Creating Compelling Choreography: From Blank Canvas to Breathtaking Battle. How to...

Creating choreography from scratch seems challenging (at first), but it’s also incredibly rewarding. As you loop through the cycle of creation, review, and learning, your skills will sharpen, your confidence will grow, and your choreographies will increasingly resonate with audiences. Remember, whether it’s a dance or a duel, choreography is about communication. You’re telling a story through movement. Want some help and advice on how to make it a story worth watching? Read on...

Embrace The Challenge of Starting from Scratch
Imagine being handed a script with a note saying, “Insert fight scene here.” With experience, this is wonderful as you're free to create. But if you're new to this stuff blank canvases can feel intimidating ... what do you do? What if it isn't good enough? How do you even do it?! If the page is blank the possibilities are endless, but the directive is daunting.

For many new choreographers and performers, creating choreography from scratch is akin to an artist staring at a blank canvas and trying to find the picture that isn't there. The point is to make one. In rough first. Then refine it in passes until it is a masterpiece. The initial challenge isn’t just about designing moves that are safe or technically effective; it’s about crafting a sequence that tells a story, reveals character, and ultimately captivates an audience. This task, while intimidating at first, offers a rich opportunity for creativity and expression. So get practicing!

Acknowledge The Cycle of Creation and Improvement ;)
The process of choreographing a fight scene or action sequence is cyclical and dynamic. It begins with conceptualisation. -envisioning the sequence that not only fits the narrative and time frame but also enhances it. Then comes the planning stage, where the broad strokes are laid down: who throws the first punch, how the environment is utilised, and how the fight advances the plot.

Each rehearsal and performance of the choreography is a chance to refine and respond to practical considerations and artistic insights. This is where the cycle of creation really develops its rhythm!

1. Create: Choreograph the sequence, keeping in mind the characters, the storyline, and the physical space.
2. Review: After rehearsing, take the time to evaluate the sequence. What worked? What didn’t? Why?
3. Learn: Incorporate feedback and your own observations. Adjust the choreography to improve both safety and dramatic impact.
4. Repeat: Run through the revised choreography. With each iteration, the sequence becomes more polished and effective.
   
   

This iterative process is so crucial, but often people rush it or try to skip past it. Make it ok to sketch something badly on the way to making it good, then great! Especially when starting out.

Each cycle sharpens the choreographer’s skills, hones their creative instincts, and deepens their understanding of character, motion and emotion. Additionally, by working in this way the speed at which you gain experience can be accelerated, simply by increasing the frequency of these cycles. The quicker you start, the more times you cycle through the choreo, the more you are creating, reviewing, and learning, so the quicker you grow as a choreographer.

Entertainment as the Ultimate Goal
Alongside the focus on technique and safety, it’s essential to remember the ultimate purpose of choreography in entertainment ... to thrill the audience. Each kick, punch, fall or dramatic moment is a brushstroke in a much larger picture the audience is seeing. A picture that is meant to evoke emotion and excitement. This is why Performers and Choreographers should keep perspective on things and always consider things from the audience’s perspective:

• Visual Clarity: Movements must be large enough and clear enough to be understood at a glance.
• Emotional Impact: The choreography should mirror the emotional stakes of the scene. Intense moments should feel frantic, while calculated moves might reflect a cooler, more deliberate character.
• Innovation and Interest: Avoid relying on clichés in action sequences. Work to bring something new to the table, whether it’s an unusual weapon, an unexpected setting, or a clever interplay between characters. Audiences love seeing something new or different! That is what makes work memorable and remarkable. 

​Practical Tips for Developing Your Confidence Choreography
If you're new to this, relax. This blog is full of advice, but here's are a few practical tips to reduce the pressure on yourself and ease the process of creating great a fight choreography:

• Start Small: Don’t choreograph a ten-minute epic battle on your first go. Start with a short, simple sequence. Simple things done well are just as entertaining. Master this first, then expand your range and increase the length of your fight choreo's.
• Use Playback as Feedback: Record the rehearsal, watch it back. Change ONE thing. Then go again. Do that 10 times. You'll advance far faster than spending an hour talking, trying to change 10 things and only rehearsing twice. This method is invaluable for catching little details that can be missed in the moment and the performers will learn and develop far faster. 
• Seek Feedback: Don't be too proud or afraid. Show your choreography to others and be open to their comments. It isn't criticism, its observations and take it onboard. Don't defend, soak it up and reflect upon why they said it. Fresh eyes find it easier to spot problems, or opportunities, that you might miss because you're too close to it.
• Stay Educated: Keep learning. Always be a student. Watch films, go to shows, take classes, practice with a variety of people, and always be open to trying new things and refining your skills.

