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 Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Acting |
 Topic: Combat Sources( Topic Closed) |
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Hill
Walk-On 
Joined: 10/12/06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
 Topic: Combat SourcesPosted: 1/27/07 at 8:07am |
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I'm new at this, so please be kind. Thanks,
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eveharrington
Celebrity 
Joined: 8/28/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 198 |
Posted: 1/27/07 at 5:36pm |
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I don't have any references for you, but I will give you some advice based on a recent experience. If your actors are not trained in stage combat, then don't get bogged down in foot placement and which clock position their swords are at. Just choreograph something they can work with and get used to or else it will be slow and you'll see them remembering where to put their feet.
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"If nothing else, there's applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights."
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Shatcher
Celebrity
Joined: 2/21/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 251 |
Posted: 1/29/07 at 11:31am |
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I would sugest finding someone who knows what they are doing to do the fights. Those swords may be props but you can still get hurt pretty bad!
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dboris
Celebrity
Joined: 2/10/04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 124 |
Posted: 1/29/07 at 12:43pm |
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I have to agree with "Shatcher", try to find someone who has already has fight choregraphy experience, it's not something that can easly be learned by reading a few books or web sites. Try contacting local colleges that have theater programs. You could also try your local chapter of the SCA, Society for Creative Anachronism, www.sca.org.
Dan
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Topper
Celebrity
Joined: 1/27/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 543 |
Posted: 1/30/07 at 12:37am |
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You might also try contacting the Society of American Fight Directors. www.safd.org You will be able to contact a certified fight choreographer in your region. The "links" page on their website will also offer many resources.
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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone
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POB14
Celebrity
Joined: 7/01/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 349 |
Posted: 1/30/07 at 9:25am |
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You have two choices:
1) Get a real fight choreographer, as others have suggested.
2) Perform the Endless Parry, as described by Michael Green in The Art of Coarse Acting (get it, read it, love it): stand absolutely still, parry high, parry low, repeat until tired, then B holds up his arm, A puts his sword under it, B falls down clutching his bowels.
 Anything else WILL get someone hurt.
Whatever you do, the fight MUST be rehearsed at EVERY rehearsal once it's learned, and before EVERY night of the run.
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POB
Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
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eveharrington
Celebrity
Joined: 8/28/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 198 |
Posted: 2/02/07 at 12:25am |
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Those are good sources and I didn't certainly didn't mean to imply you should play fast and loose with the choreography, safety is key. I just meant that I recently did a show where we had a college student in the cast with stage combat training and he tried pretty hard to teach the two actors involved the basics. Unfortunately they had no experience and the fight required them to do slightly fancy stuff like cross the room, get nose to nose, and fall onto furniture. The things he taught them about sword placement and foot positioning were no doubt important, but at show time the fight ended up looking a bit slow and ,well, choreographed. I just wonder if it would have been better to let them slack on the feet a little and concentrate on the sword placement so that it moved more naturally. I don't have any training in this area myself so perhaps someone with the proper wisdom could let us know. I don't want to get someones eye poked out.
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"If nothing else, there's applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights."
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Topper
Celebrity
Joined: 1/27/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 543 |
Posted: 2/02/07 at 9:45am |
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I was hired to stage a swordfight for a play. Sadly, I got fired after the first run-through.
*buh-duh-boom!*
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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone
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eveharrington
Celebrity
Joined: 8/28/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 198 |
Posted: 2/02/07 at 1:33pm |
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"If nothing else, there's applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights."
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theGeneral96
Player 
Joined: 4/06/07 Location: Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
Posted: 4/11/07 at 10:44am |
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Having done fight choreography for a large show, with young actors(11-17 years old) I know how hard it can be. First, you must never ask the actors to do something they are uncomfortable doing with a weapon. It will look awkward and thay will think of nothing else. The easiest thing I can recommend is to choose a series of moves and repeat them a few times. If it is somethimg basic and quick, this works quite well, as the actors will have the same moves ingrained and will be able to perform them fluidly and easily. If you need something more complex, I agree with finding someone with some experience and training. Best of luck.
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It's been Surreal!
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What's a good website or source material for fight scene choreography? I have a student who volunteered to research this, so I'd like to help him as much as possible!