XMA News

ATA XMA Member Chosen for Jackie Chan Movie

Hi everyone, my name is Mike Moh and I am a 22-year-old third degree American Taekwondo Association black belt out of Woodbury, Minnesota. I run Excel ATA Martial Arts Academy along with Sue and Richelle Kondratowicz. In addition have been a member of the ATA World Demo Team for about two years. We have the best team in the world and not only are my teammates and coaches great martial artists, but they are all excellent people and ambassadors of the ATA as well. I credit the entire ATA organization and the World Demo Team for making me the martial artist I am today. My coaches Master Paul Kim and Mr. Gavin Espinosa are great leaders and motivate me to train hard and my teammates keep pushing me to a higher level each time I see them.

About three weeks ago I was contacted by Mr. Mike Chat, creator and star of ATA-Xtreme. He had gotten my name from Mr. Taekwon Lee and Master Paul Kim, coach of the ATA World Demo Team. He told me that Jackie Chan was looking for an Xtreme martial artist of Asian descent to star in the final fight scene of his new movie called Rob-B-Hood. Of course I jumped at this chance and made a demo reel that showcased my martial arts abilities. I e-mailed Mr. Chat a few photos and I delivered my demo reel the next morning.

A couple of weeks later, I received a phone call from Mr. Chat and he told me the good news: I was going to be in Hong Kong for 2 weeks shooting a fight scene with Jackie Chan! Jackie’s production team chose me and Brendon Huor, a non-ATA martial artist out of Chicago, IL.

I am so excited about this opportunity I would just like to say thanks to the ATA and the World Demo Team for preparing me for this role and also for this awesome opportunity. There are many people in the ATA that could be in my shoes right now but I guess I got lucky. Thanks to my instructors, coaches, and teammates for the support I have received and also a special thanks to Ms. Richelle Kondratowicz and Mr. Taekwon Lee all of their advice and support!

I will be updating this journal as often as I can and I will include a few pictures to help you all see what I see! I will be representing all of you ATA members the best I can!

Monday, March 20^th
After a total of over 20 hours in the air, I have finally arrived to Hong Kong. I am here with Mr. Mike Chat and his wife and son, Mr. Greg Hodson, vice president of Century martial arts, and Brendon Huor. Karen Lun, one of Jackie Chan’s production assistants, picked us up from the airport and drove us to our hotel. The hotel is called the NTT International House and it is located on the campus of the Hong Kong Baptist University. I have my own room and it is relatively small. Luckily they offer a free internet connection.

We had about an hour to unpack and get settled, then Karen took us all to the headquarters of the Jackie Chan Entertainment Group. The building was very cool and filled with all sorts of Jackie Chan merchandise and memorabilia. You would not believe how much stuff Jackie Chan has his name on; he even has his name branded on tissue boxes! The one souvenir I would love to take back home is a Jackie Chan Stunt Team jacket that all the crew wears, it is very nice. I will keep my fingers crossed for that one. Shortly after we arrived we were introduced to Willie Chan, the CEO of Jackie Chan Entertainment, and also Solon So, the senior vice president of the company. They were both very nice and had very encouraging words for us. At this point, though, we still hadn’t met Jackie. I was then taken to wardrobe to try on the outfit that I will be wearing for the final fight scene. It almost looks like something a matador would wear. I must also wear a pair of black leather pants. Fortunately, it all fits pretty well and is surprisingly easy to move in thanks to some strategically placed elastic.

After leaving the Jackie Chan Entertainment Group headquarters we went to a mall and ate lunch. The food court was packed and we could barely find a place to sit. I have noticed that the people in Hong Kong are very diverse. Although the majority of the people are Chinese, there are people of all ethnicities and most of these people can speak English fairly well. Another thing about Hong Kong that I find interesting is that it has a very American feel to it. Everything is very modern and it almost feels like a gigantic Chinatown.

