Individual scene concepts
(S)he's a Pirate
Concept: It's the Golden Age of Piracy when, late at night, in the dark alleyways of a pirate seaport town, a lone figure walks through the darkness, punctuated by stray shafts of light. Suddenly, from four different directions, a band of piratical thugs attack! Alone, unarmed, the figure defeats and disarms the band of thugs, one by one, killing each of them in turn with their own weapons. Standing triumphant over the dead, the lone figure is revealed to be a woman. During the fight, the scene transitions from a real location to a stage set.
Scene Duration: 1 minute 32 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "He's a Pirate" by Klaus Badelt from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack
A Gentleman's Duel
Concept: A couple of well-to-do gents in the Roaring 20s wearing tuxedos decide to prove their manliness to impress a young flapper by conducting a duel with fencing foils. Unfortunately, they are a bit tipsy, and not terribly talented with their swords. On top of which, they both insist on behaving as gentlemen. While the onlookers are terribly frustrated, these two duelists manage to maintain a mere shred of their personal dignity as the young lady decides to take matters into her own hands.
Scene Duration: 6 minutes, 12 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Topsy"
A Study in Light
Concept: A bare stage with a platform running along the upstage end. On the platform are fire-spinners and hula-hoop dancers, using glowing equipment. Enter a variety of fighters wearing glowing body paint and weapons painted in glow-paint. The entire scene is lit in black light. As the scene progresses, weapons change from unarmed, to swords, to quarterstaves. Fighting is stylistically created to show the maximum of spinning movement patterns, with a few well-placed attacks and defenses thrown in for good measure. At one point, the swords will burst into flame and the fire-spinners will graduate to fire poi and batons. A literal fire fight will then ensue.
Scene Duration: 2 to 6 minutes
Musical Inspiration: "Battle Without Honor Or Humanity" and "Control" techno beat is important
A Matter of Matrix
Concept: A bare stage with a black backdrop. Two fighters perform Matrix-style attacks and defenses, utilizing bullet-time effects. Bullet-time effects are created by using stagehands in all black to lift, turn, and reposition the fighters throughout the fight. The trick is using black on black to hide the effects. This scene is intended to demonstrate live stage utilization rather than a filmic special effect.
Scene Duration: 4 minutes
Musical Inspiration: "Spybreak" by Propellorheads from the Matrix soundtrack
The Big Battle
Concept: This is a stylized combat piece, utilizing the "My kingdom for a horse" battle scene from Richard III. No contact is utilized in this fight scene. Quarterstaves are used to represent flags, bows, arrows, spears, swords, etc. Fights take place on a bare stage or open field. Split-screen effects show one side's attack and the other side's response.
Scene Duration: Approx. 5 minutes
Musical Inspiration: None
Voodoo
Concept: This is a dance piece on a bare stage, utilizing pools of light to isolate the action. A Mayan witch doctor sits in a pool of light as his acolytes begin to dance around him. A voodoo priestess enters the scene and begins to cast magic spells, prompting the witch doctor's followers to spring to his defense. The voodoo priestess' followers enter and engage in partially symbolic, partially real battle with spears and shields, as each mystical leader continues to cast spells at one another.
Scene Duration: 4 minutes 40 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Voodoo" by Godsmack
Apocalyptic Rhythm
Concept: It's the day after Doomsday. Society has reverted to gangs for survival. Sickened by the devastation, these newly formed gangs have found a somewhat less violent way of settling disputes, by fighting to create musical rhythm with whatever weapons they can create from the leftover garbage of civilization. Similar in approach to Stomp! this scene demonstrates the importance of rhythm in a stage fight.
Scene Duration: 2 minutes 8 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Will and Elizabeth" by Klaus Badelt from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fight Choreography
Concept: A behind the scenes look at how a fight scene is put together from audition, through rehearsal, to the final fight scene. It's a mini-documentary illustrating what is required of a fight choreographer and how I work.
Scene Duration: Approx. 10 minutes
Musical Inspiration: None
Binding Agreements
Concept: A Native American and a Cavalry soldier agree to fight to the death in a bound duel. The winner determines whether the Indians move out and the settlers move in. The two are tied together, and after a brutal fight, both die, and both sides go to war. This is an examination of the futility of violence. The scenario can be applied to a variety of situations.
Scene Duration: Approx. 1 minute
Musical Inspiration: None
Look What I Found
Concept: A fight breaks out (probably in a bar) in which the participants use only the items in the room to fight with. This scene is intended to demonstrate that with enough ingenuity, anything can be a weapon.
Scene Duration: Approx. 2 minutes
Musical Inspiration: None
A Cup of What?
Concept: A demonstration of capoeira fighting skills.
Scene Duration: Approx. 2 minutes
Musical Inspiration: None
The Legal Dispute
Concept: In the Dark Ages, matters of law were determined by trial by combat. Each side would elect a champion who would fight to the death. The winner of the combat was the winner of the trial. In this scenario, the two combatants fight with broadsword and shield.
Scene Duration: Approx. 1 minute
Musical Inspiration: None
Whipped
Concept: A very menacing figure enters the scene, and proceeds to crack his whip in a variety of interesting and deadly patterns. Finally, the scene expands to show a girl tied up and scantily dressed who asks, "So are we gonna do this or what?" To which the man replies, "Not tonight honey, I've got a headache."
