Q&A: Enhanced Director James Mark
The man behind Kill Order and more talks about his martial arts inspiration, becoming a filmmaker and the recent wave of anti-Asian attacks
Image Credit: Newhouse PR
James Mark was inspired as a young man by Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Mark, along with his brother Chris, got into martial arts, and from there began working in theatrical and stunt productions. The brothers made the leap to working stuntmen in movies and James’ abilities have been on display in films such as Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, Kick-Ass and Pacific Rim. In the last few years, James broke into directing, co-writing scripts, and drumming up the financing to craft the films Kill Order and Enhanced, both of which feature people with enhanced abilities under threat from shadowy forces. Now, he splits his time between his own projects and hired directing jobs. Here, he talks about his latest movie, his past career, and what worries him about the latest wave of attacks against Asians.
What was it about Jackie Chan and other filmmakers that inspired you?
I think, for myself personally, it was mainly to do with Jackie. His overall physicality is still above and beyond anything to date, his natural showmanship and screen presence, I found it so captivating. And the way his team shoots their action and captures each moment and all the little intricacies and choreography, that really pulled me in. I wanted to be like Jackie as a kid, I wanted to be that guy and practice martial arts. My brother and I both took a liking and an interest in pursuing that at a very young age.
Jackie’s a legend, even today. I actually got to meet him at one point in my career and that was pretty exciting. I worked for someone who was one of the main guys on his stunt team. Brad Allen, who is a big second unit director and stunt coordinator. We learned pretty much everything about action and filming action from him. Brad brought me to Hong Kong at one point to meet Jackie when I was young. That was the point where I decided I wanted to become a stuntman. It was mind-blowing!
What is it that makes a good stuntman?
I think it goes beyond raw physical talent because there are a lot of talented martial artists who want to go into the stunt fight world, but they aren’t necessarily the best stuntmen. And what separates stuntmen from talented martial artists is the ability to perform. Because film still is a medium based around entertainment and you have to make the audience believe that you’re actually taking these hits and throwing these punches and connecting and there’s an element of choreography involved, it’s very much like a dance and performance on camera. So performers who are able to adopt that ability and learn how to interact with the camera for all their action, they definitely stand out among the rest, who just go in and throw a nice kick or punch. There’s a certain level of understanding you need to have.
You’ve been working in stunts for years. What are your memories of a project like Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World?
It’s one of those movies that a lot of people connected with. Chris worked on that with me, he doubled Michael Cera on that film. There were so many experiences on it – we worked on it for six, seven months and I think I took a real turning point in my career on that film, because coming from live stage work, where we were getting a lot of recognition, you kind of feel good about yourself, that you have a handle on your skills. Pilgrim was the first time where we did a longer project with Brad and he brought a number of stunt performers from China to work on the production as well, and these guys are next level. Brad is a fight choreographer on a different level. And at that point, I realised that I had a long way to go as a performer and understanding anything regarding shooting action. It was very hard, physically demanding. I had to make a decision, Chris and I both, that if we wanted to have a long-lasting career in this, we had to humble ourselves and everyday work to improve and get better and absorb as much information as possible. We learned so much on that project. There was a very tight-knit group.
You’re starting to build a stunt troupe. Is that important to you?
That’s extremely important to me. The whole goal has been to create a career where I’m working with my peers and my friends and this core group. Even as a performance team, we dreamed of making our own films one day and being able to do that for a living. Not for what it brings financially, but more for being able to actually live your dream. The idea of a team has always been very important and I’ve been very blessed that these individuals have stuck around and we’ve been together this long and been everywhere around the world and finally making movies together. And it makes it a lot easier, because we know each other so well, we work together so well, we all want to improve each time. We can take criticism from each other in a positive way and constantly try and grow and get things done quicker than if we were working with strangers. That’s very special for me, and obviously working with my brother, that’s special as well.
Were there people like Brad or other directors you studied when you started to make the move into directing for yourself?
Brad was really the one that I looked to in the early days. I didn’t know at the time how involved a second unit director can be in a film until I worked on Scott Pilgrim. The fights are basically shot-for-shot what he designed – Edgar [Wright, the film’s director] gave him that freedom, which is amazing. And just seeing how he worked on set and how he directed action, how he knows how to tell a story through action, that’s what made me want to start directing, I had no interest before, but after seeing that and feeling that energy, I said, “I’d like to do that one day.” I started doing some digital shorts, and then tried to do my first film, Kill Order, which was a very interesting experience, and have been trying since.
Kill Order was shot in the indie world with all the challenges. Was that a crucible for you? Did it give you certain skills?
Yeah, for sure. It teaches you what you’re good at, and what you’re not, what not to do, primarily! It gave me a lot of experience, and every project I’ve done since then, including Enhanced, has helped me grow as a filmmaker. I didn’t study filmmaking traditionally, so I’ve learned through doing. I still have a long way to go and a lot of learning to do, and I’m thankful that I’ve even had that experience, even though it was traumatic!
Enhanced is set in the same world as Kill Order, but do you see it as a sequel?
People have asked me that, and it is set in the same world. We didn’t want to do a direct sequel. Chris’ character David is named David and without saying too much, I’ve been alluding to the fact that he’s not, but he kinda is! I still have dreams of doing a sequel to Kill Order someday, and telling the backstory that I wrote years ago, and doing it properly on a bigger budget, so I stay vague about a lot of the details.
Would you want to follow the path of, say, the 87Eleven team, who have moved into directing movies such as the John Wick films and producing other work?
Oh yeah! Who wouldn’t? Those guys are on top of the world right now. They’re doing everything, so if I ever had that opportunity, of course. But mostly we’re interested in doing our own original content. I can say that now, but who knows if an opportunity arises to do something else. Generally, I like creating. It doesn’t feel like work, even though it’s extremely stressful. If I can keep doing what I’m doing now I’ll be extremely happy.
You’d prefer to stay in control of your movies?
Exactly. That’s where I think the fun lies. We’ve done a lot of work in stunts and we’ve done some fight coordinating work too. You tailor it to somebody else’s vision and all the guys in 2X [his stunt team] work big-budget shows as their day job. They’re very thankful for their careers and love it, but when we come together and take a bit of a pay cut to do something a bit more indie, it’s more fun, because we have the control. If we have an idea, we can run with it and we know that it’s going to make it into the film.
If Marvel were to call, would you take it on, or would you be worried about giving up control?
It’s hard to say, because right now that feels like something very distant thing to happen. But I think my wife would kill me if I turned that down! I think I’d have to consult with her, but I think it’d be pretty hard to turn it down.
Your next film, Control was shot during the pandemic. Has shooting been different?
Definitely. There are a lot of rules in place. We’ve all been on sets before Control during the pandemic so we’ve become accustomed to it now. You just have to understand that there are going to be slowdowns, you can’t move at the same pace that you need to move at on an indie movie to make your day. You have to take certain precautions to make sure everyone is comfortable and safe, Abiding by the rules so people don’t get sick or the film doesn’t get shut down. There are a lot of things to be mindful of, but once you adjust to that, it’s great.
And as part of a stunt team, having safety in place is not something new to you, right?
The only thing that is changed is the performers having to wear masks while they’re rehearsing. It’s difficult to do physical movement with a mask on. You have to be mindful of that and while people don’t like to put their hand up and say they’re tired or need a break, you have to make sure they’re taking their breaks, going outside for fresh air. You have to slow down the pace.
Have you been worried about attacks on Asians, which have been increasing of late, partly because of the pandemic?
Yeah, of course, as everyone is. What’s happening in the world on a number of fronts. I was saying to my wife the other day to be mindful of where you’re going because we’re seeing all these attacks on TV. My kids as well, I’m not necessarily worried about myself, I think I could take care of my own situation. But I’m concerned about the wellbeing of my family and the state of the world, the world that my children are growing up in and what they may be subject to because of what’s happening in the world today, it’s scary. Luckily, nothing has happened to me personally, we’ve been blessed that way, but seeing what is happening on the news is scary.
Enhanced is on PVOD now. You can stream Kill Order in the US on Hulu.