Now that I had my wardrobe all set, it was time to get a new hair-do for the movie. They took us to a very fancy salon in downtown Hong Kong to get my hair cut. My hair is fairly short to begin with so I didn’t know exactly what they were going to do with it. They started by washing and massaging my hair, then began the cut. The finished product was a clean stylish version of my old hairstyle. I am very happy with it. After leaving the salon we walked the streets of downtown Hong Kong. Greg Hodson used this time to take pictures and video footage of Mr. Chat, Brendon Huor, and myself. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

After a day filled with meetings, wardrobe and stylists, there was one more meeting before my long day was finished. After about 2 hours of rest we were driven to the set of the movie at 11 p.m. There we were introduced to many stars of the film. It was then that we finally met Jackie Chan himself! He is a very kind and energetic person and is actually bigger than I thought he would be. He is maybe 5’10” and is actually pretty muscular. He said that he was very excited to work with us and said we’d have a lot of fun filming the fight scene. He was very busy when we met him so we didn’t have too much time to chat but there will be much more time for that in the upcoming days. To be honest I don’t remember the encounter too clearly because I was a bit starstruck and it had already been a long long day and I was dead tired.

After meeting Jackie we met the director and the fight scene choreographer. We got a chance to hang around the set and it was very cool to see how they shot scenes with such detail and care. Time flew by while we were on the set and it was time to leave at about 2:30 a.m. We were dropped off at a restaurant for a late dinner and here I am at my hotel writing this entry. It has been a long day and there will be many more to come but I am very excited!

Tuesday, March 21^st : Stunt Practice and Dinner with Jackie!.
Hello everyone! Today I woke up at about 11 a.m. (my body is still adjusting to the time difference), but it will probably be the easiest day I will have while I'm here. We have no obligations for rehearsal or filming, so Mr. Chat decided that we should take advantage of this day to train and prepare for our stunt work that starts tomorrow.

We ate a quick lunch, and I must say, the food in Hong Kong has been a welcome change to my usual diet of fast food. As a full-time chief instructor at my ATA school it is very hard to find time to eat healthy. I'm sure many of you reading this can relate. So instead of eating Chipotle burritos and whoppers, I am eating a lot of rice, noodles, and vegetables. My body must by very happy with me.

Before I tell you about our practice, let me give you a quick run down of the movie. See, Jackie's character along with two other men are robbers and for some reason they have kidnapped a baby. Along the way Jackie becomes emotionally connected to the baby and ends up protecting it. Jackie has already been working with the baby for three months, and it was obvious from the first day that the baby is very receptive of Jackie even after such a short period of time.

At about 2 p.m we headed over to the Jackie Chan Entertainment Headquarters and we did a two hour workout on the outdoor basketball court. Mr. Chat had us practice our martial arts tricks and acrobatics on the concrete court to make sure we were ready for anything. It was pretty tough but we got through it just fine. Doing flips and tricks on martial arts mats is one thing, but totally different on concrete! It was pretty funny because we were actually training on a court that belonged to a high school so a big group of students gathered to watch us train. I think they were pretty confused but they seemed to enjoy our work. After training all of our tricks we then used the nearby playground that had a softer rubber floor (thankfully!) to practice our stunt falls.

This is my first experience doing stunt work, so it was basically like being a white belt all over again. Fortunately Mr. Chat has had a lot of experience from his work in movies and television. We practiced our head snaps, which are basically reactions to being punched in the face. We also practiced how to throw punches and kicks for the camera. As an ATA Taekwondo stylist it is very hard to grasp the idea of "over-doing" all my techniques for the camera since we are so used to doing things the ?proper? way. Mr. Chat was very good at guiding me and helping me become more confident with my reactions. We then worked on a few sequenced fight scenes and this was the most fun. We basically put together short fight scenes and Mr. Greg Hodson filmed us for a behind the scenes documentary. He showed us the footage and our fight scenes looked very real; it is amazing what camera angles can do!

