Rising Star: Dane Grant

.MOV-e interviews Dane Grant; Parkour South African founder, Director at Reel Motion, British Military Fitness instructor and aspiring stuntman. (It’s a wonder we even got time to fit in this interview…)

.MOV-e: Dane, tell our readers more about Reel Motion and what it is that you do.

Dane: Reel Motion (RM) was originally born out of a need for the Parkour/Freerunning guys and girls in South Africa to be able to work professionally under an official registered company in South Africa. It also has strong ties into “Motion-X” (An international Parkour/Freerunning agency). Parkour, at the time and on its own, never properly fitted into the film industry (Which is ironic, as most films have at least one chase sequence in it which almost always uses elements of Parkour. These were mostly done by the regular stunt guys with wires). Reel Motion gave us the solid base we needed to get Parkour more into the limelight and in front of the local media agencies.

Reel Motion has now branched out into offering Parkour-related research, consultancy, workshops, fitness and security for the private and commercial sectors.

And what is it that I do? Well, I’m a Traceur and Freerunner by passion and trade and introduced Parkour into South Africa while passing on what I know by mentoring the new upcoming talent and running Parkour classes!
 

.MOV-e: What exactly is Parkour, Freerunning and who are Traceurs?

Dane: Parkour is the movement a human body will use to quickly and efficiently overcome physical obstacles in our everyday environment. Negotiating over, under, through and around railings, stairs, buildings, cars, trees, you name it! This is done fast, efficiently, and with the least resistance! (We’re often asked what safety equipment we use… The answer: None! We train long and hard to transfer the generated momentum which could cause injury on sudden impact, by using specific techniques in order to minimise injury and actually turn that around to gain extra distance/height.)

Very basically, we look at our everyday obstacles and turn them into unique challenges!

Freerunning is generally seen as a different style, and for some, an evolution of Parkour. It consists of the same base Parkour movements, however you’ll find more flare as individual artistic expression in the movements are welcomed.

A Traceur is what you would call someone who does Parkour. Whereas someone who does Freerunning, is quite simply called a Freerunner.

.MOV-e: How do you pronounce PARKOUR & TRACEUR exactly?

Dane:
- PAR (as in the golf terminology of “under par”) & CORE (as in an apple core).
- TRU (as in the first 3 letters of the word truck or trumpet) & SIR (Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir).
 

.MOV-e: Okay, so how can Parkour help improve the South African film industry?

Dane: Guys who train Parkour regularly have great spatial awareness, are fit, strong, and we train to hit the mark over and over again. We also find many different ways to overcome the same obstacle. This plays into the strengths of each individual, as in Parkour we believe that there isn’t just ONE way of doing something.

Using strong Parkour guys can make the film look a lot more realistic, as

1. You can probably get away with actually doing the stunt for real with less risk of injury (still using the standard safety gear and not taking unnecessary risks of course), rather than green screening and using copious amounts of post editing, and
2. The body movements of the Parkour stunt guy will be a lot more natural than someone who’s never experienced a jump between buildings or vaulted over a railing straight onto catching a window ledge on the opposite building!

Many times, we are able to suggest new/better/different stunts based on many people not being aware of what the human body is actually capable of.
 

.MOV-e: Can film school students and solo Indie filmmakers gain access to Parkour experts for their projects, or is this a skill reserved only for the big(ger) budget industry films?

Dane: All our guys are super keen to get experience in whatever format that may be. The larger film companies generally only want the best of the best, so it becomes a stale market with only the select few repeatedly getting the high profile gigs. While this is understandable and OK, I can see how frustrating it gets for the equally, if not more, talented guys who are sitting in the wings just starting out.

I’ve always been a champion of getting new talented guys on a set or performance and letting them gain experience. So if anyone is out there ready to roll some film, give us a shout. We’ve got plenty guys across South Africa ready to roll with you!

.MOV-e: There’s a rumour going around that you will be available for stunt work from this year on out. Please tell us more about that.

