When the first John Wick film arrived in theaters in 2014, it ushered in a new style of action movie, one that allowed the action choreography to play out in long, smooth, unbroken shots in contrast with the handheld shake and rapid-fire editing that defined the decade of action movies prior.
Over nine years and four films, the scale and scope of the John Wick series has steadily increased, culminating in this year’s John Wick: Chapter 4, a globe-trotting epic that sees the former-former assassin trying one last time to walk away from this life for good.
To learn more about what is involved in shooting the sort of spectacle seen in this film, Camera Operator had the chance to chat with Steadicam operator James Frater, SOC, about his work on John Wick: Chapter 4.
After coming out of retirement to enact revenge on the person who killed his dog and stole his car, being branded “excommunicado” for violating the rules against killing on Continental grounds, and taking his fight to the High Table itself, John Wick desires nothing more than to return to his peaceful life of retirement. But with agents of the High Table hot on his heels, his only way out may be to challenge the Marquis de Gramont for his freedom. John Wick: Chapter 4 is directed by Chad Stahelski from a screenplay by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, and stars Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, and Ian McShane.
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David Daut 