Book details

  • Genre:performing arts
  • Sub-genre:Film / Genres / Action & Adventure
  • Language:English
  • Pages:192
  • Paperback ISBN:9798317839147

No Retreat No Surrender Forever

An Insider’s Guide to Writing and Producing Action Movies

By Keith W. Strandberg

Overview

From the man behind "No Retreat No Surrender" comes the no-BS guide to writing and producing action movies that actually hit. Keith W. Strandberg has spent decades in the trenches, creating and producing cult martial arts favorites all over the world, and now he hands you the playbook. Inside, you'll learn what really makes an action movie work, how to turn raw ideas into shootable scripts, how to cast fighters and actors who can deliver, and how to design fight scenes that explode on screen—not just on the page. You'll also get true war stories from low-budget sets, brutal lessons from bad decisions, and the hard truths about breaking into the business and staying there. If you love action movies or dream of writing, producing, directing, or fighting your way onto the screen, the book shows you what it really takes—no hype, no shortcuts, No Retreat, No surrender. Note: I had requested that a subtitle be added in my original notes (I can't find it without leaving this page)
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Description

From the writer and producer of the cult classic "No Retreat No Surrender" comes the ultimate inside look at how martial arts action movies are really made—from blank page to bruised knuckles. Keith W. Strandberg has spent decades writing and producing fight-fueled favorites like the "No Retreat No Surrender" series, "The King of Kickboxers," "American Shaolin," "SuperFights," "Bloodmoon," and more. He has experience working with real champions, real stunt teams, and real on-set chaos from all over the world. In "No Retreat No Surrender Forever," Keith pulls back the curtain on the action business to show: • What rhttps://cdn.aitopia.ai/storages/0/ai_logo/svg/logo.svgeally makes an action movie work—story, characters, fights, talent, and the all-important screenplay. • How ideas are born, developed, pitched, written, and rewritten until they're ready for the camera. • Why casting fighters vs. actors can save—or sink—your movie, with war stories from Hong Kong, Thailand, China, and Hollywood. • How fight scenes are conceived, choreographed, shot, and can sometimes go painfully wrong. • The hard truths about "breaking in," building a career, and surviving the realities of the film business. Packed with practical advice, step-by-step guidance, and outrageous behind-the-scenes anecdotes—from low-budget improvisations to near-disasters with stars, extras, and angry crowds—this is both a field manual for aspiring action filmmakers and a front-row ticket for fans who want to know how their favorite fights came to life. If you love action movies or dream of writing, producing, directing, or stepping in front of the camera yourself, this book will challenge you, inspire you, and show you what it really means to live by the credo: "No Retreat, No Surrender."
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About The Author

Keith W. Strandberg is the writer and producer of the cult classic "No Retreat No Surrender" and a long list of international martial arts action films, including "No Retreat No Surrender II," "No Retreat No Surrender III," "The King of the Kickboxers," "American Shaolin," "SuperFights," and "Bloodmoon." A former martial arts journalist and black belt, he learned the business the hard way—on set, on location, and under pressure—and had spent more thanforty years turning fights, stories, and ideas into full-contact movies.
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