The following is a brief attempt to answer some of the more common
questions regarding stage and screen combat. Just click on a question below
for information.
It's not a definitive guide so if anything is unclear or if there is something else
that you would like to know that is not included then please contact us. If
you have questions about specific organisations it may be prudent to contact
them directly if you have their details. If not we'll do our best to answer
queries or point you in the right direction.
Stage combat is a variety of theatrical techniques designed to create the illusion of physical violence whilst maintaining the safety of the performers and audience. Employed to create effective story telling of dramatic action, its techniques can be applied and adapted for a variety of media including theatre, opera, ballet, film and motion capture. It is a valuable field of study for actors, dancers, stunt and circus performers and is increasingly being taught in schools due to its social and educational attributes.
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Independent Drama delivers training for students from 8 years old upwards. We can provide certification courses for children aged 9 years old and above. There's no upper limit. Standard workshops are aimed at ages 18 and older.
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A general level of fitness is fine for most stage combat classes. If you have a high level of fitness or gymnastic skills this may be handy for certain productions but generally trained skill wins out over super fitness for most roles. If you have physical difficulties they need not prevent you performing certain elements of stage combat as an actor. If you have any doubts regarding your ability for an ID course please feel free to e-mail any enquiries. We treat all enquiries with confidence and will make all reasonable efforts to accommodate specific needs.
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Stage combat skills can be applied across a variety of media including theatre, opera, ballet, circus, stunts and motion capture. With stage combat training you add another dimension to your acting skills. The higher your skill level the more marketable and versatile you will be and the more ambitious projects you can attempt.
Stage combat draws upon a variety of fields of influence including martial arts, historical and modern weapon techniques, military training and competitive fencing. As such it can provide a useful insight into other training you may be undertaking, even if it's just to show how some real techniques may not be suitable for theatrical use.
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No. If you just like to meet people and learn a new skill then stage combat is just as suitable as going to a local dance class. Acting will help you be good at 'selling' techniques for an audience but that can come with practice and our tutors are there to coach the acting side as well as the fighting side.
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You don't need any prior experience to do stage combat. Certain courses will require some prior experience or entry level requirements to ensure they are pitched appropriately for students. Any pre course requirements will be listed under individual course details.
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Safety is at the core of good stage combat training, teaching you how to fight like you mean it whilst keeping yourself and others safe. It employs a variety of theatrical techniques designed to create the illusion of physical violence whilst maintaining the safety of the performers and audience. It's rare that anything in life is 100% safe but effective knowledge, training and acquired skills will greatly reduce the chances of any accidents and potentially reduce the severity of injury if something does go wrong. Being safety conscious also means people are more likely to want to work with you.
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Yes and no. Yes in that stage combat draws inspiration from martial arts and fencing and prior and training in either may provide you with good co-ordination, fitness and an understanding of martial logic. However whilst the techniques may look similar there are significant differences in their execution with regards to safety and illusion. If you are an experienced martial artist or fencer you may find yourself unlearning many aspects of your art in order to learn stage combat properly.
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Stage combat is a useful skill which can be utilised within the stunt industry but stunt training covers a wider range of activities. Advanced actors combatants (stage combatant trained actors) are often some of the most skilled sword fighters in the entertainment industry as they train constantly in this specialist field. However jumping off tall buildings, crashing cars and horse riding etc. are additional special skills which fall under the stunt category. Each country has different regulations regarding stunt qualifications so you will need to check with the appropriate bodies if you wish to train as a stunt performer. Alternatively if you want to be an actor who does their own fights then stage combat is a handy place to start.
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Fight Choreographers and Fight Directors are specialists who facilitate the process of creating dramatic action that is safe and appropriate to the ability of the participants involved. They have knowledge of dramatic theory, history, directing, teaching and acting as well fight skills. Fights are devised in collaboration with the director and can vary widely from true realism to outright fantasy depending upon the requirements of a particular production and the director's vision.
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If you have any type of staged violence from a simple fall or slap, all the way up to a mass battle with weapons then you should employ a fight choreographer / director.
ID has choreographers who work on large professional productions but also choreographers who are happy to work on fringe and armature productions so please contact us whatever the size of your production.
ID Fight Choreographers work closely with a productions creative team and will facilitate the process of creating dramatic action that is safe and appropriate to the ability of the participants involved. It's a good idea to get an ID Fight Choreographer involved as early as possible on a production to allow time to address a range production requirements including:
- Sourcing appropriate and safe weapons
- Planning and delivering any required fight training for the cast
- Choreographing and teaching fights to the cast
- Consulting with wardrobe regarding safety issues of costuming
- Consulting with set design to take account of potential dangers for any fights
- Provide ID casting services for experienced actor combatants if required
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