was he really got chased by a lion? i really hope it was a composite but if not, that would be very insane of them ^_^
shareIt was probably put (superimposed) together from two different takes. Jackie was never in danger. Actually, this takes away a lot from the stunt for me. I don't care about it.
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"It was probably put (superimposed) together from two different takes. Jackie was never in danger. Actually, this takes away a lot from the stunt for me. I don't care about it. "
If so, it's pretty well done, because the camera is turning the whole time. Do you know how difficult it would be to sync it perfectly, taking the lighting and all into account (the sun moving just a little bit is immediately observable as the shadows move). Of course it can be done, but would require a lot of doing. If the camera was still, it would be a little bit easier.
I guess you could film the lion first, record the camera motion (somehow), and then make sure that Jackie runs the same path, but slightly 'ahead' of the lion, while the camera performs the identical turn (that was recorded). I mean, you'd basically have to make sure that Jackie's run and the camera turn are synced so that the turn happens at a slightly different time than with the lion (otherwise it would look like Jackie is running 'on top' of the lion (when talking about layers), or at the same place or at the lion's side, or something similar).
Then you could edit, perhaps interpolate the different shadows, or something. You'd also have to make sure that Jackie gets to the top of the tree 'in time' - if it happens too slowly, it would look ridiculous. Ahead of time would of course work, except that he might not be in frame then.
I would say it'd be pretty friggin' tricky shot to fake, and still make it look as real as it does - but I am sure it's still doable.
But the question is - DID they fake it? Or DID Jackie really risk his life, like he undoubtedly has done in so many previous movies? If it was anyone else, I wouldn't even be asking. But that man is crazy when it comes to these stunts.
It's well done for a Hong Kong movie at its age. It's not irony, I mean it.
http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/VistaGlide_Camera
VistaGlide camera would be the answer to the first problem. With it you can repeat exactly the same movements you did before. It wasn't new anymore in 1998. But probably they didn't even need it for Who Am I?.
The problem with the shadows... you hit the nail on the head. It seems to me that the lion doesn't have shadow, only Jackie does. They probably shot the lion separately in front of a blue background and superimposed over the shot with Jackie. The contours are a bit artificial, if you check them closely. They also chose the time frame when Jackie's shadow is the longest and the least recognizable in shape so it could be the lion's too.
But even if this trick shot would look perfect, I'd still say they wouldn't risk Jackie's life for this. With a wild animal involved (even if it was trained well), this stunt can't be really planned and controlled. Jackie really did some crazy things in the earlier days, but his death-defying stunts were never based on luck, they were based on skills. This one would've needed at least as much luck as skills.
When the Asian version of Who Am I? will be released on a Hi-Def Blu-Ray this question will be not even a question anymore.