THE 10TH DEGREE: SENSEI’S TRIBUTE: Bryan Sloyer Sends Off A Local Martial Arts Legend With An Energizing Karate Spiritual
Martial artist and instructor John Sharkey Jr. passed away in January at the age of 69. Long prior, be became a staple in martial arts through his school in Naperville, Illinois dating back to 1973, awarding well over 160 blackbelts, and churning out a number of mentees, champions, and even stuntmen – many of whom I’ve platformed on this very site.
That nod extends just as well to Bryan Sloyer who just released his own tributary shortfilm to Sharkey Jr. with The 10th Degree: Sensei’s Tribute – aptly titled as mutuals alike knew the man as “sensei,” according to Chicago Sun Times reporter Mitch Dudek. The short is intermittenly edited with footage of Sharkey Jr., and narrated with speaking segments of Sharkey Jr., as heard in an episode of Travis Wong’s JAMCast in April of 2022.
Sloyer directs The 10th Degree: Sensei’s Tribute with action direction by Justin Chang and Andrew Franklin. The choreography emanates an ample look at the style and techniques applied in his teachings through the performers, topped with an aesthetic that easily matches what Vlad Rimburg achieved in his Osu shortfilms beginning in 2014.
Watch The 10th Degree: Sensei’s Tribute below:
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!
