F. Braun McAsh is a fight director, actor, stage combat instructor, writer and swordmaster living in Canada. His film and television credits include "Highlander" (seasons 3-6 as well as the "Highlander: Endgame" film), "Mythquest", "Cold Iron", and numerous others. He has over one hundred theatrical credits including working as the fight director for the Shaw and Stratford festivals.

"The Fight Scene From Page To Screen" originally appeared in Martial Arts Insider magazine.

Most people, if asked, fully understand that fight scenes in film and television are choreographed; the actors don’t just go out there and hammer away at each other. However, few realize the degree of preparation necessary before the first blow can be staged. The process from script to camera can be a long one. In this installation, I intend to present the minimum questions a fight director must ask before the “hammer and tongs” part can begin. Of primary importance: What is the story the fight is trying to tell? Fights are, after all, supposedly in the script for a dramatic purpose. (Well...let’s just say they should be.) The easiest way to determine this is to imagine the fight gone from the script and see what changes in the story its removal incurs. After that, who are the characters in the fight? What’s their relationship prior to the fight, and how can the fight be used to explore or change it? This may sound a bit facile, but what a character chooses to do - or not do - in a violent situation says a lot about his or her personality. It’s also a question that only the actor portraying the role can ultimately answer, so...

What does the director want? In its most basic form, this means what does he expect, dramatically, from the fight(s)? (This sort of devolves back to discovering what purpose they serve the script - More on your relationship with the director later. Now here’s a biggie; what is the time period? This is going to dictate a lot. First, it will determine the costume style; which, in turn, will greatly affect how the actor moves. Are they wearing shoes or boots, and do the boots have riding heels and spurs? Do they wear capes? Bearing in mind that capes were often worn from right shoulder to left armpit to free the hilt of the sword, and that capes were often utilized as ancillary weapons. Is the weapon secured with belt and frog, or baldrick, and is the scabbard rigid or flexible? Are there costume accessories such as neck-chains or whatnot that must be tacked down to prevent them from bouncing and getting caught in the action? Will they be wearing wigs? (I once had a wig twist around on an actor’s head, blinding him in the middle of a move. Wigs also hold in heat and add to performer fatigue.) Hats, regard less of style, would be flung off, but often figure into a formal salute. Can padding be worn under the costume? (Try hiding knee pads under tights...) Is armour to be worn, and if so what style? (Note: Armour must be constructed authentically, otherwise the actor becomes the Tin Man; however, it need no longer be heavy. Recently, I wore chain-mail made from aluminum wire.)

Time period will most certainly dictate the choice of weapons. This will be further dictated by location and culture. What were the Persians using in the 16th century? Remember too, that there are often cross-overs. From the Renaissance on, a distinction was drawn between civilian and military weapons. Later, the Spanish with their Destreza system retained the rapier long after other nations adopted the small sword. What is appropriate for the character’s profession, class and social position? A two-handed sword is easier to control for an inexperienced swordsman than a single-banded weapon, but not all time periods allow for it. Are two weapons used in tandem such as the rapier and dagger, or sword and shield or buckler? What are the fighting styles for the weapon? Can you choose different styles for each performer so that their fighting technique is visually different to the audience? (You remember the audience—the people we’re actually doing all this for?) The rapier, for example, allows for a wide variety of fighting styles and off-hand weapons. If you are in the present day, or in a fantasy or sci-fi genre, your choice is really only limited to...well...what the director wants, the overall production design, and what the actors can handle. I won’t get into designing your own weapons here, (Can-of-Worms Alert!] except to say that man has been designing instruments of destruction for several thousand years, so if you think you’re the first to come up with a particularly nifty idea, there’s probably a reason for it. PS: the Batlith looks pretty, but as a practical weapon, it sucks…Res Ipsa Loquitur.

