Learn Fight Choreography (How to film fight scenes PART 3)

Welcome back to the “How to film a Fight Scene” series!

I am writing this series from my personal experiences in the action film industry, as I attempt to breakdown the science of how to make your own fight scene and learn fight choreography! If you missed it, make sure to read the first two parts to the series..
Part 1 >> How to study Fight Scenes
Part 2 >> Learning basic Fight Moves

Tony Jaa fights Marrese Crump in this fight scene from the movie The Protector 2
Tony Jaa vs Marrese Crump in a fight scene from The Protector 2

Today we are going to be learning the “rules” and “tricks” to selling hits on camera, and finally filming a practice fight scene!

While there are no real “rules” to any art, you will still want to practice the guidelines before you venture into breaking them.. here are a couple of the most common rules to keep in mind.

The 180 degree rule. This is the technique that is used to film dialogue scenes in films. Once you establish the geography of a scene and show the position of the characters, you want to make sure your camera doesn’t cross an invisible line which is formed by the interaction of two players.. so if Fighter 1 is on camera left (left side of the screen) and Fighter 2 is camera right, you want to make sure that whichever angles you choose will stay on one side of the “180 line”. (See the fancy diagram below)

The 180 degree rule is an important thing to remember when filming fight choreography.

The way you can break this rule without jarring your audience is to either use a “cutaway” shot (show something completely different, then come back), or to have the “switch” happen all in one shot on the screen (ex, one of the fighters crosses camera to the other side of the screen, establishing his new position.)

Stacking your hits. This is the secret to selling your punches and kicks. Unless you are using specialized lenses, cameras can’t tell distances very well. This is the key to what lets us stack our hits. Let’s say you want to sell a punch to the face.. what you need to do is make sure the fighter’s fist crosses in front (or behind) the head at one point during the move, and the person getting hit reacts with the correct timing and in the correct direction. You can be up to a foot away and BAM, you have a solid hit.

A punch which follows the stacking rule with a Jab to the face from the Walking Dead.

It will take you some practice getting used to all of the different possible angles you can sell a hit from, and the distance and timing required between both performers.. but if you study a lot of fight scenes, you will start thinking of the possibilities intuitively!

Playing with eye movement. Remember that we are putting on a show for the viewer. So it is important to keep in mind where their eyes are looking during your fight. If one character kicks the other on the right side of the screen and you decide to continue filming from another angle, try to keep the last action in around the same screen space to make it easier for your viewer’s mind to overlap.. this is something that you could play around with during editing, (adding in camera movement to match your movement in post) but that would benefit you immensely to keep in mind during filming. (Look at pic below for reference.)

Start filming with the last action when moving to a different take. If you’re filming a fight scene creatively, you will have the cutting points already settled in your head. When you’re actually on the set, make sure to overlap the last action at the beginning of each take. For example, you decided to switch angles right after someone got kicked in the face.. start the next take with the whole kick in the face again, that way you will have a nice, fluid cutting point.

Tony Jaa kicks Marrese Crump in The Protector 2, this is a good example of starting on the last action in order to get a good cutting point when filming a fight scene.
These 3 takes, filmed starting with the last action, flow well together.

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And that’s all you need to know for basics! As soon as you get out there and start filming, you will start coming up with your own rules and tricks that are unique to your style. Don’t be afraid to play around! Remember, we’re just putting on a show 🙂

For the complete beginner, I will now walk you through the basic filming structure. This is a super safe way to film a fight with almost no creativity required on the camera-man’s part. I would only recommend this way of filming to beginners..it’s safe and you will get everything you need, but this will create A LOT of editing work.

Film one or two MASTER SHOTS from a wide angle so you can see both fighters the entire time. Have them run through the fight a couple of times and try to catch each beat, but don’t stress over selling all of the hits from here.
Film the fight over each fighter’s shoulder. This is where you want to try and make sure each hit sells.
Film some CLOSE-UPS and INSERTS on hits that you weren’t able to catch in your other takes, and which you feel will help tell the story of your fight.

