In Choler Verona | Background | War Shots | How to make a War | Actor Contacts | More...

To make a war???  How does one go about making a war, and besides that, with only about 8 to 10 people.  Well, ya you could have them just really fight each other, but still, theres only 10 people and safety become a large issue...  So what do you do???  Maybe these ideas will help you the next time you make a war... War/Fight So you've decided to make a war...  First you need to understand that a gun fight is not a sword fight...and a fight is not a war...  Wars have hundreds and thousands of people, fights may have as little as two...  In Choler Verona, in the book, is a fight, but a large fight...  So it's not an all out war, but a few more then 20 people...  Fights are by far easier to make but still difficult.  So once you've decided what your doing, (fight or war) move down... Weapons That's great, you've made your mind on what your doing, now what are you going to fight with???  A fist fight, well that's easy, your fists...  But a large gun or sword fight...not so easily thrown together...  You must at least have one weapon per actor, you don't want some one fighting with nothing, doesn't look right...  So you will need a lot of weapons...  Find a cheep provider and buy a few.  They don't have to be high quality just something that will pass off.  You can also make your own, but keep in mind that they get damaged and won't last as long as store bought. Actors The cast in Braveheart was kindof big, just a little...but you most likely don't have that many people...  A.S.A.P. Films could probably get at most 20 people, which is a lot, don't get my wrong, but still not war material...  In Halite, over 50 guards died, and that was a gun fight...  In a sword fight however, a lot more, if not one whole side will be killed...  So, there is saddly a lot more death in a shorter time...  But how do I get more actors???  Simple, just contiue to kill different people, on both sides...  When two people die, have them switch outfits, weapons, deffinatly hats/helmets if wearing them...  If they are on opposite sides, then it would be good to switch sides...  Different body structures and faces on one side will make it look very good...      A major part of war effects in mostly a sword fight is to keep all your actors in the background...  Film the key fighters, and confine all the other actors to the background...  This will crowd the screen, which usually isn't good, but in the case of a war, its excelent...     Now if you are filming one side, and they are charging, or giving orders...then use all your actors...  Put all your actors in that sides uniform and then film, more numbers...    If you didn't notice, all of the picture of the fighters have them wearing masks...  That may look dumb and the actors hate them but it is the only way to do it...  Since faces are easily reconized, mask make it so that, that actor can be used a million times and no one will reconize him, because of the mask...a must in wars    Blue screen is the other way to this...but that is for a major war...with hundreds and hundred of people made from 10 takes of ten people fighting with a blue background...  Easy but hard...

Safety Safety and a good video can only be accomplished if you have a good editing system...if you don't, wear thick gloves...  Safety really only protains to sword fighting, so do injuries...and I have the scars to prove it...  First of all, if you are a wimp, scared of the sword, don't expect to get hurt...  Then think twice about making a sword movie...  Because even with the technics I will teach you, you will still get hurt, I garentee it... Sword Fighting Technics First, you must answer the question of how many people are fighting...  2-4, then go with technic #2...  If you are making a war, then the only option is #1. #1 Slow Motion Fighting-       First of all, this can only be done if you have an editing system that can speed up video clips...  Now that I have said that you probably already know the technic...  Yes, you film your actors (requiers good cameraman) fighting in slow motion, then speed it up on the computer...  This works great!!!!  When you have a lot of action...  2 people fighting will look a little strange, safe but strange...  If you really want to do a slow motion for 2 people, then add danger to it, have one person with two swords, more confussion...  Have people actually take hits, since you are doing it in slow motion, people tend not to let the other persons sword touch them...they even go into normal speed to block them...  The truth is, people take hits, so you have to...  Now one thing you will need to do this...war sounds, personally, I had the idea to record the audio from the Braveheart battle, and continue to overlap with the video...  With out it, it would have really sucked...  Now with this technic you will have to have control...as for the camera, your cameraman should know what he's doing, and should get nice angles, probably shouldn't use a tripod...  The small tremble in the camera adds the perfect touch to the fight...  The actor control requiers everyone to be completly silent during the fight...no grunts, no ahhhhs, no death cries...nothing...and the reason is, because when you speed the video up...you will get hi-pitch squeels that sound really bad...  For some this is easy, for others, its impossible...  unfortunatly we had a grunter in In Choler Verona, luckaly the sound effects and songs cut him out....  #2 Memorized Fight Moves-        A Public Place was done using this technic, it reamains some what in the safe zone but not really...  This is what should be done when 2 people are fighting, a war should never be done this way...thats how people get stabbed.  This technic looks good on camera, if you arn't scared when you do it...  The aspects of this technic are, you memorize (MEMORIZE and PRACTICE) 3 to 5 moves, then proform them...  By proform I mean really go at the other person with rage and speed...  Saddly that is how this technic looks good, and you wil probably get injurded...for sure...  Also this way will take a lot longer...  A still camera on a tripod works a little better on this...makes it easier to view the moves...  This is dangerous but looks pretty good...      Personally I think that slow motion fighting looks a lot better and is easier for the actors...  I have found that actors love to go into slow motion anyways, so this is perfect for them... If you hate these method, then Click here...  Sick Individual Films has a different method, I don't really care for, but you may like...       Conclusion Great, so you've made you fight...now for the biggest part...  Editing.  Even with the best fights of all times, with out sound effects, songs, and fast angles it will suck...  A fight should never have only one angle, it should have 50 angles, that get spliced together...  They don't have to be in order either...  Just film tons of fight angles, and throw them in, organizingly.  Yoyr fight will be great...