We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James Newman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James below.

James, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

Action is a huge part of Hollywood and filmmaking in general. Most people don’t understand how involved and expensive adding action to a project can be. That is mostly due to the risks taken and the time needed to do it properly. When you watch any trailer for a TV show or movie, you’re immediately hooked when the action hits the screen. The dynamic and fast-paced movements are exciting and get us invested in a project. That’s what sells a project and yet to most people unaware, it’s the first thing to get cut from a project. Again, action costs a lot to pull off but the risk for the performers is worth the ticket price so to speak. My goal is to bring great action to lower-budget tiered projects to elevate them I the marketplace. Every project deserves to have the same attention and care to action as with all the other departments and areas of the film.

James, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is James Newman. I am an action designer and fight coordinator in the film/TV industry. I have been a member of SAG-AFTRA for over 10 years and have been performing stunts since 2013. I have been an active filmmaker since age 10 and a fan of action films since then. My love for action comes out in the design process and I put my soul into implementing action as an extension of character. I also like to empower actors by allowing them to act themselves. The audience needs to connect with the character even through fast-moving action.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Bringing a new type of action to audiences, specifically Western audiences. I like to lean into my background in eastern martial arts and use that to define my style of action. Combing that with my perspective of a western-based filmmaker I think that will give my design something new and fresh.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I wouldn’t say resilience per se. At this point in my career, I am leaning into my style. Whatever I can do to set myself apart is what excites me. It’s been a great journey the past couple of years defining my action design style.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: newmied00d
• Twitter: irlguardian
• Youtube: jaynewman089

Image Credits

No credit, full rights