Advanced Camera Techniques for Shooting Action Tip 1 – Off Screen Violence
So you want to show some violence in your project yet not have it become a bloody gore movie? As a filmmaker, or choreographer, you may want to feature a violent encounter without the blood and pain yet have it still be powerful for the audience.
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Well here’s one way to do it:
The key is to show your fighter’s attack yet not the result. This enables you to generate the effect of a violent attack with virtually NO risk to your actors.
Perform this whole thing as one continuous shot. You can start the sequence any way you want as long as you establish the 2 fighters standing upright in the shot. With your camera behind the victim and the attacker facing the camera, have the victim wind up on the ground somehow (ex. they get knocked to the ground, they back up trip and fall, get shot in the leg, pushed down, etc.). The victim actually falls out of frame, lands on a pad on the ground and then rolls out of the way.
Next, position your camera at waist height of the attacker, looking up at the attacker. The attacker then simulates delivering repeated blows to the victim that is on the ground. You can have some a striking pad or a heavy bag on the ground that the attacker can hit. The attacker can use empty fists or even a weapon to make it look more violent.
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What makes this technique look especially POWERFUL is that it has no cuts and provides a direct view of the attacker’s face the entire time. This instills more suspense and excitement into your audience.
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