Finally we practiced our stunt falls. This was very scary to begin with. Mr. Chat wanted us to do front falls; this is where you flip forward off of one leg and land directly on your back. To help us get used to it we wore a piece of stunt equipment that is called a gatorback. This is a pad that protects your spine from any injury. Having the gatorback gave me a lot of confidence to just flip over right onto my back. I caught on pretty fast and eventually I was doing them full speed without any padding. We also practiced something called a Hong Kong twist. This is a stunt fall that sends your body flying horizontally while doing two full rotations sideways then rolling onto your back. If you know what a butterfly twist is, it is basically a double butterfly twist landing and rolling on your back. It was very scary but again I used the gatorback and was doing the Hong Kong twist within ten minutes. Call me crazy but I thought it was pretty fun!

Although we only trained for two hours, I learned a lot from Mr. Chat and I gained a lot of respect for not only actors/actresses, but also anybody that does any stunt work. It is very hard work! Being in the movies is not as glamorous as people think. But don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of fun. After we finished training we went back inside the offices and then Jackie's production manager told us that we would be dining with Jackie tonight! She then gave us all gift bags from Jackie. I received a Jackie Chan "Xtreme" stunt team hat, and two JC stunt team T-shirts! I was very thankful and very excited. We also found out that the movie, Rob-B-Hood, is Jackie's biggest film project of the year and that if all goes well it will be released worldwide. That means that it will be dubbed in English and release here in the states in 2007!

At around 8 p.m. we were driven to a very nice restaurant called Dynasty and escorted into a private dining room filled with Jackie's friends and stunt team members. Everyone was very nice. After about ten minutes Jackie arrived and we began to eat. He sat one seat away from me. Let me tell you, Jackie Chan is quite the eater! At the table Jackie was telling us how today's world has lost some of its culture because everywhere you go there are people that speak English and there are American shops like Starbucks and McDonalds everywhere. He said that he misses the days where people had to learn new languages and experience other cultures. It was very interesting and he made some great points. He said that is the reason why he can speak many languages. I even mustered enough courage to ask him if he spoke Korean. He answered back to me in Korean and we then spoke for a minute or two in Korean. I will never forget that moment. He also introduced me to a member of his stunt team that is Korean.

It was amazing to see how many people care and admire Jackie. He treats everyone he works with as if they were a member of his own family. He even took the time to show Mr. Chat's young son a magic trick that involved a couple of rubber bands. As if it weren't enough to have dinner with Jackie, he gave all of us a Jackie Chan Stunt Team winter coat. I am going to wear this thing even when it's ninety degrees in Minnesota! After dinner we headed back to our hotel for some needed rest. I am very tired and hopefully I will sleep well tonight because tomorrow is when my real work begins! I am confident that my ATA training and work with the World Demo Team has prepared me for the work ahead. I appreciate all the support the demo team has given me and I can't wait to represent the team and the ATA.

Wednesday, March 22^nd : First Day On Set!

I woke up today around 8 a.m. For some reason I couldn't sleep too well. The beds here in Hong Kong are literally as hard as rocks. But this gave Brendon and I time to eat and head to a local convenience store. I finally have bottled water and snacks for my room! Unfortunately they did not sell the one thing I needed most: nail clippers. My nails are getting too long and hopefully I don't scratch Jackie with them today!

With a little extra time, I decided to watch some fight scenes in various older Jackie Chan movies. Before I left for Hong Kong I bought a DVD box set called The Jackie Chan Collection. I've seen all the popular Jackie movies but there are literally dozens I have not even heard of. A few days before I left, I watched The Legend of Drunken Master and Jackie Chan's: My Stunts. Mr. Chat told me to watch Drunken Master, which had a lot of action scenes with all the stunts in the book and Mr. Taekwon Lee told me to watch My Stunts, a documentary that Jackie made about what it is like to be a stuntman on the set of his movies. Thanks for the advice Mr. Chat and Mr. Lee!