Right! Now the set designs are coming in and Location scouting is under way, so we have to consider the Physical Environment. First, if it’s a constructed artifice, you can control all the elements: walls, stairs, furniture, etc. Here, it’s time to get the director back and have him tell you how long he wants the fight to be and where in the physical environment it travels, [Point A to Point B—draw a map!) Do you want certain actions that will require reinforcing the set or the furniture? Are there rugs or carpets that must be firmly tacked down? Will things get broken? What is owned, and what is rented? Recently, on Smallville, I had a fight that involved an armchair, only to be told on the day, by the set-decorations person (who never made the production meeting], that the leather chair in question was a rental with a replacement cost of $40,000. Do we need stuntmen? (Stuntmen need every bit as much training as the actor, especially if historical weapons are involved. They must also watch the actor rehearse to duplicate the principal’s personal body movement.)

Here’s where you should ask the director how he wishes to cover the fight. It may be possible to use stuntmen to perform long phrases of continuous action the actors can’t learn, or at least learn at speed. This also frees the actors to concentrate on learning smaller portions of the fight to a much higher degree of proficiency (and safety), More specifically, if the director can tell you (or you can suggest) when a dramatic head-and-shoulders close-up might be appropriate, it’ll save you from choreographing and rehearsing action that’ll NEVER BE SEEN! The movement plot should tell you the number of phrases the fight will require to traverse the necessary space. Do not choreograph more than the director (or the space) needs—it probably won’t get shot.

You also have to consider how the scene is going to be lit. Certain colours affect the eye’s ability to perceive depth and distance. Going from high-light to low-light also dilates the pupil of the eye, producing the same effect, so a pause should be built into the choreography when this occurs. And naturally, any FX such as explosions or flame effect must be compensated for. As for wire-work, well, don’t get me started. Let me just say it worked brilliantly in Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon and the Matrix. They were both fantasies; Let your genre be your guide. Myself, I prefer to leave cartooning to animators.

Finally, when a shooting schedule is available, you must immediately identify your rehearsal windows. Is there money to bring actors in prior to shooting so they can learn how to use the weapons before forcing the choreography on them? Such skills are hard to come by and so much of the performer’s safety is tied to their ability to precisely control the weapon. Often, the length and complexity of the fight wilt be dictated solely by how much rehearsal time the actor is allowed. It’s also a good thing to videotape the fight rehearsals, preferably from several angles (i.e. long-wide, two POVs [point of views], an overhead, etc.) This keeps the director up to speed, since it’s not always possible for him to attend rehearsals, and also gives him a resource from which to develop a shot list. It also allows him to make corrections or additions while the fight is still developing, and the time to incorporate his direction is there. If there are any directors reading this, may I be permitted to give you a gentle suggestion? YOU CAN’T CHANGE ACTION ON THE DAY! I know you’re the DIRECTOR, but you must understand that no professional throws fights together on the spot, at least not with weapons, because that’s exactly what it ends up looking like, and it can also be frighteningly dangerous. The actor’s safety must never be compromised. Ask yourself this: “Could I learn a whole new set of moves in a minute?” If you re-wrote dialogue, you’d expect to give the actor time to rehearse it. Well, dialogue never put out anyone’s eye...

Just a word about historical authenticity: We’re in the entertainment business, so fights don’t exist to instruct the audience. Technique helps tell the story of the fight. However, every bladed weapon is used in a very specific way, as predicated by its design (the grip, the hilt, the blade, etc.) If you are using the proper (i.e. historically accurate) technique, you are not forcing the weapon to execute moves for which it was never designed. This not only makes the choreography took better, it’s simply a hell of a lot safer. Even if I weren’t a bit on the pedantic side, that reason alone would be good enough for me.

So...do we have answers for all the questions posed above? Good. Now you have enough information to choreograph the first blow of the fight. And bear in mind that the above questions are the minimum requirements on your need-to-know list. We haven’t even begun to pose such questions as how to incorporate your environment into the fight, or how to utilize elements in it for makeshift weapons, or how to address multiple-attacker scenarios or mass battle scenes. Directors should understand this process so they can make the best possible use of the time and talent available to achieve the highest quality results. Actors should understand this process because so much of their safety depends on many of these questions being addressed.

OK—everybody play nice, Next time, RUNNING WITH THE SCISSORS: An Over-Rated Danger, or a New Reality-Series Concept?