Issue 041
September 2008
When we first heard the title of the DVD ‘Juggs vs Japan’ we knew we had to check it out.
Put together by Justin Dee, Juggs vs Japan is a magazine-style DVD that features interviews, training footage and behind the scenes access of Tokyo’s MMA scene. Wanting to know more, we spoke to Justin (Juggs) to find out exactly why it was ‘him vs Japan’.
First off, Juggs vs Japan? What’s that all about?
Well, my nickname is Juggs and, leading up to the trip to Tokyo for filming, I had a thread on an Australian MMA forum called ‘Juggs vs Japan’ asking fellow MMA fans what they were interested in seeing in a documentary on Japanese MMA. The thread got a lot of hits and, basically, it just stuck with me. I didn’t want a cliché ‘tough guy’ name for the film. I wanted something original that caught people’s attention straight away. Good or bad, people always question the title.
So the DVD, in a nutshell, seems to be, an Australian guy with a camera hits Tokyo and gives us a slice of Japanese MMA. Where did the inspiration come from to do something like this?
I love the medium of documentary filmmaking and I love MMA films. I’d seen ‘The Smashing Machine’ and ‘Rites Of Passage’ films but I couldn’t really find much insight into the Japanese MMA scene other than fight events. I thought there have to be other people wanting to know more about the Japanese fight scene and its fighters.
A good friend of mine moved to Tokyo a few years ago and said if I ever wanted to visit, there was a bed waiting for me. My girl and I bought tickets and jumped on a plane as soon as we could. I decided to film the trip just for myself but, when I got home and looked at the footage, I thought there was some good stuff captured that other MMA fans might be interested in seeing. I edited it on the most basic of software, showed some people, they said it was really good and I realised this is what I want to do with my life.
I bought myself an editing suite and a Pro DV camera, rang every contact I had, and planned a three-and-a-half week trip to Tokyo to film a real film on the Japanese MMA scene. And here we are.
How did the Japanese MMA scene react to you?
Actually they were very welcoming considering I was a total stranger to most of them. The Japanese are very giving people but generally quite guarded till they get to know you. I’m a straight shooter and easy to get along with, so they got to know me real fast.
Rather than a feature-length documentary, this DVD has a number of very different chapters, each focussing on different personalities or situations. Why did you choose this style instead of a feature film?
Well, I first off didn’t have the budget and film crew to film a feature. Also, I love skateboarding and sports DVDs that are made like reading a magazine. Every section can have a different mood or feel. My priority with this film was to create a film that anybody could watch and enjoy. Also, I must say you are the first to totally ‘get’ where I was coming from with this film. Cheers!
Travelling from Australia to Japan is a lot easier than going all the way to America or Europe. Do many Australians travel there for MMA?
I really couldn’t say yes or no, but I do know that one of the main reasons I go is because it’s a lot cheaper for me to go there than it is to Brazil or Europe. Brazil is a 22-hour flight from Australia! I must say though, that since I’ve been championing my trips to anyone that will listen to me, a lot more Australians have gone to Japan for MMA trips.
Have you got plans for more DVDs of this type? And what’s on the cards? More trips back to Japan, or would you consider Juggs vs America, Brazil or Europe?
Man, all I want to do now is produce DVDs like this about MMA. This sport is only going to get bigger and bigger and I want to film it all the way. I try to get to Japan at least once a year now. A few people have mentioned I should do one on Brazil and Europe and yeah, I’d really love to. I have a much bigger and broader project planned for my next Japanese film though. It’ll be a huge step up! For starters I’ll have a budget and small crew.
If you are interested in purchasing Juggs vs Japan on DVD contact [email protected]
...
