John Wick 4 behind the scenes - how the filmmakers capture realistic action in a stylized world with a breakdown of the stunts, cinematography, and VFX.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to the John Wick Universe
02:22 - Cinematography
07:16 - Visual Effects
10:07 - Stunts
13:46 - Takeaways
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JOHN WICK 4 BEHIND THE SCENES
In 2014, the first John Wick film burst onto the action scene with guns blazing. It instantly raised the bar for what action films could do - a feat surpassed by each successive entry in the franchise. The fourth chapter represents the pinnacle of this style, and in this video breakdown, we’re looking at John Wick 4 behind the scenes to see how they shot it. Specifically, how the stunts, cinematography, and VFX blend seamlessly to create realistic action in a stylized world.
JOHN WICK 4 CINEMATOGRAPHY
Two things are immediately apparent when studying John Wick cinematography - the steady and slow camera movement during action scenes and the preference for wide frames. This lends itself to a great tradition of fight scenes done “in-camera.” While most films opt for plenty of coverage and editing to construct the action, the John Wick filmmakers let the action choreography speak for itself. The fighting might be grounded in realism, but the lighting is hyper-stylized with bold, saturated colors.
JOHN WICK 4 VFX
To pull off the type of action we see in these films, VFX is both a safety concern and a time-saver. First, with so much weaponry, especially at close range, a lot of work needs to be done in post. This includes adding smoke and muzzle flares to prop guns, digitally creating throwing weapons like knives and axes, and, of course, the insane amount of blood effects. As explained in the video, if they had attempted this many blood effects practically, they would have gotten half the work done in the same amount of time.
JOHN WICK 4 STUNTS
You can’t have realistic action without realistic stunts. Former stuntman and stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski stepped into the director’s chair for the John Wick series (co-directing the first film and solo directing the rest). With Stahelski’s background, the stunts and action choreography could be done as realistically as possible - and when you have an action star like Keanu Reeves willing to do most of his own stunts and fights, you can’t go wrong. By knowing what’s possible, what looks good on camera, on where action choreography could be elevated, the John Wick films prove that action cinema is far from dead.
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♬ SONGS USED:
"Wetwork" - Le Castle Vania
"Big Wick Energy" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"LED Spirals" - Le Castle Vania
"Think" - Kaleida
"High Table in Osaka" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Change Your Nature" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Stairs Arrival" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Urban Cowgirl" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Shots Fired" - Le Castle Vania
"Antique Gun Assembly" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Ten Paces" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Really Pissed Off (End Credits)" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Winter" - Takako Nishizaki, Capella Istropolitana, Stephen Gunzenhauser
"Guns & Turtlenecks" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"1986" - Angel Salazar
"Blood Code" - Le Castle Vania
"Action Drums (Instrumental)" - Rhythm Scott
"Marie Douceur, Marie Colère" - Manon Hollander, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards
"Taxi Ride" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Back In The Ground" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"War Dance (Instrumental)" - Rhythm Scott
"Paris Radio Intro" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
"Boot Sequence" - Jimmy Svensson
"Genesis" - Justice
"Change Your Nature" - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
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