Following this route, when you get to editing your fight scene you will have a choice of ~3 different ways to sell each hit. If you do have some creative ideas on how to film your fight, I would recommend you to film the vision in your head and only get the shots you need. That way you can see how it all goes together in the edit, and you won’t spend extra time filming stuff for safety (although I recommend filming a master shot in any case).

“This is how I used to film fights when I first started. It helped me dial in my performances and movement, but my personal style soon outgrew the ‘safe’ way in favor of telling each story in a different way..”

With today’s availability of cameras, you shouldn’t have anything stopping you! Grab a friend, get out there, and film your first practice fight scene! Aim for 12-20 beats, filming 3-7 beats per take. Any camera will do (even your cell phone camera today is better than the camcorders I started with), and you can find editing software online! (I edit on Premiere Pro CC, which has a 30 day free trial available on their site.)

Marrese Crump's epic side kick in this fight scene from The Protector 2.
My friend Marrese Crump’s epic side kick to Tony Jaa in The Protector 2.

If you have any questions or would like some feedback on your fight scene, leave me a comment below, or feel free to send me a message through my facebook page: fb.com/RusticB

In the next article, we will be learning how to edit your fight scenes, and how to perfect your filming technique by learning from yourself in post-production!

If you missed it, make sure to read the first two parts to the series..
Part 1 >> How to study Fight Scenes
Part 2 >> Learning basic Fight Moves

Good luck, have fun, and stay safe!

What is Martial Arts Tricking?

If you read my site, you’ve probably heard of the word Tricking before.. Well one of my friends over at the Team Loopkicks Blog has just written a really informative and inspirational guest article about Tricking for the Action Academy site!

Check out Jeremy Price’s article by clicking here – Real Life Ninjas: Martial Arts Tricking 101

Martial Arts Trickster Jeremy Price performing a tricking move called a flashkick.

Here is an excerpt..
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“What do The Hunger Games and Tron: Legacy have in common with Chris Brown music videos and So You Think You Can Dance? These provide just four examples of a growing phenomenon within the movement world and an indispensable tool for the entertainment industry: it’s called martial arts tricking… …But where did something as bizarrely awesome as tricking come from? You might look to 1950s dancer Lou Wills, Ernie Reyes’ West Coast World Action Team, and instrumental promoter Billy Bilang to find the roots of tricking’s unusual and beautiful style of movement. Tricking began an especially sharp rise with Mike Chat’s creation of Xtreme Martial Arts, or XMA, in which martial arts competitors mix in acrobatics and “tricks” with punches and kicks during their forms, or kata. (Once upon a time, Twilight’s Taylor Lautner was a fierce XMA competitor!) With XMA performances being featured on ESPN2 and trickers showing up everywhere from Power Rangers episodes to the 2014 Olympics Opening Ceremony, tricking is becoming increasingly popular, visible, and relevant.
So what is the tricking community like today? Tricking was once practiced almost solely by those with martial arts experience, but now gymnasts, breakers, cheerleaders, and even complete strangers to the world of extreme movement are joining the party. With tons of YouTube tutorials at our fingertips and immediate access to some of tricking’s best via the Facebook group, our top coaches happen to be our friends and fellow athletes. And with people coming from such diverse backgrounds, a cultural exchange of skill helps everyone improve in multiple stylistic directions. As a result, the world of tricking is marked by constant positivity, respect, support, and an undying commitment to having fun. And with our truly global network of practitioners and friends, there is an excellent chance that every tricker can find someone to train with in his/her area.

Happy reading! And if you enjoyed that article, check out some of the other really interesting articles Jeremy writes over on his page of the Loopkicks site!

Learn Screen Fighting (How to film fight scenes PART 2)

Time to learn some Screen Fighting moves for your fight scenes!

Welcome to Part 2 of my breakdown of how to make your own fight scenes and learn fight choreography!

I am writing this series from my personal experiences in the action film industry, as I attempt to breakdown the science of how to make your own fight scene and learn fight choreography!
Part 1 >> How to study Fight Scenes
Part 3 >> Learning basic Fight Moves

If you missed it, make sure to read the first post in the series, How to study and pick apart Fight Scenes.

