6 Things We Learned About Shooting A Fight Scene

So over the past few weeks we’ve filmed a series of fight/action videos which we’ll continue to do as we get ready/practice for our next feature film. These first few videos were our first attempt at staging and filming fight scenes/shoot-outs and while we’re proud of the short flicks they still have their flaws.

By filming these fight scenes we quickly found out it’s a totally different approach to filmmaking than shooting a dialogue driven scene, and requires much more planning – even for something as simple as what we shot. So in hopes to help you out with your own fight scenes and to avoid our mistakes, below is a list of 6 things that we learned about shooting and choreographing a fight scene.

1. Start With Your Previous Action, End With The Next Action

This is a tip that we discovered while we were editing each shot of action together as all of our cuts were turning out very choppy, or they didn’t flow. Now this can be fixed with sound design and quick cutting which is what we ended up doing, but don’t let it be your only resort.

So even if you know you’re not going to show the previous punch in a close-up or the next kick in the medium shot film them anyway; this will make your fight appear much smoother and editing the scene will be way easier. Plus who knows the next action might look better all in one shot anyway!

2. Add Recoil To Your Punches

If you watch old school martial arts movies, especially Bruce Lee, then you’ll notice that every time they punch someone their fist recoils back. By adding this subtle movement to your actors hits it makes the punches impact appear much more powerful and makes the character look as if they are really strong.

3. Shoot The Whole Fight Wide Then Move In For Close-Ups

Just like in our previous post THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SHOOTING A LOW-BUDGET SCENE you want to shoot the whole fight wide then film your close-ups. This tip is especially true with Martial Arts fighting, because seeing the fight wide is what makes it appear so impressive and really showcases your actor/actresses talent. We did not follow this rule on our first fight scene and we ran into some editing problems as a result. Also, if you don’t have a wide angle of your fight then you are forced to work with what you have and run the risk of appearing choppy or even worse the fight could appear to disorienting to the audience.

4. Always Keep Your Eyes On Your Opponent

More than just famous words from Bruce Lee, this is an important tip to tell your actor/actress as well. Now while your actors may look away for the punch or the block, you want to make sure their eyes always return back to their opponent. This helps your actors communicate their readiness and will allow you to avoid accidents in case one of your actors/actresses isn’t ready or has forgotten the next move. Remember when filming fight scenes ALWAYS PLAY IT SAFE!

5. Use Long Lenses

Long Lenses come in handy when filming a fight scene especially with kicks and punches to the head. By using a long lens it visually squishes the action together making the hits appear as if they are fully connecting. Also, by using a longer lens your actors’ punches can be even further away from their opponent making the fight much safer and your actors more confident.

6. Move Your Camera With The Movements

This is an easy tip if your shooting handheld that will add a little something extra to your hits. Moving with the punches makes the swing appear faster and by stopping the cameras movement right as the punch connects adds a jerky feel that can often make the punch appear more violent on screen. Be warned that this will take a little practice to get just right so it’s best to start practicing this movement during rehearsals so you don’t waste time during production.

I hope these tips will be of use to you if you go out to film your own badass action scenes. These are just a few tips that we’ve learned along our way and I’m sure we’ll be learning a lot more as we continue. If you have any tips that you’d like to share please leave a comment below, we’d love to hear what you’ve got to say!

Until next time, keep on filming. Oh one more thing—if you like our fight scenes then check out this little video below of Jenny Zhang “Action Phenom” at stunt training  ~ Alexander Shumake