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Eric Jacobus Cast “Bag Lady” Entirely With Stunt and Mocap Performers, Then Shot the Fights Practical

Eric Jacobus Cast “Bag Lady” Entirely With Stunt and Mocap Performers, Then Shot the Fights Practical
  • Eric Jacobus wrote, directed and performs in his short film "Bag Lady."
  • Every lead is a working stunt or motion-capture performer rather than an actor.
  • The household fight against robot doubles was shot practically, with hits landing in camera.

Posted: September 13, 2026

Eric Jacobus’s short Bag Lady went out on the festival circuit this week with a casting decision most independent action projects can’t make: every lead is a working stunt or performance-capture professional rather than an actor who trained for the job. Jacobus writes, directs and performs, and is joined by Phill Kismartoni, Stevie Erwin, Danny Shepherd and Thekla Hutyrova — a room whose combined credits run through God of War and God of War Ragnarök, Mortal Kombat 1, Ghost of Yotei, Alita: Battle Angel, Fallout and Cirque du Soleil’s KÀ. Casting from that pool changes what the choreography can ask for: timing, reset speed and the tolerance for repeated full-contact takes all come with the performers.

The piece is built around a household melee against robotic doubles, staged practically — gravity-dependent choreography, physical comedy carried by falls and impacts, and set-dressing (the trash-sorting gag) folded into the fight rather than cut around it. Jacobus has framed the approach as a deliberate rejection of CG-assisted action, which in practice means the hits have to land in camera and the environment has to survive the take. No separate fight coordinator, rigging supervisor or camera methodology is credited in the coverage; on a project this size the design work sits with the performers themselves.

Bag Lady is circulating as a short while Jacobus develops a feature-length version. Trailer: YouTube

Source: Action-Flix — BAG LADY: Indie Action Maestro Eric Jacobus Delivers Next Gen Martial Arts Thrills · AndersonVision — Bag Lady Trailer Pits Eric Jacobus Against a Corporate Android Takeover

Learn more on IMDb: Eric Jacobus · Thekla Hutyrova