Ryan Stride interviews fight coordinator, stuntman and director Olivier Schneider Our next interview is with Olivier Schneider, a man who has appeared in over a hundred films, but you may not recognise his face, as he's been the stunt double for many Hollywood A-listers. After revitalising the tired action film genre with his direct, action packed fight scenes in Taken, he was chosen as the stunt coordinator for the James Bond film, Spectre. A man who in front of camera has exchanged blows with many well-known stars. He has worked with Jackie Chan, Denzel Washington, Liam Neeson, Dwayne Johnson, Dave Bautista and Daniel Craig. As well as this, he has also co-directed the 10-episode series Playground and worked on motion capture for video games such as Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. He has also set up U-Men Stunt, a team of elite stunt doubles, specialising in all aspects of production, from writing and choreography to the editing of scenes. RS: Hi Olivier and a big welcome to the The Peace Dimension. How is life going? OS: Hi Ryan! Life is going great thank you, despite this period of great uncertainty due to Covid 19. RS: Are you still based in Paris? OS: Yes, actually I live very close to Paris in the suburbs. RS: Can you please tell our readers where you are from originally, and how you got into the fight coordination and stunt work? OS: I've wanted to work in film since I was about ten years old. At first, I wanted to be an actor and do my own action scenes. I started martial arts at the age of ten after seeing a movie with Bruce Lee - The Way of the Dragon. Around the age of 20 I started acting classes. I didn't know anyone in the film industry, so I started by signing up with ad casting agencies. I also started doing extras on a lot of films, it taught me to understand how a film set works. One day, I was lucky enough to be hired for a motion capture video game where I played several characters who were fighting. The production called a stunt coordinator ( Philippe Guegan ) for this game and he appreciated my work. He then called me back to work on a TV series with him as a stunt double for the lead actor. The series was called Largo Winch with Paolo Seganti. That's where I learned my stunt work. A relationship of trust and friendship was born between Philippe and me. I continued to work for him for a long time until I became his assistant. One day Philippe was called to work on two films - Taken and Hitman. Philippe couldn't work on both films at the same time so he asked me to be in charge of the fight choreography on Taken. It was a big step and with a lot of responsibilities but I took up the challenge. The film worked and my name started to circulate. RS: When I see some of the excellent fight scenes that you've helped bring to life whether from Taken with Liam Neeson or Fast and Furious 6 or Spectre I can see you have a really broad martial art background. You can see in those fights some Wing Chun, some Silat, some Filipino style, Kickboxing, some Jiu Jitsu and combatives. So what is your martial art background? OS: The first martial arts I started with, was Tae Kwon Do for 12 years, then Karate, Kickboxing and finally Wing Chun . But I practised with many different martial artists, I like to explore many different styles.. RS: Are there any martial art styles that you have not had a chance to train in but are interested in trying? OS: Sure, I’d like to know more Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu , I really love that discipline. RS: Is there are style that has not appeared much in front of the camera that you think would be fun to portray in films? OS: There are many but Shotokan style Karate would be interesting . RS: I think that's what Jean Claude Van Damme started his training in. We really must invite Jean Claude on here to do an interview. I think he would be good fun and he is someone that is not scared to talk from the heart, and also with humour. We need this in 2020! Maybe the two of you can collaborate on a Shotokan project together. By the way you did a terrific job on Taken as the fight coordinator. How was it working with Liam Neeson? OS: Working with Liam was just fantastic ! He’s a great man with a big heart. I took a bet with him that he will do all his fights himself for Taken and that’s what happened. Liam and I became friends on Taken and we regularly keep in touch. My dream is to direct a film with him one day! RS: That would be great. He does action characters in a convincing way. You have worked with many actors who do action roles from Daniel Craig to Vin Diesal. How much time to do you spend analysing the actor's character and physical abilities when you have to help establish their character's approach to the fight? OS: Each film and each actor is different but I would say a couple of weeks. On Taken for example, I had five weeks in all to prep Liam but you know, you don’t have five weeks with the actor everyday unfortunately so you have to adapt your schedule to their's. RS: I noticed in your IMDB profile that you even did stunt work in Rush Hour 3. Did you get to spend much time with Jackie Chan who I imagine is an extra impressive legend for those who work in the stunt world? OS: I didn't do much on Rush Hour 3. I had a small character part and had a little scene with Jackie Chan. I was so impressed, but I’m a bit shy so I didn’t want to bother him on set. I remember how precise his vision and his work was. RS: Yes it must have been fun to see him at work. Now I recently did an interview with the actor Bill Duke who appeared in Predator and Commando. He is a very interesting gentleman. I mentioned his fight scene with Arnold Schwarzenegger from Commando. Do you remember that scene? OS: Of course!! I’m a big fan of Predator and Commando! I also remember the dialogue during the fight. Love it! RS: Yes, I also remember that but maybe can't repeat it on The Peace Dimension! Now, much earlier in your career, you did some stunt work on a very interesting French adventure and mystery film called Brotherhood of The Wolf. One of the main actors in that was Mark Dacascos who is a very talented martial artist. What was it like working in that film? OS: Brotherhood of the Wolf was my first big film and I was Vincent Cassel’s stunt double. That was incredible for me to be on this film… I was a big fan of Christophe Gans the director from back when he did Crying Freeman and having a chance to meet and work with Mark Dacascos was just