Scene Duration: Approx. 30 seconds
Musical Inspiration: None
The Beasts of Parkour
Concept: A group of men in a time before the Industrial Age are being chased through the woods and killed, one by one by deadly beast-men resembling werewolves. The beast-men use tooth and claw, the men use swords. A woman appears from nowhere and manages to defeat each beast-man as she and the last survivor of the party run, ending in the ruins of a castle. Finally able to breathe, they turn, only to discover they are in the lair of the beast-men and they are surrounded. This scene demonstrates Parkour, a.k.a. free-running techniques used in a fight scene.
Scene Duration: Approx 4 minutes
Musical Inspiration: "Main Title" by Henry Mancini from the Lifeforce soundtrack
Those About To Die...
Concept: A gladiatorial arena. Gladiators fight and die for the glory of the Roman Empire. No real plot to this one. Just demonstrating a few old-style and frequently unused weapons.
Scene Duration: Approx. 2 minutes
Musical Inspiration: None
Attack at Dawn
Concept: A scouting patrol of soldiers (Medieval or Roman) take shelter in the lee of a hillock. As dawn rises, the Celts come over the rise and attack the patrol. As the battle ensues, reinforcements arrive for both sides, pitting one leader against another as the rest of the men fight and die around them. The ideal setting for this scene is a stage with a stylized hillock surrounded by a scrim to show the rising of the sun. It can be filmed in a real location as well.
Scene Duration: 7 minutes, 37 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "The Chase" from The Rock soundtrack
The Blind Leading
Concept: A blindfolded fighter successfully parries and counterattacks a sighted opponent. Rapiers and daggers are the weapons
Scene Duration: Approx. 56 seconds
Musical Inspiration: None
Clowning Around
Concept: A traditional circus clown fight, utilizing rubber chickens, links of sausages, and Commedia props.
Scene Duration: Approx. 5 minutes
Musical Inspiration: None
The Superhero
Concept: An inept superhero wannabe dons his homemade superhero costume to do battle with a slightly less inept supervillain in order to save the girl. Go figure. This scene works best on a stage with minimal set to represent areas rather than a realistic location.
Scene Duration: 2 minutes, 22 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Brazil (Aquarela Do Brazil) by Percy Faith
Title TBD
Concept: A dramatic scene from a play or film involving stage combat. The scene has not been picked yet. Always open to suggestions. The purpose is to demonstrate a realistic fight scene.
Scene Duration: Approx. 5 minutes
Musical Inspiration: None
Struttin' their stuff
Concept: A group of fighters engage in an exercise routine, demonstrating various fighting and footwork moves. These moves are seen in a screen above their heads actually using these same movements in a fight.
Scene Duration: 5 minutes, 50 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Strut" by Sheena Easton and "Breaking My Stride" by Matthew Wilder
The Hand
Concept: A young man with a hand that refuses to obey encounters an attractive girl in the park. While he attempts to strike up a conversation with the girl, the hand continues to get in his way. But is he in for a surprise when he discovers they have more in common than he realized.
Scene Duration: 2 minutes, 25 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Sleep Walk" by the Ventures
The Chair
Concept: A traditional Commedia comic lazzi about a wiseacre servant who tries to seat two masters in one chair.
Scene Duration: 3 minutes
Musical Inspiration: "The Inspector Clouseau Theme" by Henry Mancini
In The Stone
Concept: A musical love triangle taking place in a fencing sallé. Boy loves girl, Maestro kills boy, and girl kills Maestro in revenge, all while the other fencers dance around them, going through their fencing routines.
Scene Duration: 4 minutes, 25 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "In The Stone" by Earth, Wind & Fire
Short People
Concept: A group of roly-polys attempt to fight with oversized weapons. Like weebles, they wobble, but they don't fall down.
Scene Duration: 2 minutes 9 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Work Song" by Herb Alpert and "Short People" by Randy Newman
The Restaurant (parts 1, 2 and 3)
Concept: A new restaurant is opening up and Murphy's Law has taken effect. This scene, broken into three parts of the opening day, revolves around the head waiter attempting to keep order and satisfy customers as everything falls apart around him.
Scene Duration: 2 minutes, 27 seconds; 2 minutes, 44 seconds; 3 minutes, 44 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Tico Tico," "Amorada," and "Delicado" by Percy Faith
The Name's Bond
Concept: A group of virtually identical spies, looking suspiciously like James Bond in his tuxedo, attempt to kill and outdo each other with guns, martial arts, and martinis.
Scene Duration: 3 minutes, 13 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "James Bond Theme" by Moby, or "Peter Gunn" or "Secret Agent Man"
A Quadrangle Love Story
Concept: A music video demonstrating how we tend to repeat the same mistakes by repeating the same love story three times throughout history. Each time your heart is broken you tend to die a little, in this case, literally.
Scene Duration: 6 minutes, 29 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Eye In The Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project
The Token
Concept: Inspired by a story from EERIE magazine, this is the tale of a samurai who achieves enlightenment by fighting his inner demons, which take the form of mystical ninjas. The style derives from the question, "What would Akira Kurasawa's college film project look like?".
Scene Duration: 11 minutes
Musical Inspiration: "Voices" by Russ Ballard and the music of KODO
Ballroom Blitz Barroom Brawl
Concept: Take every barroom brawl cliche you can devise, add it to a costume party of bizarre and strange characters, and turn the whole thing into the "making of" a music video, and you get the general idea. Total silly fun.
Scene Duration: 4 minutes, 3 seconds
Musical Inspiration: "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet
