Technical Information
Category: Fight Experiment
Running time: 2 minutes
Original Format: NTSC DV (Color)
Date of completion: September 2003

Director TRAN QUOC BAO
Producers JOSEPH K. LEE & STEVEN TRIGSTAD

Cast
ADAM PHELPS
SCOTT ROBINSON
TOM JAFARI
ALAN LUK
RYAN SPICKARD
DAVE KAEKA
JONATHAN REEVE
BRANDON UTTECH
KEN QUITUGUA

Director Comments
I was a bit spent from finishing Carmen's Virtue and wasn't ready to shoot another film, but I didn't want a summer to go to waste either. This fight was an experiment in choreography between one and a whole lot of people. I'd love to do a fight with an even larger group, but at the no-budget level it's difficult to find even one skilled person. Part of the cast was Infinite Quest and a few had already worked on Carmen, but we spent about a month and a half auditioning and training the other martial artists and actors from around the Seattle area.

I really like the way King Hu sets up the fight scenes in his films, particularly in Come Drink with Me. It's a very static style that builds tension even while ostensibly little happens. I tried to play with that a bit in Hamlin, but I think to really get the full effect you'd need a good screenplay and character establishment. Don't be surprised if you see me exploring this technique in a future film. Corey Yuen Kwai's Transporter was also a source of reference, both for the high level of intensity and outstanding camerawork.

We finished shooting in about 7 hours using the Panasonic DVX100. A lot of people saw the fight because they were interested in what the camera could do. It must be said that I can take no credit for Hamlin, the camera does it all. The 24 frames per second feature is well-known, but it also does handheld, panning, and dollying all on it's own. It even saved Adam when he choked on a peanut during lunch. In all seriousness, the DVX freed up a lot of photographic restrictions that DV cameras usually have, the snap zoom is probably the most noticeable effect. But alas, this camera was only a rental, I wish I had 3,000 dollars lying around to really play with it.

For those who wonder about the title, Hamlin is the name of the park that we shot in.