Today we will begin learning some actual screen fighting moves that you can take into your own fight choreography practices, and fight scenes!

Disclaimer: Rustic B is a trained professional working in the Hollywood stunt industry. Anything you learn on this blog, that you attempt, is done so at your own risk. Have fun, and stay safe guys!

Bruce Lee fights Kareem Abdul Jabbar in a timeless example of good screen fighting.
Bruce Lee vs Kareem Abdul Jabbar in Game of Death (click to watch the fight)

Good fight choreography that impresses time and again, consists of three components; Movement, Distance, and Timing.

Movement includes all of the actual moves you see people performing. In hand-to-hand combat these can be further broken down, into Handwork and Footwork. Below, I’ve made a list of essential, basic movements you will need to learn in order to be able to perform and create your own fight choreography. You will want to learn the correct fighting way to perform these moves, after which we will slightly modify them for fight choreography. Weapons is another key for creating impressive fight scenes, but I will cover these in a future article.

You don’t need to use any special equipment to learn the moves below. Unless you have access to some pads to practice on, just focus on getting comfortable moving in your own skin. (Look up tutorials for these moves on YouTube for now, I will film some examples in future.)

Handwork (punches, blocks)
– Jab
– Cross
– Hook
– Uppercut
– Blocks for Punches
– Blocks for Kicks

Footwork (kicks)
– Roundhouse
– Front
– Side
– Hook
– Spinning Hook
– Fighting Stances
– Blocks for Kicks

Practice in front of a mirror if you can. This advice was given to me by some of the best stunt people in the industry. Perfect the way your moves look and feel to you, as you flow from one to the next. There are some very misleading fight scenes up on youtube today, where the performance has good energy and the camera, edit, and sound are superb..yet the performers look like they’re punching air, wildly swinging, or holding back..a mirror would help these people!

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Imagine some targets in the air in front of you, and practice hitting those marks over and over. This skill will be important on the set, where you and your partner’s safety will depend on how much control you have over your body. Even the most messy looking fights you see on the big screen are performed by people who know what they’re doing and are working together to make it “look” messy, while remaining in complete control.

Bruce Lee fought Jackie Chan in Enter the Dragon.
Bruce Lee fought Jackie Chan in Enter the Dragon

String together several moves into combos and practice them with a focus on fluidity while also being light on your feet.

“Fight Choreography is a dance, a choreographed performance that comes together when everyone works together and plays off each other’s distance and timing.”

Proper Distance and Timing is the next important key to good screen fighting. The best fighters in the film industry are able to make split-second adjustments in their movements, to adapt to their partner’s style. This comes from working with actors, many of whom aren’t trained in fight choreography, where it becomes the stunt performer’s job to keep their partner safe.

Your knowledge of distance and timing will come with experience, as you work with different types of people and learn which hits sell on camera and which don’t. A good rule of thumb for proper distance and timing in a fight, is if it starts feeling crowded or like you’re going too fast, back up and slow down! Many beginners start crowding the person they’re working with, and the choreography just starts looking bad.

Don’t rush your movements. Most of the fight scenes I have filmed for Movies and TV were actually performed at 80-90 percent speed. In reality, if you get your movements to look fluid, you can film a fight scene at 70 percent speed and still make it look really good.

Keep your hips at a 45 degree angle to your partner, instead of facing directly at them. Keeping your hips at slightly off center will make your punches/swings look bigger and will allow you to look like you’re moving (while all you’re doing is switching your stances in place to adjust for distance).

The best fighters in the industry can make anyone look good. When your fight practice isn’t going too well, and your partner can’t make the necessary adjustments, remember that you can always change something about your own movements to make the necessary hits sell.

Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris fight in this iconic example of screen fighting. Learn fight choreography and how to film fight scenes by reading this article.
Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon

Train, Train and Train! It’s time for your screen fighting HOMEWORK!

Practice the moves I outlined above in front of a mirror! Once you’re comfortable, start practicing some Shadow Boxing

Learn one “extra curricular” move that impresses you. Start thinking on your feet and take one of the moves you’d like to try (from last week’s notes) and research how you can learn it. (I learned almost everything I know from YouTube, it is truly a “modern oracle”.)

