Each summer, Fight Directors Canada, the national certification body for stage combat, holds an intensive workshop at which students can earn their next level of certification. It is attended by as many Fight Masters as possible, including international guests. For those living in places other than the big theatre centres in Canada, it may be…
Hitting things is usually satisfying. Watching a villain get away is stressful because we want to see the hero fight him into submission, and if he’s a murderer, we’ll root for the hero to kill him in revenge. Violent video games are best-sellers. Let’s not deny that if you practice swordplay or stage combat, you…
I was conflicted about posting this video, so click the link below with the understanding that: I do not condone the behaviour of any person depicted or involved in the video I am posting this in order to discuss the historical precedent (below) and not for mere entertainment This video and portions reposted are already…
I call stage combat the illusion of violence because I realized that convincing an audience that a fight is genuine while hiding the safety features is a magic trick. This is especially obvious if you watch magicians who saw their assistants in half or thrust swords through them. Misdirection About half of the effects in…
Human cooperation is a wonderful thing, and it’s my belief that cooperation is the singular reason why humanity has thrived. Although a single performer can put on a one-man show, theatre is most often a group effort. Filmmaking is nearly always done in teams. How do you fit into a team? What makes a good…
Safety. Simulation. Storytelling. These are the three pillars of stage combat. The first two cover all the individual skills we learn, from punches and hair-pulls to sword thrusts and zombie-slaying, every move must combine two factors: It must be safe for everyone involved: operator, victim, close-by actors and technicians, and audience. It must believably resemble…
I can't say enough good things about my alma mater: Rapier Wit studio in downtown Toronto. FDC Fight Master Daniel Levinson runs the longest-running independent stage combat school in Canada. After taking a one-semester stage combat course in university, I was looking for more opportunities to learn stage combat, and I was so fortunate to…
PlayFighting is not play-fighting. Yes, we play fighting: pretend combat. But play fighting is not play-fighting: combat amusement. Well, it is for entertainment, but not for the performers; for the audience. Although staging combat is fun... stage combat is an essential skill for any actor, stage or screen. Because every play is fighting. Drama is…
We'll start with news items curated by Major WES VON PAPINEÄU. Wes was in town last week, I hope you had a chance to engage him in his always insightful conversation, and read his blog posts about swords and combat pulled from headlines around the world: https://www.academieduello.com//news-blog/author/wesvonpapineau/ Custom Swords for a Play For authentic fight…
This week, we have three trailers of upcoming films that will hopefully have some great fight scenes. Let's take a look at each of these trailers, and analyze what we can expect. Hercules: The Legend Begins Hercules: The Legend Begins Trailer 2014 Movie - Official [HD]Watch this video on YouTube Progenitors The obvious comparison will…
Another eclectic offering of items … fight schools, stage, literature, history and popular culture. Whether you’re interested in the historical background of your favorite blade or chosen discipline; or interested in having some sort of kick-butt ‘white arm’ to bring to your Wii-fight, swords continue to consistently (if somewhat sparingly at times) appear in the…
Injuries happen on all sorts of entertainment projects. Don't be lulled into complacency because a big budget does not mean "safe". Watch this video on YouTube Here I'm quoting directly from the Wikipedia article pulled on 25 September, 2013: Five people have been injured while working on Spider-Man. After two stunt doubles were injured during…
There was a recent study Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on how people evaluate musical performances in contests shows that hearing the audio matters less than viewing the musician perform, even compared with a no-audio video. Check out the summary at Scientific American's 60-Second Science Blog Condition 1: audio only (compare the music…
David McCormick shares recent news and upcoming events: Hamlet David worked this summer with Bard on the Beach on Hamlet. The show has received excellent reviews, and there's still time to see it. David is credited as the Fight Consultant, under the auspices of Fight Director Nic Harrison, and received a Canada Council grant to…
Choreography should be more than stringing together combat movements in a random order. Based on last week's post Character in Choreography, you have some ideas how to customize your performance of a fight, but what about fight design? The Videogame Fallacy I love fighting games, and you can learn a lot about fighting styles from…
We've heard Fight Directors say some version of the following: You must act during the fight The choreography should be an expression of your character Don't worry about the speed, it's the intention that matters What does any of that mean? Imagine a Real Sword Fight The mentality and strategy of sword fighting largely remains…
On Monday night Academie Duello was part of a momentous event, the launch of CC Humphreys newest book Shakespeare's Rebel in a coproduction between ourselves and Bard on the Beach -- one of Canada's most celebrated Shakespeare festivals. I have to say that this was one of the most exciting and fantastic events of which…
A reminder about tomorrow's event with a title too long to fit in the header: Academie Duello and Bard on the Beach present Shakespeare's Rebel Book Launch & Sword Fight Event When? Monday, July 22nd, 7pm Where? Bard on the Beach, Vanier Park What? A fight show and book launch! Celebrate the launch of Bard…
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