I originally had
the opportunity to correspond with Tim Storms due to his appearance
in Robert Chapin's "The
Hunted." To my delight it seems Mr. Storms
has been involved in many projects which would fall under the
umbrella to what I think of when I hear the words "Fan" "Boy"; Comic
Books and Science Fiction. Tim Storms comes from a small town
in Minnesota where his theatrical family appeared together in
several performances. At the age of four he had begun to train
in gymnastics moving into the martial arts at age twelve. In
addition to his entertainment tenure he has also been a circus
performer, professional juggler, unicyclist, tight-rope, acrobat,
among other things. Well armed with a degree in classical and
musical theatre from Mankato State University in Minnesota Tim went
on to do hundreds of plays, as an actor, director, fight and dance
choreographer. In 1991 he moved to Los Angeles to work in
movies, but also continued his theatre career supporting himself by
teaching gymnastics and martial arts, which he continues to do to
this day teaching both for about 25 years.
ROBIN HOOD, MEN IN TIGHTS was Mr. Storms' first
"big" movie playing one of Robin Hood's Merry Men alongside the
likes of Carey Elwes and Patrick Stewart. It was on the set of
that film where he also met the incredible Bob Chapin, creator of
The Hunted.
Tim's martial arts movie career really kicked into
high gear when he trained the actors for gymnastics on a little film
called THE MATRIX. Tim was teaching gymnastics to the stars,
though that career was on hiatus after the gym burned down. He
turned focus on his stunt career. There he met a man named Dan
Bradley, who hired Tim for the movie SWORDFISH. Dan liked
Tim's work so much he hired him for seven or eight films since most
recently training stunt people and actors for SPIDERMAN 3.
COMIC BOOK BIN (through Christopher
Moshier): You've had a lot of martial arts training.
The 1990's was all about Soccer Moms and now the new millennia is
all Martial Arts. There are Martial Arts Studios (schools) all
over the place. What do you attest to this new "trend" if
anything?
TIM STORMS: I have black belts in
Taekwondo and Wu-shu kung-fu, and have studied many other
styles. I think the martial arts trends definitely follow the
movie industry. Whatever style is popular in film, you'll see
people flocking to those schools. The flashy kung-fu style
really got a boost after THE MATRIX.
CBB: Is that you in "Chicks with
Sticks?" When I had first had seen that
title I had to double take as I have heard other titles with a
similar name, "Chicks with (rhymes with sticks!). I found
"sticks" on IFILMS and the ladder on sites that would make your eyes
explode.
TS: Yes, I am in CHICKS WITH
STICKS. And no, it's not a porno. I was the stunt
coordinator on a short the director was making, and I acted in
another scene he shot. I really was surprised when he listed
it on IFILMS and IMDB. There are plenty of other projects I'd
rather be known for.
CBB: OK! Cleared from
memory! You were in the Star Trek series Enterprise. I'm
a big Star Trek geek! How cool was it to work with the
Enterprise cast and what is involved in being an extra in Enterprise
or any other series or film?
TS: I loved working on ENTERPRISE
however I was not what you would consider an extra. I worked
on several episodes, including the pilot, as a stunt actor. I
played a Suliban warrior several times, and a Vulcan Commando in
KIR'SHARA. I had a big fight with Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalok
and Diana Inosanto. I've always loved STAR TREK, too, so
putting on the ears was a huge thrill. As for extra work, I've
only worked as an extra on one show, ROBIN HOOD.
CBB: If I may be so bold what kind
of pay (a ball park estimate) does one get to be an extra?
TS: It paid about $100 a
day. As a stunt person, you make a minimum of $680 a day,
usually more.
CBB: It frustrates me at
times as a writer to bring that craft to the next level. Just
like writers actors are plentiful. Does it frustrate you as an
actor to stop being the secondary character and get a bigger part in
film or are you content with the opportunities you have been
presented to you so far in your career?
TS: Yes,
the acting world does frustrate me somewhat. As I said, I
don't do extra work, but the majority of roles (though fun and
exciting) I've played in films, have been stunt or fighting
roles. To my credit, I get those roles because I'm a good
actor, but they are not the big character/dialogue roles I am used
to in the theatre. My next big career goal is to do more
straight acting roles, which is tough for me, because I love to do
stunts and fighting. I am also trying to focus on writing and
directing.
