A NEW BOOST for Scotland’s burgeoning screen industry is planned for this summer when top stunt, stage, and screen action professionals will share their skills with Scottish talent.
Teachers include actor, director, martial artist and stuntman Joey Ansah, who gained international recognition performing all his own stunts as Desh in The Bourne Ultimatum and as co-creator, director and star of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist.
Also agreeing to teach is Puerto Rican stuntman, actor, dancer, and fight director Travis Staton-Marrero who is known for his dynamic work in film and television. A specialist in film fighting techniques with a martial arts focus, he teaches at NYU’s Meisner Studio and has performed stunts for productions such as Fallout, Terrifier 3, Daredevil: Born Again, and TV series including Law & Order: Organised Crime and The Equaliser.
Flying in from Japan will be Tetsuro Shimaguchi, who gained international acclaim as the sword fight choreographer and actor Miki in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol 1. He later established the samurai dojo Kengido, promoting samurai culture globally through performances, workshops, and expanding dojos in Japan. After extensive experience in kabuki and theatre, he founded and leads Kengishu Kamui, blending martial arts, acting, and the beauty of form.
Others who will be involved in the course include movement director and choreographer Lucy Wild and Paul Macdonald, founder of the Macdonald Academy of Arms and chief swordmaker at Macdonald Armouries, who has a world-class knowledge of historical swordplay and is a leading historian on the use of the Scottish backsword.
Stuntwoman, fight director, intimacy choreographer, stage combat instructor, actor and dancer Anita Nittoly will also take part. Credits include The Boys, The Expanse and DC’s Titans. She is the resident fight choreographer at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada.
Joining the team will be Suzanne Smith, a double Emmy and Artios award-winning casting director with over 30 years of experience in film, television, and theatre. Her credits include acclaimed series like Band Of Brothers, The Pacific, Outlander, Good Omens, and Silo.
Key organiser of the four-day event, Rob Myles, said securing such big names in the industry was “a bit of a coup”.
“We’re delighted by everyone’s willingness to come and launch this new workshop. Every guest teacher is operating at top level in the industry and has the profile to match,” said Myles, of Stage Fight Scotland which is presenting the course, alongside Acting Action Ltd, in association with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Scotland is becoming increasingly popular as a film or TV location and it is hoped the course will help Scottish-based actors gain even more work.
“Joey Ansah has just been working in Glasgow for the past five months on The Running Man with Glenn Powell and director Edgar Wright. Connections are being made in the city, and Scottish talent should want to be in the mix that when the next blockbuster arrives,” said Myles.
“The industry in Scotland has some momentum now and we want to build on that. If more people here can deliver the kind of skills that the industry is looking for then they are more likely to be hired. And it’s good for the Scottish economy to be investing in people locally who can deliver.
“We’re creating new connections between Scotland and Los Angeles – we hope this is the start of something even more exciting.”
Myles pointed to Hollywood star Ewan McGregor as a “perfect example” of a model for Scottish actors to follow.
“If you look at McGregor in the Star Wars series, he’s doing his own action and he’s extraordinarily good at it,” he said. “That comes from putting the training hours in. So if you want to be the next McGregor, come and start getting those skills.”
Myles added: “Actors who have invested time in these skills – the big stars like Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp or Keanu Reeves, they understand the value of delivering in the most important moments to the story – connecting with the audience and affecting them through the action.”
The course will be suitable for people of all levels with different workshops on offer throughout the four days. Myles said actors could benefit by learning combat and stunt skills, whereas people with the physical skills could learn how to use them for storytelling on set.
“If you’re already a high-level martial artist and you’re used to being thrown on the ground and taking hits, you need to convert that expertise into something that can be safe and effective for camera as a storytelling device – not as a competitive or a destructive action,” said Myles. “Being able to throw a punch that looks good on screen is different from throwing a real punch.
“There are a lot of TV series and films where action plays a big part, so why not add some of these skills to your toolkit? This is a way to find teachers, find mentors, find out where you can learn more of these skills, and what the roadmap for that journey might look like.
“At the same time, you’re going to be networking with these internationally recognised figures that are operating at the top level of this discipline. And talent respects talent. If people find people that are amazing to work with, they’ll remember them.”
Clash on the Clyde runs from August 21-24 www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/the-claymore/
