missed.
Look at Jackie's first moves here: a sequence divided into three parts (tackle, jump kick, throw down), and therefore into three shots. That way, we come out feeling Jackie has done more than we've ever seen. The art of making every move important but none of them show-stopping.
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