Book Review:
"Fight Director and Action Designer Kevin Inouye provides an excellent resource for the filmmaker wishing to become more intimately knowledgeable on capturing action on set and treating it in post-production. Likewise, the aspiring stunt-performer or actor looking to explore stunting for will find the book rich with practical advice in advance of that first call to set."
~Dr. Michael Hill-Kirkland, SAFD Certified Teacher and Professional Fight Director
The Screen Combat Handbook
A Practical Guide for Filmmakers
By Kevin Inouye
278 Pages - 48 B/W Illustrations
The Screen Combat Handbook is an essential guide to navigating the unique challenges of putting combat on screen. Explore the process from the early stages of preproduction planning all the way through to editing and sound design, and everything in-between.
This book uses practical instruction, examples, interviews, and illustrations to show how to plan, shoot, and assemble safe and effective fight sequences. It includes sections on thoughtful and practical design choices in set, wardrobe, props, and effects, preproduction planning, on-set protocol, fight choreography and coordination, shot planning and technical tricks, acting choices, effective cinematography, and impactful editing and sound design.
It provides an invaluable resource for all those involved including directors, fight coordinators, actors and stunt players, and any filmmaker attempting to shoot an exciting action scene safely. Whether working on a no-budget indie production or on a professional set, this is your ultimate guide to screen combat and fight choreography.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: Working on Set
Chapter Two: Designing for Action
Chapter Three: Unarmed Combat Skills
Chapter Four: Weapons
Chapter Five: Acting
Chapter Six: Coordinating Fights
Chapter Seven: Cinematography
Chapter Eight: Editing
Chapter Nine: Closing Thoughts
Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
Biography
Kevin Inouye is a SAG-AFTRA stunt performer, a fight coordinator, and armorer/gun wrangler through Fight Designer, LLC. He’s Assistant Professor of Movement, Acting, & Stage Combat at Case Western Reserve University, a Certified Teacher and Theatrical Firearms Instructor with the Society of American Fight Directors, a Certified Teacher with the National Michael Chekhov Association, and author of The Theatrical Firearms Handbook.
