Fight Scenes: How to make a Short Film with Stunts

Hey guys! As you all know, I’ve been getting really busy with my stuntman career over the last couple of years, as well as teaching How to do Stunts on my YouTube channel, which has been growing exponentially.. hence the lack of blog posts. But I recently had a Film School student send me a series of questions about fight scenes for some research she was doing, and I would like to share my response with you!
Rustic Bodomov playing a samurai with armor made out of books for a music video.
Book Samurai on a Music Video
Below is my brief email interview with this Film Student, as I answer questions regarding all aspects of Stunts and how it pertains to a short film she is planning on filming.. Enjoy!
——
State your name, age, profession and years of experience.
I’m Rustic Bodomov, 26 years old, Hollywood Stuntman and Stunt Coordinator with 7 years experience in the industry. My physical training background started with Taekwondo at 7 yrs old, and Judo at 12 yrs old.
 
What are the important skills required for performing fight scenes?
The most important skills are air awareness, body conditioning, knowing how to fall, and the ability to learn new skills quickly. The skills and conditioning levels required take years to master.
 
What are the risks of being a stunt performer?
Stunt Performers risk serious injury, and even death.
 
Are there any differences when conducting stunts such as car crashes, falls from great height, explosion and fighting?
Yes, those stunts are all different. They all require good body awareness, but each one uses different skills and equipment.
– Car Crashes require knowledge of your whole vehicle and years of training, as well as specialized seat belts, helmets, roll cages, and pads..
– Falling from heights requires EXCELLENT AIR AWARENESS and specialized Air Bags and landing equipment..
– Explosions require highly skilled pyrotechnics technicians, stunt riggers, and safety people. The performer must have a good sense of timing, and a special awareness of everything in the moment in order to make adjustments..
– Fight Scenes have a whole other set of skills which require full control over your body, the ability to learn and perform fight choreography quickly and safely, and the ability to work with any partner effectively (whether it’s a seasoned stunt performer, or a brand new actor) to make a fight scene look good.
 
PRE-PRODUCTION:
1) Rustic, I will make an action short film next year for this research study. Can I conduct my own stunts in a short period of time? If yes, what do I need to prepare for my film production?
It depends what kind of stunt you are talking about. If you are doing a simple fall onto a crash pad that is out of frame, or doing a simple fight scene, you can definitely learn it in a short amount of time. In this case, I would recommend watching my tutorials on Youtube on how to learn basic stunts…. if you are planning on having bigger stunts like Car Crashes, Car Chases, Falls to the Ground, etc, I would recommend you hire a professional Stunt Coordinator to help you out. When working on a low budget, you still might be able to find people in your area who are starting out, who will work with you to build their resume.
 
2) How to direct fight scenes with my team?
You need to start with your script, and design your fight scene choreography based on several factors. Take into account how your characters move, what your location will look like, if they have any props or weapons… and most importantly, if you’re working with actors on a  low budget, pay attention to what your actors can actually do! Don’t design anything for them that they will look awkward doing. Again, I would recommend getting a stunt coordinator or fight choreographer involved as early on as you can, and they will help you out immensely.. (I have several tutorials about how to perform fight choreography, but I will make another one on design soon.)
 
3) What kind of equipment is suitable for filming fight scenes and stunt movement?
You can film on anything, as long as you understand how to set up your framing, where to hide pads, and how it will edit together.
 
4) How do I apply camera movement in fight scenes and how does it relate to fight choreography?

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Watch my tutorial on Camera Tips (episode 2), but if you’re asking how to do camera “shake”.. you need to imagine your camera is someone who is actually watching the fight, and trying to follow it from the inside. Try to keep the action (your stunt hits and reactions) in the center of the frame, while adding a little camera movement in the direction of the impacts and fight choreography… don’t shake, but float with the fight.
 
CASTING:
1) How to stage the cast or stunt performers in fight scenes?
Make sure your actors are adjusted differently for every new angle that you film. The “stacking” will work differently depending on where you’re seeing the choreography from. A general rule is to keep at leas 6 inches of space between someone’s attack and the other person’s reaction.
 
2) What if the cast doesn’t know about performing stunt choreography? Would they need special training from a stunt coordinator, and how long would that take ?
If your actors don’t know anything about fight choreography, I would DEFINITELY take them somewhere to train. The more they can prepare, the better.. the most important thing is for them to look like they’re actually comfortable throwing punches and taking reactions. If you have a qualified fight coordinator training your cast, you can expect your actors to have the basics down within 3-4 training sessions… but if you need a complicated fight scene, they would likely need 3-4 weeks.
 
3) Who casts the Stunt Doubles for Actors? How?
The Stunt Coordinator and is in charge of picking the Stunt Double. Once you know who your Actor is, the stunt coordinator looks through his network of stunt performers, and picks someone with the same Height/Weight, and body build. Then the stunt coordinator sends that stunt performer’s info to Production to be confirmed.
 
4) Are a Stunt Performer’s training background and physical fitness important? Why ? How ?
– YES, as a stuntman it is very important to have a background in what you’re doing. If you have someone who has trained in Martial Arts, they will look better in a Martial Arts style fight scene, than someone who doesn’t. If you need someone to do a chase on a motorcycle, you want to hire someone who has raced motorcycles.
– Physical Fitness for stunt performers is also VERY important. Professional stuntmen and stunt-women go to the gym, and train their bodies every day for years, in order to be able to perform stunts over and over without hurting themselves, and be safe to go to work the next day.
 