amazing. Mark is such a good person, respectful with everyone , all the stunt guys loved to work with him. As a martial artist, Mark is probably one of the best that I had the chance to work with. RS: I also enjoyed the film Safe House and it had some good action sequences in it with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Did you have much influence on Denzel's moves for his role? OS: The first time I met Denzel I showed him previous footage of his fights that I had shot with the stunt doubles. He liked it very much. Then we started working together, combining ideas he had for his character. Denzel is very meticulous and knows what he wants, so it was really instructive to watch him work. RS: Yes working with Denzel must have been educational as he has a lot of experience. i also like him because there is energy of integrity that he demonstrates on and off camera. OK so a stunt performer has to be in good physical shape but perhaps in a slightly different way to a sportsman. It seems the stunt performer especially for certain types of stunt work must have a very conditioned body that can handle falls, taking blows and good stamina. So Olivier when you are working more on the stunt side how do you prepare the body in terms of physical training? OS: Today I'm almost always behind the camera instead of in front of it. I still train of course, but differently. When I was a stuntman I trained an average of 4 hours a day; 5 times a week. Martial arts, acrobatics, edged weapons... To be able to fall on concrete you have to know how to fall on a mattress very well. When the technique is good you reduce the layer of the mattress and you progress on the grass or the ground then the concrete. You have to know how to preserve your body if you want to work for a long while, and therefore you should not try and do everything. It is also important to use protection. RS: Stunt performers also need to be mentally in a good space and have very steady nerves- so can I ask you what do you do for mental preparation? Do you use meditation or any specific practises for dealing with the adrenaline buzz? OS: The way I meditate is to go running with my headset, listening to a good playlist. With the years we learn to manage stress but it is always present and it is important because it is also a way to protect yourself. You have to surround yourself with the right people and be very well prepared. RS: I like that and it is interesting that you say stress can also be a way to protect you. Yes I see what you mean by that. I have to confess Olivier I haven't seen The Rhythm Section yet, which stars Blake Lively, but I assume it has some interesting action sequences. How was it to work with Blake? OS: Blake is really cool and she worked hard for the film. She had a couple of fights scenes and a great car chase... She did a lot and I’m very proud of her. RS: I am sorry to hear they have pushed back the release of the new Bond film No Time to Die, in which you worked as the supervising stunt coordinator. Now I'm sure Olivier you are no doubt sworn to secrecy so we won't try and get some information about the film..except...I will ask how does it compare do you think to Spectre? OS: I think that NTTD will be really special and the audience will love it, I have no doubt on it. I can’t say much but trust me, you won’t be disappointed. RS: Did you have much input on the fight scenes in No Time to Die? OS: As stunt supervisor I had to , it was my responsibility with all the actions sequences. I asked my friend Patrick Vo to be in charge of the fights. I had so much to do on the film that I couldn’t do everything myself. We talked a lot with Patrick about the fights and we designed everything together. RS: As I understand this will be Daniel Craig's last run as Bond. I think he has done a really superb job playing a character who audiences have such high expectations about. So come on Olivier as a director and as someone who has a great talent for visual action, your input would be good here- who do you think should play James Bond next? OS: I can’t imagine anyone else as James Bond to be honest. Daniel has done so much for this character so let’s wait and see. RS: As a stunt performer you know how to take a hit and how to overcome testing moments, so right now life is testing people with all that's going on. What advice do you have for people finding some heavy blows coming their way in life? OS: Be positive, strong and patient. Everything happens for a reason so we will see what comes next. We all need to change our way of life, that could be for the best maybe... RS: With your busy lifestyle what do you like to do to relax when you are away from the film making process? OS: I like many things! Playing with my son, my dog , cycling, writing, watching films . Also it’s important to me to be at home. I travel a lot and I need some time off between the projects just to restart fresh and be creative . RS: Yes I can imagine that the work on set can be very tiring with long hours and I am sure so can see why it is important to take a break. Actually my book The Peace Dimension- Ten Meditations for Testing Times also conveys some ways to relax, be more creative and handle the blows that life can sometimes send. The Peace Dimension is perhaps a mindset. Olivier what does The Peace Dimension symbolise to you? OS: It symbolises to me something or somewhere you will feel peaceful. We all need to find how to “ balance “ our lives with a way to “disconnect “ from our problems in general. RS: Olivier so great to be able to do this interview with you. I have enjoyed discussing your work with you. There are many more questions I would like to ask you so you will have to come back again OK! May you continue being creative and looking forward to seeing more of your work as a director. Thank you Ryan, that will be my pleasure! Olivier's website is: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0773968/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 The Peace Dimension by Ryan Stride is available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk Copyright © Ryan Stride 2020 All rights reserved Comments are closed.
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AuthorBorn in London, England, Ryan wishes to share with people how the mystical can be found in the moment, allowing great things to happen. Ryan is also a writer and social commentator who is currently working on a script and several new book titles. ArchivesCategories |