Dane: Rumours, you’ve just got to love ‘em! Well, I can confirm that this one’s true. Although I’ve been involved in a number of Parkour-related stunts over the past few years, I’ve seen that there is a lot of other experience I would like to gain and I know this can only benefit my Parkour training in the long run. Parkour/Freerunning still remains my number one passion!

I’ve been involved with many various sporting activities and hobbies over the years, and I believe that getting into stunt work is a culmination of all I’ve ever done. The time feels right, and I’m ready to make it happen.

The industry is a tight one to crack open, and it’s not without its hard work. You don’t just roll out of bed and suddenly make it! There is a lot I need to learn, and I’m ready to walk (or should I say, Parkour) through it, One step at a time.
 

.MOV-e: How can anyone that would like to use you for their projects get hold of you or become part of your team?

Dane: Our website is www.reelmotion.co.za and dropping a mail to info@reelmotion.co.za would be sure to find its way into my mailbox.
 

.MOV-e: You’ve starred in the award winning short film, Space Chase. Tell us more about the film and your involvement in it.

Dane: Ah man, this was such an amazing “little” (I use that word lightly) project. Although a short film, it was a huge production (I think we had over 60 staff working on it in some form or another). Stephen Follows is an AMAZING producer, and someone who really took the time out to understand the movement. I was also very fortunate to work with Sharon Lark (A big name in the Visual Effects world: Bond, Narnia, Lara Croft, Prince of Persia, Nottinghill, Mission Impossible…)

Stephen, before he had any idea of what Parkour was REALLY about and before he and I really got to know each other, pitched an idea to our Parkour team (Team Traceur) one year and asked what we thought. It was bad!!! (Involving guys hopping over buildings, slipping and falling to the ground – DEAD presumably) And we said “We don’t recommend that story be used to display Parkour just yet”! Unlike most, he carefully took the criticism back to his team, spent time understanding why we said what we said and came back with a new project: “Space Chase”. (Stephen doesn’t give up!)

The journey from that moment on was one I look back on with fond memories. We spent time with both directors (yes, we had two) in the Parkour gym showing movements and getting them to understand what we do and what movements we can use where. This was critical in creating the right look and feel for the film.

I played the male lead which had to race, on foot, against the female lead up a parking lot in a battle for the final parking space. (of course there were many unique obstacles and comedy moments…)

One jump stands out for me though. I had to wear a Minima super 16mm doggie cam strapped on with a tight harness (any loose movement and you lose the effect and just get “sea-sickness” footage). It really threw me off balance plus the tight harness crushing my lungs, and I still had to perform a huge arm-jump over a flight of stairs. Needless to say, I took a nice body slam that day. All in honour of getting the shot the directors wanted!

The short was later released onto a DVD called “Parkour Journeys”, which featured a few other Parkour documentaries I was involved with (Thoughts in Motion, PKVM, Comedy…), plus footage from Daniel Ilabaca and Chase Armitage.

.MOV-e: Is it possible to view it online somewhere?

Dane: Firstly I would want everyone to check out the website: http://www.spacechase.co.uk. It has tons of interesting facts about the film and is very well designed.

I’m not aware of it being online anywhere! The DVD, Parkour Journeys (http://www.Parkourdvd.com/), was released later with the video on it. (I have quite a few copies left here in SA if anyone wants to get in touch or you can order online)
 

.MOV-e: In what else might our readers have seen you in?

Dane: The latest adverts currently on in SA which I’ve been involved with are “Dunlop: Human Precision”, “Debonairs : Stampede” & “Milo”. I was also fortunate to spend a few days onset of the new Judge Dredd film set in Cape Town doing basic action extra work. I took part in the Christmas celebrity episode of “AMBUSHED”. Featured on an episode of Supersport’s Love PSL, where I taught the Tottenham Hotspurs & Bafana Bafana footballer, Bongani Khumalo, a bit of Parkour (He was a natural!), and a number of other smaller TV inserts here and there. I’ve also been involved with a number of live performances around the country (FEAT SA, Subaru, BMW, Nik Naks, PowerBalance…), as well as magazine/newspaper and radio interviews.
 