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Have a Checklist. A Plan For How To Check your Plan...

1. Don't rush in. Understand the Story and Characters before you begin

• Narrative First: Every moment and movement in a fight choreography should advance the story or reveal something about the character. Understand the motivations of the characters involved in the scene and how these motivations influence their physical actions.
• Character Abilities: Consider the skills and physical limitations of the characters. A highly trained spy might handle a fight differently from an untrained but resourceful teenager. An injury would change how they move. As a fight progresses exhaustion would impact the way people fight and the energy or determination they display.
  
  

2. Start with Basics and Plan

• Sketch It Out: Begin with a simple sketch of the scene. Outline what needs to happen from start to finish. You don’t need every punch planned at this point, but know the major movements.
• Break It Down: Segment the scene into beginning, middle, and end. Start with how the characters encounter each other, move into the interaction’s peak, and conclude either with a clear winner or another plot advancement.
  
  

3. Use the Space Wisely and Make Use of the Environment!

• Interaction with the Environment: Utilise the set. Have characters interact with their environment. Walls, furniture, or natural terrain. Everything gives you something to use or react to. This not only makes the scene more dynamic but also more believable.
• Consider Camera Angles: If you're planning for film, think about how the camera will capture the action. Work with wide, medium, and close-up shots to vary the visual interest.
  
  

4. Focus on Clarity and Safety

• Safety First!: Choreograph movements that are safe for all performers involved. Use good working practices from stage combat and stunt work to ensure everyone knows how to perform actions safely. Also, start slow, practice precision and bring in speed and shorter distance between performers later. 
• Ensure Clarity: make sure that each movement is clear and visible, performers aren't blocking the camera or masking the action from audience, and avoid overly complex sequences that might seem technically great but confuse or miss the impact when viewed from afar.
  
  

5. Make use of Pacing and Rhythm

• Vary the Rhythm: Just like in dance, varying the rhythm and pace can make a fight far more interesting. Mix fast, intense exchanges with slower, more deliberate moves to build tension and release it throughout the scene. Allow for acting beats and moments too. Don't just go nuts until the end. Let the scene (and performers) breathe.  
• Pauses Are Powerful: Use pauses effectively to create suspense or give the audience time to absorb the action.

6. Rehearse and Refine

• Practice Makes Perfect: Knowing a Choreo and executing it perfectly are not the same thing. Rehearse the choreography multiple times, then keep going. With each run-through, refine movements and improve flow and fluidity to perfect it. This is how you add the impact.
• Create and use Feedback Loops: Utilise feedback from others, watch playbacks if possible, and be open to making adjustments to enhance the visual effectiveness and emotional impact of the choreography.
  
  

7. Emotional Impact and Expression

• Facial Expressions and Body Language: Characters’ faces and bodies should express their emotions and reactions throughout the fight. This adds to the believability and engagement of the choreography.
  
• Vocalise: Too often people overlook the importance of sound and dialogue. people don't fight in silence. They often have something to say too. And as fights go on, breathing will change. Use this to effect!
• Sell the Hits: Even perfectly safe, choreographed blows need to look impactful. Train performers to react realistically to hits to sell the fight's authenticity. Reactions sell hits. 
  
  

8. Utilise Various Fighting Styles

• Steal Like an Artist: Depending on your characters and setting, choose appropriate fighting styles. A street brawl will look different from a martial arts duel in terms of technique and aesthetics. And don't be afraid to borrow from different styles and adapt moves, or come up with your own. This is fighting for entertainment, you're not really in the ring. 
• Weaponry: If weapons are involved, ensure they are handled correctly and safely. Each weapon has its own set of movements and requires specific skills. Don't overlook the entertainment value of improvised weapons or using traditional weapons in unexpected ways either. Audiences love it.
  
  

9. Commit to Continuous Learning

• Watch and Learn: Study fight scenes from films and plays. Note what works and what doesn’t, and think critically about how to apply these observations to your own choreography. If you see something you like, recreate it and learn from that. 
• Workshops and Training: Attending workshops on fight choreography and stage combat can help, and training with a variety of people really helps too. Regular training not only improves skill and precision, but also provides new techniques and inspirations which will fuel your creativity.

To learn more about Fight Choreography or to put your skills into practice join one of our courses or come and train with our team.  See you soon, Champ!