Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue (Paperback)

by John Kreng (Author)
Key Phrases: fight choreography, lucha libre, blue demon, Hong Kong, The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue, Bruce Lee (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
All of us have seen films in which the story and acting might be great, but the film suffers because the action and fight sequences are not convincing enough, are terribly shot or edited, or do not integrate seamlessly into the story, causing them to be ineffective, gratuitous, or worst of all, unintentionally humorous. However, when done well, fight and action scenes support and heighten the story and expand the characters. Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue helps filmmakers ensure that the fight scenes in their films add to the film’s overall quality. Creating a stage fight with a high level of clarity and entertainment value is a very complicated endeavor and requires skills that acting classes and martial arts schools cannot teach. This book helps filmmakers make sense of this art form and how they can use it to create their own styles of fights for a variety of projects, whether they be feature-length films, shorts, or television shows. The book is instructional, informative, and entertaining, and focuses on every important element involved in fight choreography, from basic philosophies, initial concept, and planning, to filming, editing, adding special effects, and sound mixing the final product. The book is not only an indispensable resource for filmmakers, but will also interestfilm buffs who want to learn how great fight sequences are made so they can better appreciate the action.

About the Author
Author John Kreng has been studying martial arts since 1973 and currently holds third-degree black belts in Tang Soo Do and Te Katana Jujitsu. He has taught numerous professional athletes and actors to get ready for their roles. Whether it’s for the playing field, the screen, or the individual’s personal evolution, John has proven himself a very capable teacher. His love of martial arts/action films led him to become a contributing editor for several martial arts and film review magazines. For the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of Enter the Dragon, John was the writer, coordinating editor, and project supervisor for the Bruce Lee Tribute issue published by TC Media.

Product Details

• Paperback: 450 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (December 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592006795
• ISBN-13: 978-1592006793
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #196,520 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this., February 9, 2008

By	Jason C. Leboeuf (canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First, my background.I have been a professional stuntman for over fifteen years.Most of my work has consisted of fighting onscreen,against some well known action stars[van damme,rowdy roddy piper,russell wong,to name a few.] I am only one third through this book,got it a couple days ago.
I have yet to see anything so concise ,and to the point on the subject of fighting for the camera.Even professionals will learn something.If you really want learn how to be a great "screen" fighter,then this book should be in your library.
I want to ask one thing though,I seem to remember an older version of this book that included a companion DVD.Does anyone have this?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In depth and facinating, December 29, 2007

By	Areles "Areles" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

John Kreng is obviously a passionate researcher, as this book will attest to. Well written and thoroughly annotated, this book takes the reader on a multi faceted tour through the craft of stunt fighting. Every aspect of the art of filmic combat is detailed so that every student of film can grasp the intricacies and nuances involved in creating a stand out fight sequence.

The book is riff with examples from many films, some notable and some obscure, but the author manages to instill in the reader a wanting to view these films and or revisit them with a new perspective.

This book will be a primer for all film schools, and serious film students. This is the only book of its kind and I can't think of anyone matching this. Bravo!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 1/2 the book I expected, February 19, 2008

By	Barton R. Franklin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am an independent filmmaker who has had experience shooting fight scenes. Basically, this book teaches nothing new. All he really does is tell you what a good fight scene should have (which is not a bad thing) and then tell you to watch certain movies containing these elements (not bad either). Here is where I felt ripped-off. He tells nothing about how you can achieve this yourself. For example, rhythm is important in choreography, the author tells you that, he lets you know what films have great rhythm... and that's it. No suggestions on how you can being.

He spends a great deal of time talking history, which I enjoyed. Not many books do that. He talks about taking the character's background into consideration when fighting. Wonderful, very few films do that today. However, there is no talk about doing ACTUAL CHOREOGRAPHY. He never explains shooting or editing a fight scene properly (although, he tells many tales of badly shot or edited fights). What I was looking for the most way a way to record choreography (like writing down the moves while choreographing so they can be performed on location later). No such luck.

In summary, if you have never shot a fight scene, this book can begin to help. But if you are already experienced, I suggest renting this book at the library. It's not worth your time (I waited around 2 years for this to come out) or your money.