CBB: I was checking out Real Kick and the opening promo
trailer was amazing. Very cool stuff. I was not a big
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" lover. I like wire work, but
just like CGI I think in some films it is taken too far to make what
I am watching out of reality.
TS: Yes, I agree, wire-work has a
great place in film, if done sparingly, and correctly. As for
REEL KICK, I still train them on a weekly basis. We have a lot
of great new projects already in the can, and will be on the site
soon. We have all been working so much lately, that we haven't
been able to put them up. We are always working on several
projects at a time, from features to TV to Indie films.
CBB: Spider-Man 3. I know
you signed your life away so to reveal anything would be imminent
death, but what can you tell us about the new movie?
TS: Well, yes, to reveal too much
would mean certain death, but I will say the action in #3 will be
even bigger than #2. From what I can tell, they are focusing
more on Peter Parker than Spidey in this one. Dan Bradley and
his crew are working hard already, coming up with some incredible
stuff. I'm not sure yet what stunts or roles I will be
playing, but I'm looking forward to it.
CBB: You were also involved in
Spider-Man 2.
TS: In #2, I trained Tobey and
several stunt doubles. I also played the Chainsaw Doctor in
the hospital scene. Doc Ock wakes up, and kills all the
doctors and nurses in the room. His tentacles pick me up and
wipe up the room with me, but I survive long enough to try to fight
him with a chainsaw. Valiant, but he kills me, too!
CBB: And
you were able to work with the great Alfred Molina.
TS: So thrilling to work with
Alfred. He is a great guy, and a great actor. It's fun
to be able to say he beat the crap out of me, then killed me.
CBB: You also worked with John
Travolta in Swordfish? No matter what role he plays he always
seems to be having the greatest of times.
TS: John was also fantastic to
work with. I didn't even know he was the star of SWORDFISH
until he walked on set and I was doing a scene with him. It
was Halloween night. He is an inquisitive man. Always
asking questions. He, Hugh Jackman and I sat around singing
"GREASED LIGHTNING" from GREASE. Very surreal.
CBB: It must be so much fun being
on set. I am envious.
TS: Yes, I lead a blessed
life. And, though it is much harder work than most people
would ever imagine, I get to basically play make-believe every
day. I have worked with the biggest stars in the world, and as
a teacher, have trained many more. I like to think of myself
as the guy who is famous to only the celebrities. I also like
to think of myself as the guy just on the edge of hitting it
big. Now if I can only spread that idea far enough.
CBB: You met Robert Chapin on the
set of Robin Hood: Men in Tights and eventually appeared in an
episode of his online series The Hunted. Are series or films
like The Hunted becoming a legitimate outlet for entertainers such
as yourself?
TS:
Robert has been one of my martial arts students, and trains with my
team regularly. Yes, we definitely talk about online film as a
promotion tool. It's nice to have a venue that's much more
accessible than the rather closed film biz. But it also allows
anybody to make movies, so it can be difficult to sort through the
plethora of garbage to find the good stuff.
CBB: Your favorite movie is Star
Wars! OK! I now know you are a good guy! What
makes Star Wars your favorite film?
TS: STAR WARS came out at the
perfect time in my life, when I was 12. I saw it 33 times in
the theater, and about a hundred more on video. To me, it was
the perfect blend of all things great about film, at least to a
young boy. Sword fights, robots, space, hot chicks, and I was
obsessed with Darth Vader. Even at that age, I realized the
most interesting characters in film are the villains. I
memorized every line, and dressed the part every Halloween.
CBB: What's on tap for your
future?
TS: Well, as I've said, I am
really focused on my acting/directing/writing career, but will
continue to (hopefully) still have some fun stunt roles in action
movies! I just got done playing a fun role in a low-budget
film version of Shakespeare's RICHARD III, with David
Carradine. No idea when that comes out, but it was a
blast.
If you have any suggestions for articles or want
your fan film spotlighted on these here pages or just want
to say hello please email me at christopher@comicbookbin.com.
You can also visit the Comic Book Bins "Fan Film
Flinks" for many more links to fan films and beyond by going HERE.
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