Alice
Fight Scene Research
We decided to include a fight scene in our film to create the climax of the film and a tense ending; also fight scenes are typical of action films and something our target audience seemed interested in. We wanted to create a realistic fight scene so looked at three different videos to get ideas on how to choreograph and film the scene.
Video One
Long lens trick – when filming punches stand around 8-10 feet away but zoom in so the punches look real.
Angles – film so the punch crosses in front or behind the subject, the motion of the cross creates the illusion of impact. Experiment with different angles until you find the best one, you can always edit the flow in post.
Actors response – It must look realistic, have the actors go over the punching motions before filming.
Hero’s punch – Track the punch with the camera, as if it is following the punch but as the punch hits keep the camera on the hero, gives impression of powerful hit. Or follow hero then as hit lands follow victim but can imply that fight is not over.
Knock down – Film long lens hit, then film actor as they are falling to knees, have their knees hit mat off screen. Have camera angled downwards for this shot. You can seamlessly edit the two shots together to show them falling after being hit.
Cutting for impact – Film two different shots, one being looking up at the attacker or a long shot of the hero getting kicked, then one shows the hero from behind reacting to the kick. Editing this together on the action so it looks as if the hero is getting kicked.
Frame cutting – For more intensity use the frame cut trick. At the moment just before the attackers fist moves forward, remove that frame so it won’t look like a jump cut but the punch comes quicker than the audience expects. Use sparingly but take advantage of it.
Video Two
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Keep the actors at arm’s length to ensure no physical contact is made and place them face to face, then film from an over the shoulder shot so it seems as if the actors are fighting when really no one is getting hurt.
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Draw an imaginary vertical line in the centre of the area that the strike will happen, this is the axis.
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Have the actors slowly rehearse the strike and check that the arm they are using to punch crosses this axis, this will allow the strike to look intense on camera and look realistic.
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If you are not using professional stunt people you have to make the fight look realistic through the speed and power of the actors strike.
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Use the camera as a catalyst to the strike, when the actor gets seriously hit jerk the camera slightly in the direction of the punch in tandem with the strike. The camera movement won’t be seen by the audience as they are mostly desensitized to violence and it will sell the speed of each hit while concealing the lack of contact. Do not overuse the camera movement.
Video Three
Fight scenes revolve around continuity, camera techniques, and editing.
Whilst filming stay within the 180â—¦ line of what our eyes see so it does not look like a jump cut.
It is best to start with an over the shoulder of the fist going down towards the other person then cut to an over the shoulder of the fist coming towards the camera.
A common angle when filming a fight is when the action being shot is facing the camera, then it looks as if the fist is making contact with the other person.
For editing use quick cuts and keep in beat, use multiple shots in beat to create a chaotic mood. Or use slow motion to increase intensity and additional meaning, but can draw attention to the fact that it is fake.
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We will try to use as many of these tips as possible as it will help us to create a better fight scene. The best tips we found are:
The frame cutting trick – This will help it to look more intense which is good for a thriller film.
Tracking the punch- This will create a fast pace for the scene to give the idea of chaos and intensity.
Editing on the beat – The music will give us an idea of how fast or slow to edit the scene and it will help the scene follow the music’s atmosphere.