Write in your training journal, keep track of which moves you have learned and which you still need to perfect. Start keeping notes of your workouts, this will be an amazing motivational tool!

EXTRA CREDIT:
Find some friends who are interested in learning screen fighting! It can seem impossible (it did so for me), but I assure you that if you look hard enough you will find someone who is down to throw down! Once you have a training buddy, start going through some fight choreography together. Start with some simple combinations of jabs, crosses, hooks, while your partner bobs and weaves around your punches. Also, start thinking of where a hypothetical camera could be filming you from and where the best angle in your mind is to sell your hits.

————————

Now get out there, Warm Up, TRAIN HARD, stay safe, and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

> > > Next, learn how to Film realistic Fight Choreography on Camera!

< < < Check out last week's article on How to Study Fight Scenes

Fast warmup routine for Martial Arts

Here is a quick warmup routine that you can follow if you need to warm up quickly for martial arts, breakdancing, tricking, or any other physical activity that requires you to be limber!

Here is the breakdown in a list format..

Neck & Traps.
– Half Circles
– Side Leans
– Head Turns

Shoulders
– Shoulder Circles
– Arm Circles
– Arm Swings

Core & Back
– Torso Twists
– Yoga Side Bends
– Yoga Back Bend
– Forward Fold

Legs
– Straight Leg Swings (Forward, Side, Back)
– Deep Side Crouch (moving)
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– Front Lunges

Full Body
– Roundhouse Kicks
– Side Kicks
– Spinning Hook Kicks

This is my personal routine that I follow when I’m in a hurry, and it is based on a mixture of TaeKwondo, Shaolin Kungfu, Yoga, and XMA. The focus is on “Dynamic Stretching” movements which will warm and limber you up, while keeping your strength and speed up for training. I usually try to save the “Static Stretching” (stretches where you stay still) exercises until the end of my workout, to maximize the flexibility benefits and cool myself off effectively!

Rustic Bodomov, Rustic B, doing his 5 minute warmup for Martial Arts, Tricking, Stunts.

Check out some more of my how-to videos and tutorials:
Front Handspring
Kip Up (Jump to Feet)
The Handstand
Parkour Roll / Judo Breakfall
Step Vault (Parkour)
Fast 5 Minute Warmup for Tricking, Stunts, and Martial Arts

Hope you enjoyed my 5 minute warmup video. Have fun and stay safe!

Learn Fight Choreography (How to film fight scenes PART 1)

Welcome to Part 1 of my article series on how to create your own realistic fight scenes!

I am writing this series from my personal experiences in the action film industry, as I attempt to breakdown the science of how to make your own fight scene and learn fight choreography! This is Part 1, links to the other articles in the series are below..
Part 2 >> Learning basic Fight Moves
Part 3 >> Selling hits and filming your first Fight Scene

Learning Fight Choreography and how to film your own fight scenes can seem like a daunting task.. but as with anything in life, if you go into it with an open mind and a willingness to “fail your way to success”, anyone can teach themselves the techniques to make a piece of badass action filmmaking!

Learn how to make, film fight scenes and learn fight choreography like in this image from The Raid.
The Raid (Clicking the images will take you to some cool fight scenes.)

When I started learning this stuff, I didn’t have anyone to teach me, so I hope this multi-part article will get you going in the right direction.. In this series of articles I will walk you through an overall approach, with future posts explaining more in-depth details.

So, let’s say our hypothetical question of this series is “how do I make a fight scene?”. Let’s break this down into several steps..

Watch and study a lot of fight scenes!! Everyone eventually develops their own flavor of what good action film making and fight choreography is. There are hundreds of different ways and styles to film the same story, so you should immerse yourself in as many different types of action films you can think of. My personal favorite sources of good fight choreography and action scenes as of now are The Raid, Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak, and of course the Jackie Chan movies that got me into stunts.

Another good set of resources to get your creative fight choreography and action scene juices flowing, are video games! For example after playing Batman: Arkham City for several hours, I started thinking in Batman’s fighting style. This principle translates to many other fighting games.. it is also the reason you see so many “live action” fight scenes being made as homages to the fans’ favorite characters.

