Tim Connolly is one of the busiest stunt coordinators in film and TV. His credits include performing and producing some of the craziest action sequences of the past 20-plus years. Daredevil, Arrow, Jurassic World, John Wick And Logan To name a few, and while he is undoubtedly one of the most sought-after experts of his genre, the opportunity to make his mark on Season 2 of the ultra-violent crime drama, Gangs of London There was one chance he just couldn’t pass up.
M&F We sat down with Tim Connolly to find out how Gangs of London Action sequences come together, and why can’t he say no to this exciting project?
“I was an athlete at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and started doing some commercials for my sponsors,” says Connolly, who practices taekwondo. “I felt like, ‘This is something fun,’ this is something I can do after I retire from competition. Acting commercials and asking me like, ‘Hey, can you do a couple of stunts?’ ‘ And then a fight scene, and I realized I’m really good at it, and I enjoy it, and I’m here today. Honestly, “good at it” is an understatement, because Connolly ‘s resume is a stunt professional’s dream. He’s also doubled for the likes of Gerard Butler, Vin Diesel, and Ben Affleck. But in addition to being on camera, Connolly also serves as a premier stunt and fight coordinator. Made a reputation. Gangs of London, hHowever, it also posed a challenge for Connolly; Partly due to the positive reception fans received the first season, and also because every fight scene is designed to look as realistic as possible, making it as far removed from a Marvel movie as possible. You can get Fortunately, he likes to mix things up.
Tim Connolly enjoys the challenge of creating memorable action.
“It’s a challenge to do something different from the routine,” says the 6-foot-1-inch stunt pro. “And something that gets you into action, and makes you almost feel like you’re participating. (I Gangs of London) when everybody’s tired in the action, you feel tired too, versus… you know, I think some of the Marvel action, they do some amazing things and some new, great camerawork, a lot of CGI. , but you go and you do not remember anything from the process. It’s just a lot of movement and a lot of visual stimulation. I think that’s a big thing. [Gangs of London] The action type, you have those memorable moments and you plan them carefully and when you’re gone people remember those things and they talk about it.
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Shout out to the Lord of Destruction. @timconnolly And his incredible stunt team and Alex Gunn and his @arcadiasfxIt will not be possible to make. @gangsoflondon Without their dedication to prevent extreme carnage.. pic.twitter.com/RzpqSjoLTe
Corinhardy (@corinhardy) 25 October 2022
In fact, Season 2 has several action sequences that will stick in your mind for a long time. In a particularly gruesome moment, a man is shackled by the neck and dragged along a window sill decorated with broken glass. While scenes like these are brutal to watch, you can’t help but admire the creativity that comes with such mind-blowing concepts. “It’s a collaborative effort,” says Connolly. “So, when we come in and design something, Corinne Hardy (lead director) has an outline of what we want to do. So, we’ll sit down with him and brainstorm everything, and then once we get into our rehearsal space, that’s when the real creative juices come out. Only then can you find things in that environment to make it feel very realistic.”
The success of the action sequence is in full swing.
“I think it’s different with every director, and that’s the wonderful thing about Corinne, he’s so visual,” says Connolly. “If Corinne has an idea, he doesn’t necessarily try to explain it to you. He’ll sit in front of you and draw it at the level of a professional artist. That helps a lot, because what we do is He’s such a visual medium. Usually, within the action, we’ll work on certain moments and we’ll shoot that first and it becomes the actual storyboard.”
Previews are shot with stunt doubles, and also with stunt actors, because actors who can perform their own stunts can be cast in the show and not have to be edited later. This saves time, especially on a project like this Gangs of London In which extensive fight scenes are used. The cameras are able to focus on the actors in most shots because they are doing their own stunts. Connolly says this not only adds to the realism of the scenes, but also gives the camera crew more freedom to experiment with different shots and angles. “We can be a little wider on camera and we can take more time,” he shares.
When it came time to complete the scenes with the headline stars, Connolly found he had a team more than willing to contribute. “Every cast member that came in, knocked everyone out, they were amazing,” he says. “I’ve never worked on a show where every cast member is so excited to come in and do action. You’ve got Soup, there’s nothing he can’t do. He’s so physically gifted. . Everyone just put it all out there.”
Tim Connolly likes that ‘Gangs of London’ is ‘outside the box’.
The level of violence Gangs of London So jaw-dropping that there really isn’t anything like this show on television. For Tim Connolly, picking a favorite scene is like picking a favorite child. “It’s tough, because of the behind-the-scenes moments that go into it,” Connolly says. “The underwater setting presented some challenges to try to take underwater for long periods of time that made it really interesting to do. It’s something that was really enjoyable for me to try and pull off. I don’t know if I have a favorite. I think they all offer something special. We thought we were going to fail because of the schedule. Every one of those scenes is a feature-level action scene. That’s what television is all about. It’s great to do and the reason I took this job is because ‘Gangs’ is one of the few shows that has such a strong action drama, because they don’t live in a box. They were able to think outside the box. And they could do things that were unexpected. I think everybody’s excited, and everybody’s proud.
Season one of the BAFTA-winning series is available to stream via AMC+ with season two concluding on November 17.
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