At about 2 p.m. one of the production vans came to pick us up. We were taken to what looked like an abandoned warehouse. It was actually a building that Jackie purchased to film this movie. Inside we were taken directly to hair and make-up. It was all very surreal. The cool thing is that we were surrounded by all of these super famous Hong Kong actors and actresses. I am not supposed to disclose names but even I have recognized a lot of these faces and I am not Chinese.

Today we found out what role we would be playing in the movie. We are the two main bodyguards for the villain in the movie. I don't consider myself to be a mean or intense person but I am doing my best to look the part! Like I said earlier, I am not supposed to disclose too much of what we are doing on set but today's shoot was unexpected for me. Instead of practicing and rehearsing fight scenes, we did a lot of scenes where we are just in the background doing bodyguard type things. It can get very trying on the set especially when every little thing is not perfect. It got pretty frustrating at times just waiting but I knew that all of this was such an awesome experience and I tried to just take everything in. It was very cool to see how it all works on the set. Jackie was there for most of the shots even when he wasn't in them. He is not the director but you could almost say he is the co-director because he is flying around and trying to improve every little detail to make the shot the best it can be.

A few hours into the day we were told to go to wardrobe. There we changed into white suits for our upcoming scenes. They are pretty nice! In between shots the mood on the set depends on the mood of the director and Jackie. If they are happy the set is relaxed, if they are rushing, the set is rushing. I noticed that Jackie's stunt men are basically grown-up kids at heart. They are professionals and the best in the business but they really know how to have fun! In between one of the shots they were playing with some toys that were a part of the set. I included a picture of them at play. I wish I could give you guys the picture of what the set looks like but they don't want that stuff released yet. I think you guys get the point. Everyone on the set has been very supportive of us and are teaching us so many things. The two Korean stuntmen on the team have gone out of their way to make sure I was doing well and that I had everything I needed. I owe them big thanks for keeping me calm and relaxed. The most fun thing we did on the set today was a scene that involved wires. We strapped on harnesses and wires so that we could jump up a flight of stairs in two steps. It was awesome. It felt like I was flying up the stairs. I think I did a pretty good job with the wires. I nailed it my first try and they seemed to be happy that I picked it up so fast.

Yesterday's experience was almost surreal. I was actually working side by side with Jackie Chan! I know most people can't say that. so I feel extremely lucky and honored. It was probably the most exciting/nervous thing I have ever gone through. I get a little nervous when I compete and I was very nervous at World Championships last year when I was on stage for the WDT demo, but this was by far the most nervous I have ever been! We were on the set from 2 p.m. until 3 a.m. Talk about a long and amazing day! By the time I got back to the hotel I just crashed immediately. Tomorrow I think we will get into the fight choreography and I can't wait! I can definitely say that my ATA training and experiences with the WDT have really gone a long way into preparing me for this role! Thanks for reading everyone and I will post again when I get the chance!

Thursday March 23^rd

Hi everyone! Today we were taken to the set at around 2 p.m. We had our hair and make-up done, and we got into wardrobe. After about 5 minutes in our costumes, we were told to switch to our other costumes because plans had changed. Another 5 minutes and we were back in our original wardrobe. I guess that is the norm on a Hong Kong set. Things are constantly changing. We started filming our first action shot today, and they put us in wires again. It took a while for us to get used to them, but I caught on very fast and did pretty well. Just filming a short sequence in a movie can take several hours but the time seemed to just fly by. In no time it was 7 a.m. and we were taking a break to grab some dinner. The production assistants gave us an assortment of Chinese boxed lunches to choose from, and I sat at a table with the film's director and a few of the stars of the film. Jackie was not present at the time, but yesterday I ate right next to him, and he offered me some of his vegetables. Of course I accepted!

