FAQ

A fight director is a person skilled in choreographing and teaching stage and screen combat. We ensure that fights:

• support the director’s vision

• tell a story

• hit essential beats

• are visually compelling

• are as true to the reality as is necessary

• and (above all) are safe!

First of all, to keep everyone safe! Experience is vital to spotting accidents before they happen - fight directors are your first line of defence against things going wrong, or putting your cast and crew in unneccessary danger.

Secondly, we are trained exhaustively in the most effective ways of teaching and choreographing. This will save you time and money, keep actors comfortable and happy, and produce a great final product!

This depends on the director! The process can be a conversation, where we expand the context and characters together to build the fight; alternatively we can be an effective method of delivery for your vision - lending our skill and expertise to make it happen.

Of course this varies wildly due to many factors (performer experience/skill, style, space etc), but I usually loosely estimate that six seconds of fight equates to one hour of time with a fight director.

Much the same as how a dancer is trained in dance, a fight performer is someone who is trained, experienced and comfortable in physically performing combat. They may be actors, stunt performers, athletes or a mix of the above. It should be noted that Martial Artist does NOT equal Fight Performer! While martial arts training can be valuable in the development of a fight performer, it is a different skill set. You could be hiring a world champion combat athlete, but that does not always make them a safe fight performer.

Finally, sometimes used in the same context, is ‘actor-combatant’. This usually refers to an actor who is also trained to an advanced level in stage/screen combat.

Again, first up is safety. There are few substitutes for experience, and favouring trained fight performers is a great way of getting more experience into a project.

Secondly is time saving - if the basics are to be revised rather than taught from scratch, we save time and money, and can usually produce a higher level of fight.

Of course, like many skills, anyone be trained on the job. Many actors, with the right mindset, can learn as part of the rehearsal process - a fight director will not expect a full cast of fight performers, but having any on board will be a welcome bonus!

Most production insurance packages encompass fights - of course it is worth checking for this specifically when you take our a policy!

Fight directors’ insurances tend to cover liability, especially during the rehearsal process.

Stage/screen combat courses provide training and accreditation in many key aspects of physical performance.

Standard level courses cover a broad range of skills that are vital for staying safe (and looking good) when doing anything from performing a fall to to an epic duel!

Higher levels (intermediate, advanced & specialisation) are for anyone who wishes to develop their skills beyond the fundamentals. This is a path open to anyone, but is essential if violence is something you are likely to be asked to perform.

I recommend any performer to keep on top of, at the very least, unarmed stage combat. These skills will cover so many things that you may be asked to do, and help prevent injury.

‘Martial arts’ covers a very broad range of disciplines and skills. The primary differences however between martial arts and stage/screen combat are:

• Martial arts techniques are usually designed for real fighting

• Stage/screen combat is about fighting as a character, not as yourself

• Stage/screen combat is storytelling - many martial arts try to avoid telegraphing to their opponent, never mind to an audience!

• Well-developed muscle memory can in fact hinder your fight performance, as you may be fighting instinct

Some similarities however, include:

• Physical health and fitness can aid both martial arts and fight performance

• Awareness of distance and timing are essential to both disciplines

• Knowledge of techniques in martial arts can be used to enhance performance combat, if handled properly