5) Is the staging of your cast, and the application of camera movement in stunt choreography related to each other?
YES! And a good stunt coordinator will help you choose the best angles for your action.
– In Fight Scenes, the body placement and footwork of your actors, the fight choreography, and the camera movement all need to work together to get the best angles.
– In other Stunts, such as High Falls, Car Hits, and any other impact. Camera placement ALWAYS works in tandem with your stunt performers to make the action look best.

 

POST-PRODUCTION:
1) How do I edit fight scenes in post-production?
This is a complicated question, that I will be answering in my next couple of editing tutorials (I am planning 4 of them). But the quick answer is.. you have to do it at least 5-10 times to get the hang of it… so go shoot some practice fights, and start learning!
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Rustic B dressed as a character from Assassin's Creed, doing a wallflip.
Wallflip for a Rap Battle I did as Assassin’s Creed
Let me know if you guys enjoyed this type of article and would like to see more!
Feel free to email me at rusticbfights@gmail.com if you have questions or feedback!

How to do a Front Handspring

Here is a write-up on my Front Handspring Tutorial!

This is one of the first gymnastics moves that I learned..because it’s one of the simplest! So let’s get into the details of how to do a Front Handspring..

The Front Handspring is a pretty common move that you see used in parkour videos, dance routines, and as some people’s go to “party stunt”, because it’s relatively safe. It also feels very satisfying every time you do it, once you commit it to muscle memory!

The Front Handspring is one of the first moves that I learned back when I first started out doing stunts, parkour, and gymnastics (the other first move was The Handstand). So this is a good beginner move to get into your movement repertoire early on!

Some key points to remember when learning how to do a front handspring, are..

Lunge into the takeoff, like you would for a cartwheel or a roundoff.

Use your shoulders and keep your arms straight to start the spring motion.

Spring through the air and open your hips/arch your back in the air.

Land it just like the Kip Up! Chest and eyes forward.

Spread your feet wide, and land on the balls of your feet! If your handspring is weak, you can still catch yourself on your feet with the proper landing. Something that really helps me think about getting my landings correctly, is to try to do the movement as quietly as possible.

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And lastly, with this move, just like the Kip Up..

YOU HAVE TO WANT IT to land it! Just like any gymnastics or stunt movement that requires some skill, it won’t happen by itself! At one point you may hit a wall where you know you need to just do it..so do it!

When I first learned the front handspring, I had been practicing the handstand and kip up for a couple weeks. At one point I found a slightly slanted grassy hill, and just went for the move.

Thanks for watching, BE SAFE, HAVE FUN, see you next time!

Rustic Bodomov demonstrating how to do a front handspring in his stunt, parkour, gymnastics, martial arts tutorial.

I hope you found this article and video helpful, and if you want to see more feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel! ..and if you have any feedback or questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

More how-to videos and tutorials:
Kip Up
The Handstand
Parkour Roll / Judo Breakfall
Step Vault (Parkour)
Fast 5 Minute Warmup for Tricking, Stunts, and Martial Arts

Have a great day, stay safe, and happy training!

How to do a Kip Up (Tutorial)

Here is a write-up on my Martial Arts Kip Up Tutorial!

Do you want to learn how to jump to your feet like a ninja? Well, I’m here to tell you how! The traditional name for this move is the “Kip Up”, or “Kick Up”. The Kip Up is a very common move that you see people using in their fight scenes, breakdancing routines, and tricking combos, all over the internet. It’s also just a very useful move to know how to do in every day life, once you can perform it smoothly.

The Kip Up is one of the first moves that I learned back when I first started out doing gymnastics (the other first move was The Handstand). So this is a good beginner move to get into your stunt repertoire early on!

Some key points to remember when learning how to do a kip up, are..

Pop off the ground FAST with your hands! Put some muscle into it to make this move effective! You have to want to land it.

Uncoil / Open your hips up to the sky in the middle of the movement! This, combined with a good push, will launch your body up like a spring.

Spread your feet wide, and land on the balls of your feet! If your kip-up is weak, you can still catch yourself on your feet with the proper landing. Something that really helps me think about getting my landings correctly, is to try to do the movement as quietly as possible.

And lastly, with this move..

YOU HAVE TO WANT IT to land it! Just like any gymnastics movement that requires some skill, it won’t happen by itself! At one point you may hit a wall where you know you need to just do it..so do it!
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When I first learned the kip up, I taught myself by putting my mattress on the floor in my room. Once I could land it on that, I took my training outside on a slight hill. Then I went to flat grass.. so you can always find the “equipment” you need for you to learn anything! Just be creative. 🙂

Thanks for watching, BE SAFE, HAVE FUN, see you next time!

Rustic Bodomov demonstrating how to do a kip up in his stunt, parkour, gymnastics, martial arts tutorial.

I hope you found this article and video helpful, and if you want to see more feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel! ..and if you have any feedback or questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

More how-to videos and tutorials:
Front Handspring
The Handstand
Parkour Roll / Judo Breakfall
Step Vault (Parkour)
Fast 5 Minute Warmup for Tricking, Stunts, and Martial Arts

Have a great day, stay safe, and happy training!

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!