The mood on the set after dinner was very rushed. In another room of the building Jackie was filming a short sequence with the baby starring in the movie. The baby wasn't feeling that great today, so Jackie could not get him to stop crying. The baby is actually staying on the same floor of our hotel and he is a very cute baby but from what I've heard he can be a big pain! Since the baby wasn't very cooperative today, they were running out of time for other scenes so they kept changing plans. After we finished with our wire scene they had stunt doubles come in to finish the intricate work on the wires. Let me tell you, being on wires is a completely new feeling, and it is very fun but also very challenging especially with some of the movements they had us doing. Today we weren't needed for the whole night so we got to go back to our hotel at around 10:00 p.m.

As far as I know our involvement in the movie is still unknown. We know that we are bodyguards of the main villain but that's about it. We were told that we could actually be filming a sequence fighting against Jackie! They said that it all depends on time and what Jackie wants to happen in the film. I am crossing my fingers that we get that chance! If not, I understand that this is the nature of filmmaking. We could have a substantial part, or we might not be in the movie at all. It's kind of crazy to think that after all the editing is done we might have a huge role or we may find out that some of our scenes weren't used. Jackie's team originally wanted us to film for about seven days. We have filmed for two days now and we might be going home early or we might be staying for a few more days than planned. Whatever the case may be, I am having fun and enjoying the experience.

I am hoping that the team has us do a cool fight sequence that showcases our Xtreme Martial Arts skills. I think it would add a very cool dimension to the fight scenes, and it would play more to our strengths. I think that is the main reason why they brought two American martial artists in to film because of the unique skills we possess as far as martial arts "tricks." I hope we can do that in the upcoming scenes, but then again, I am not the director, and I am not Jackie Chan, so what I say doesn't really count! On the set Mr. Chat and Mr. Greg Hodson from Century have been very supportive of us and have given us great tips and insight. If it weren't for those two guys we wouldn't have this opportunity of a lifetime so thanks Mr. Chat and Mr. Hodson!

I am pretty dead tired again so I will take advantage of our short day to get a lot of sleep! To everyone that is reading: I hope this is giving you guys a chance to find out what it is like to be on the set of a Jackie Chan movie! I'm sorry I don't get into many details but I was told not to divulge too much info on the actors, the set, and what the details of the movie are. To be totally honest, I really don't know much either!!

Friday March 24^th

Hello everyone. Today we wrapped up all of our filming and we finished our roles of playing bodyguards in a Jackie Chan movie! Unfortunately, we did not get to showcase our special skills, but hey anything goes on the set of a movie. Jackie said that if we could have perfected the wire scenes we could have been in the fight scene with him but there was no way that either of us were going to be perfect on those wires on our first try and they obviously can't teach us on a hot set. Jackie really wanted to give us the chance to do it and we stepped up and tried our best but it just didn't work out. Personally I think I would have done better without the wires! But in all reality it was truly a humbling experience being on those wires. The stunt team that works with Jackie is the best in the world and they are naturals on the wires. To be quite honest, I was a little bummed that we didn't end up fighting Jackie because if it were up to me I would have been his sidekick and co-star of the movie! But this whole experience of working side-by-side with Jackie Chan has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Jackie was gracious enough to take time out of his busy day to make sure that we all had pictures with him before we left the set. He is an amazing person and I will get into that a little later on.

Since we wrapped up today we decided to go check out more of Hong Kong since we really have had no time to see this beautiful area since we arrived. Let me tell you, Hong Kong is a beautiful city and it's a great place to visit. Mr. Chat and his wife and son, Mr. Hodson, Brendon Huor, and I took a ferry from Kowloon city to Hong Kong Island. We then took a cab to the Peak of Hong Kong which is actually the highest point in the entire city. From the top of the Peak the view is amazing and the skyline might even be cooler than New York City's. The cab ride up to the Peak was about forty minutes but on the way down we took a tram that went in a straight line down the mountain at a very steep incline. That only took about five minutes! We then headed towards Hong Kong's Night Market. This is an area where there are hundreds of street vendors that sell anything from electronics to hats and souvenirs. The best part about this market is the interaction you have with the vendors. Let me tell you I am a pretty good deal-maker. Most of the souvenirs I picked out, I bought for less than half the asking price. The market reminded me of the markets they have in Korea; except of course the language difference. When we were finished shopping we ate at an outdoor restaurant. Writing about eating just reminds me of how much food we ate during our trip, hopefully I will go home a few pounds heavier!