Donnie Yen plays the chinese hero, IP Man. He is one of the better fight choreographers and performers, and his fight scenes result in some inventive and creative fight choreography.
Donnie Yen in IP MAN

Take notes! Go on, make a list of your favorite action movies.. now look them up on YouTube and find their respective fight scenes. Really study the performers and their fight choreography (use the youtube slo-mo feature or download the video and play it back on your computer), and observe your response to the choreography.

– Which moves catch your eye the most?
– What camera angles are used to sell the hits?
– Can you tell which moves are very technical?
– Given the chance, would you do something differently?

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Pay attention to the camera work, see how the camera man interacts with the performances you are watching.. Write down your thoughts and observations.

“Just as a director who knows how to act will be able to create a believable story on the big screen, and the best actors are ones who can direct themselves.. so must you want to learn everything there is to learn about your subject matter.”

Now for this week’s ‘fight choreography homework’.. have a surf around YouTube and pick 3 of your favorite fight scenes. Then write an answer to each of the questions I proposed above.. or make up your own notes! The point here is to get you observing the choreography and breaking it down in your mind.

Here are some of my favorite fight scenes to get you started:
Jet Li – Unleashed
The Raid – Hallway Fight
Jackie Chan – Police Story 2 (playground fight)
Jackie Chan – Drunken Master (final fight)
Man of Tai Chi – Tiger Hu Chen
The Matrix Reloaded – Neo vs Seraph

Jackie Chan and Jet Li, both masters of fight choreography, finally verse each other in a fight scene from The Forbidden Kingdom.Jet Li and Jackie Chan fight in The Forbidden Kingdom

Until next time, stay safe and keep your chin up! Nothing in life is as hard as we make it seem. You are the only person who can influence and manifest your happiness 🙂

NEXT LESSONS:
Part 2 >> Learning basic Fight Moves
Part 3 >> Selling hits and filming your first Fight Scene

Stunt Showreel and updates for 2014

I just finished my Stunt showreel that I will be using to get jobs in Hollywood in 2014! Check it out below..

One of the biggest dilemmas about working in the action film industry (and the entertainment business in general) is waiting on your hard-earned footage to actually be published, so you can use it to get more work. The usual wait time before you get your footage can be anywhere from 2 to 6 months..so consequently, when you finally get that amazing stunt that you filmed 6 months ago, you are usually waiting on another 5 clips to be published.

Hollywood stuntman and martial artist Rustic Bodomov is doing a handstand for his stunt showreel for 2014.

That is why I decided to publish my stunt showreel yesterday. This one combines some footage from previous years, and includes some of my new stunts from this past year. Once again, this isn’t anywhere close to everything I have done in the last 12 months, but it just means that my next year’s stunt showreel will just be that much better!

And now for some updates and news..

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Recently I was featured on the Martial Arts Tricking blog, LoopKicks. I just want to thank my friend Jeremy Price for his hard work, and for making my day with that article! You have inspired me to write more from the heart.

Last week I worked (acted, stunts) on my first national commercial! Can’t wait for my Chex Mix spot to air sometime in July 😀

I haven’t written for my site in a little while, as I have been busy working as a full time writer and social media frontman for ActionAcademy.TV. But now that we have grown that site, with the help of the awesome Huffington Post writer, Andrew Benkovic, I am once again free to continue working on my personal blog.. SO, expect some new articles coming soon!

I’ve also been learning the art of Film Producing this past year, with the help of my friends. We formed a production company called The Angelo Brothers, and have about 4 projects currently going through post-production. Once we are finished doing editing & VFX on everything, though, make sure you keep your eyes on our joint YouTube channel for some awesome videos! http://Youtube.com/TheMrMenagerie

And last (but definitely not least), I will be reviving my personal youtube channel with some tutorials for you guys! I will focus on Martial Arts, Tricks, Stunts, Parkour, Fitness, and Meditation. If there is anything you’ve seen me do that you would like to learn, please don’t hesitate to ask!