.MOV-e: Share some behind-the-scenes info of the Dunlop Ad with us.

Dane: I loved the fact that we had overkill on the amount of crash mats available. It seriously took us about 30minutes to cart all of them up onto the roof! (Safety First!!!)

One scene saw Vernon and I high up on a narrow steel beam walking along, while Chase did his move down below in the foreground of the cam. That one took some getting used to, and thanks to Vernon for his experience shining through. The only thing stopping me, had I fallen off, was the jock harness which would NOT have been pleasant or very comfortable…. Ja, we’ll not go into too much detail on that one….

Speaking of jocks … Ha! The scene where I get out of bed in only my underwear, with a room full of strangers was an interesting experience to say the least…
 

.MOV-e: What advice can you offer to anyone trying to break into the stunt industry?

Dane: From the basic knowledge I’ve gained so far from being onset, stunts involve many more people than just the guy/girl doing the actual move you see on film… Co-ordinators, riggers, etc. Depends on what you want to do. But I’ll focus on the stunties this time around…

You either have talent and looking to break into the industry, or you don’t yet and are starting from scratch.

If you have unique talent, then build a decent stunt CV, get a showreel done, and start knocking on doors and send those emails to everyone in the industry! (You’re welcome to send it my way as well!)

If you are starting out from scratch, then learning (and mastering) new physical skills is important. You can pick these up at film schools all over, or do them on your own. Stunts are very physical, so get some Martial arts/combat training in, and learn Parkour/high diving/tumbling/rock climbing/sky diving/gymnastics/precision driving whatever. Just find your passion in something and do it well. It really depends on what the film requires, and you really can never tell when your unique skill will be needed. But if people do not know about you, then you’ll never get called. (However, a professional extreme stunt TV-Remote operator might not be something you’ll be called on a film set for just yet. Sorry! Best you get off the couch and start training…)
 

.MOV-e: From your experience, what’s the best approach to shooting fast-paced action Parkour scenes?

Dane: Angles, angles and more angles! Some of the most SPECTACULAR jumps I’ve done on film have ended up looking basic all because the camera angle was not right. On the other hand, some of the most basic of jumps can be made out to look absolutely death-defying, for the same reason!!

Parkour, when done right and even though the guy is running full speed, looks completely natural and flowing. It is very tough to show the viewers how incredibly difficult Parkour really is when watching someone effortlessly bound over walls and leap across gaps. It’s akin to watching someone walk across the street. Sometimes introducing a comedy element showing someone trying to follow the moves, and it’s HERE where you can really get some funny/unique stunts done!

Resist the urge to always have the entire sequence made up of short tight fast multiple cuts. Go wide, and let the viewers see a few big Parkour moves in its one shot entirety. This means you’ll need a decent location and a great traceur to pull it off in one go!

.MOV-e: What is the last book you read?

Dane: Herschelle Gibbs – To the point
 

.MOV-e: What’s the last movie you went to see?

Dane: Black Swan (Which included free unnecessary sounds effects from stunt buddies I was with! haha)
 

.MOV-e: If you were a superhero, who would you be and what are your powers?

Dane: I’ve always been known to like Superman. It must be the cape and tight red jocks worn on the outside I tell you! haha
 

.MOV-e: Name 5 items in your fridge right now!

Dane: Milk, Eggs, Mushrooms, Steers Monkeygland sauce & Wasabi
 

.MOV-e: You get sent to an island to survive on your own for 6 months. What 3 luxury items would you take with and why?

Dane:
1) Sharp Knife: DUH!
2) Flint / Fire: Obviaaas!
3) Shovel: There’s always treasure to be found on islands! Isn’t there?

 
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