We got back to our hotel at around 10:30 p.m. and here I am writing my last entry to this journal! I am so tired, not only from today but from the entire week! I can't see how Jackie Chan has as much energy as he does being as busy as he is. Like I said earlier, he is an amazing person. One of the most surprising things that I learned about Jackie is that even though he is an international superstar he is the hardest working person on the set. Not only does he act and fight, but he is constantly moving around and helping others. He cleans up on set, he moves heavy props, he helps direct shots, and he is always thinking and always on the go. Not only that, but he is a surprisingly normal and down-to-earth person. When we first worked with him on the movie he just said to relax and he said that on the set he is not "Jackie Chan" he is just another person on the set. To me that was very cool that he doesn't have a big ego like some of the stars you hear about. I have always been a huge Jackie Chan fan and this experience has made me an even bigger fan. I still can't believe that this has all happened to me, I could not have asked for a better experience.

Mr. Greg Hodson made arrangements to get us home as soon as possible and hopefully I will be catching a flight back home to Minnesota tomorrow. As much as I loved being in Hong Kong, I really did miss home and it will be good to get back into my normal routine. I am also very excited to see all of my fellow instructors and all of my students back at Excel Martial Arts. We have one of the best schools in the world thanks to our awesome instructors and our awesome students. Thank you all for your support and your emails they really meant a lot! I can't wait to see you all on Monday! We will definitely work on some cool stunt and action choreography that I picked up while I was out here!

Tomorrow we are all getting up at 8:00 a.m. to go to the harbor so Mr. Hodson can get some film of Brendon Huor and me having fun and doing some tricks outside. He is using all the footage and pictures he has taken throughout the past week to put together a mini-documentary of our time in Hong Kong to showcase XMA and ATA-Xtreme at the Martial Arts SuperShow in Las Vegas during July of this year.

I feel so honored to have represented the ATA on the set of a Hong Kong action film starring Jackie Chan. There are so many things I got to experience and there are so many people that I have learned from throughout this past week. Jackie Chan flew me out to Hong Kong, ate dinner with me, gave me all sorts of gifts, and let me be in one of his movies! Not many people can say that. I mean I was actually acting in a scene with Jackie Chan. The humbling part about all of this is that it could have been anyone doing all of this. There are so many talented and awesome people on the World Demo Team and the entire ATA that could have had this same experience. I just feel so lucky that it was me. Once again I'd like to thank Master Kim, Chief Master Clark, and Mr. Taekwon Lee for helping me get this opportunity to represent the ATA. I'd also like to thank Mr. Mike Chat and Mr. Greg Hodson of Century for setting this whole thing up and being such great support out here in Hong Kong with me. They have both helped us through the whole experience and they also made it more enjoyable because they are great guys. I was very lucky to get to know Mr. Chat during my trip and it is awesome to know how excited he is to be a part of our wonderful organization. He truly has the ATA's best interests in mind and we are lucky to have him on our side! Thanks to the World Demo Team for all the kind emails and for being great teammates. Oh yes and thanks Mr. Burns for the extra support! Hopefully the World Demo Team and the ATA can benefit from my experiences in Hong Kong.

I have had such an amazing time out here and I am sad it has come to an end but I am leaving with a huge smile on my face and with life-long memories and experiences. I hope you have enjoyed reading this online journal and if you have any questions for me regarding my experiences in Hong Kong, I would love to share them with you so feel free to ask me if you see me at any tournament or wherever!