Not everyone will be aware that Steve Wang’s career as a master creature effects artist is approaching 40 years!
Steve Wang’s behind-the-scenes credits are vast, and to talk to him about the work that got him recognized as an award-winning creature creator and master FX artist was an absolute pleasure. He grew up watching shows like Ultraman, Super Sentai along with many Japanese monster movies which would later influence his creations.
One movie that helped him get recognized in Hollywood was Kung Fu Rascals, which was very DIY, funded out of his own pocket when studio support faded, and it’s now finally getting a Blu-ray treatment from Visual Vengeance, a subsidiary of Wild Eye Releasing.
This film emerged in the early 90s when the tokusatsu genre was truly getting a foothold in North America. Before then, martial arts films with stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan were all the rage. Fans wanted more, the style that transitioned out of one decade to another certainly influenced this filmmaker. He loved all those classics and they certainly had an influence on his style.
And to know more about where he came from, I had the opportunity to talk to him.
For our readers unfamiliar with your work, can you please introduce yourself?
I’m the writer/director of Kung Fu Rascals and this was the first movie that I ever produced, directed and also self-financed. I’ve been working in the film industry since 1985, mostly doing special makeup effects. I worked on Invaders from Mars, Predator, Monster Squad, Batman Returns and Beetlejuice doing effects. Next year will be my 40th year, and it’s been quite a ride.
For working on your ideas, how did Kung Fu Rascals come about, and why release a proper Blu-ray now?
That movie was just my foray into directing. I was bit by the film bug after making a couple of Super 8 films and I really wanted to make a full feature. I had to figure out that technology the best that I could, and when I made it, I sold all the rights. Eventually, I managed to regain the rights and then, out of the blue, someone contacted me about releasing it on Blu-ray.
At first, I was a little apprehensive because to transfer a movie originally shot in Super 8 to Blu-ray would be a waste. The resolution of the film isn’t all that high. But, you know, Kung Fu Rascals has a special place in my heart because it was my film school. I just wanted to get it out there and the guys that were with me in making it and putting it out now, especially Rob, are amazing. I knew this was my only chance: to release a proper package with all the supplemental materials and stuff like that meant giving them everything I have. And they put so much care and love into designing everything.
Were you very involved in the producing this Blu-ray edition?
I organised getting the audio commentary put together and got the cast back–Johnnie Saiko, Troy Fromin, and Ted Smith. But for most part, Wild Eye did the rest on their own. That took a while and we didn’t hear back about when it’d come out. When they showed me the updates, what I saw was just amazing. I haven’t seen it at all yet, so I am just as curious as everybody else.
I did provide them with a video master.
What was it like to get back together again, after all this time? That is, is there anything you can say during that recording?
We’re still friends and often hear from each other. Johnny is very much still in love with his character and often calls me up asking about doing something new. He’d say, “We should make a sequel.” I can see us like old men sitting in a wheelchair, asking how to keep fighting this game. We’d be talking about how to do it as old men instead of actually doing it.
About 20 years ago, I was considering making an animation. I had a lot of character designs drawn up and even came up with some basic stories with my writing partner Nathan. We had ideas for like 13 episodes. But sadly, this never really got off the ground. Kung Fu Rascals is a pretty rich world, and I even created new characters for a cartoon.
With that in mind, have you thought about writing a Series Bible?
We never got that far because I was really busy doing other projects.
For people revisiting this film after a long time, like me, I got the sense a lot of it was done on the fly.
Yeah. My movie was originally just going to be a 20 minute short. What happened was that a company in Japan said they’d give me $20,000s to make a 20 minute short film. Johnnie Saiko and I wrote the script and by the time we got halfway through shooting, the financing dropped. The operation closed shop, and I wasn’t going to stop. All my friends were volunteering their time. And if you halt a movie production, most people will just move on to the next project. To keep the momentum going, we just expanded what we got into a full feature, and made stuff up as we went. Yes, the story was thin, and that was because we didn’t have time to rewrite it.
As for all those costumes and props, all that stuff was salvaged from second-hand stores or they were repurposed. The bamboo man set was actually a miniature used in Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5. I asked VFX supervisor Ted Rae, who had that sitting in the shop, if I could put it in, and he said yeah sure. And we shot those scenes at his studio. Yeah, everything was haphazardly put together.
That also included reusing bits I made for other films. The Bamboo Man costume was originally a creature I made for a low budget horror film called The Jitters. I have very talented friends that were all helping me out. I just paid for materials and they would just make it.
What are your thoughts on the effects industry? It seems there’s too much reliance on CGI these days and I miss the days when a lot of it was practical, and required being able to see that “monster” on set.
The industry has gone through some major phases because when I got in, practical effects was really big. And when Jurassic Park came out, the paradigm started shifting. And once we got into the mid to late 90s, it was dying and CG became very prevalent. By the 2000s, there’s hardly any demand for practical effects. I think the use of CGI has finally normalised where it’s just another tool to tell the story. As that paradigm shifted again (ever since I started my studio in 2010), we are working on a lot of films again because these directors really want something real.
Can you talk about any upcoming projects your studio is involved with?
We’re working on a movie that’s 95% practical. We’re really right in the middle of production on that. I can’t really say much more. But as for something recent, there was Bill and Ted: Face the Music. We built the robot; it was all real, and the only thing CG was the wings. In Batman vs. Superman, I made that monster that attacked Bruce Wayne. Most of my work is more about those cool costumes–like in The Adam Project, my company built 15 of those suits.
But we are not just a visual effects company. We will also build practical creations that can be put on set. They can be used as references for lighting or whatever. It’ll help the others during post production (to render in digital, or whatever the case –Ed.) We stay up to date on the latest technologies to make sure their job is easier.
Have you ever gotten the itch to get back to directing?
I have a script I shopped around a few years ago, but haven’t really actively pursued it because I’ve been kind of disconnected from the film world. I’ve mostly been involved in effects work, and enjoying it. If the right opportunity comes up that makes sense to me, I certainly will be up for it.
In closing, what kind of advice would you give to those wanting to get into this industry because they love special effects, makeup or otherwise?
You have to be very proficient at what you do. A lot of studios won’t hire interns as much these days. To train them and when they give up, all that time is wasted.
It was really hard when I got in. But I spent five years teaching myself before I even knocked on any doors. That was normal for my generation, and what I did showed people how dedicated I was, and how serious I was. That’s kind of coming full circle now, so my advice to the new generation is to learn what you can online, at school and just do it. This industry is very competitive. You have to be serious and work hard.
The benefit of YouTube is that if you make something that goes viral, hopefully someone in the proper place (a position of power in a studio) will see it, contact you and give you an opportunity. It’s very rare. Otherwise this industry is definitely not for you.
Steve Wang’s Kung Fu Rascals Blu-ray Promotional Trailer
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Author: Ed Sum
I'm a freelance videographer and entertainment journalist (Absolute Underground Magazine, Two Hungry Blokes, and Otaku no Culture) with a wide range of interests. From archaeology to popular culture to paranormal studies, there's no stone unturned. Digging for the past and embracing "The Future" is my mantra.View all posts by Ed Sum