Author Topic: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation  (Read 16131 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #15 on: Jun 28, 2013, 02:26 am »
You should discuss/revisit about the possibility of fight captain, or at least an assistant fight director - which would allow fight review to happen while scene work is going.  Also, unless the director is going to be there other night - nice to have a fight person to deal with fight notes that come up with the run.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

Jessie_K

  • Superstar!
  • *****
  • Posts: 528
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • International Stage Manager of Mystery
  • Affiliations: AEA, AGMA, SMA (on leave)
  • Current Gig: Queen of the Night
  • Experience: Professional
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #16 on: Jun 29, 2013, 11:57 am »
I wold take separate, very detailed notation for each fight sequence. 

Then in your book, include highlights/important info in your blocking.

bex

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 298
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • Twitter
  • Affiliations: AEA, Auburn University
  • Current Gig: Freelance SM/ASM
  • Experience: Professional
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #17 on: Jun 04, 2014, 05:18 pm »
Reviving this thread because I will be starting rehearsals soon for a show with A WHOLE LOT of stage combat- some with swords, some with other weapons, some hand-to-hand, and not all of the actors will be playing humans, which adds a whole nother level of difficulty...

I've never worked on a  show with fights that involved more than 3 characters, or where the fights were more than a few "moves" long. I'm incredibly lucky because we're doing 4 days of "fight camp" (open to the public for a tuition fee, the cast of the show will be attending for free) with the choreographer to give the actors a crash course in non-traditional stage combat. I'll be attending the fight camp as well, to work on notation and what to look for in terms of safety and maintenance.

My question for the SM hive mind is: anybody have tips on blocking notation in a melee situation? Like, 6 or 8 actors all fighting each other at the same time?

In college I was taught to notate a 2-character fight in a sort of 2-column chart, with one column standing for each actor, but that sort of goes out the window when you've got 2 actors jointly playing 2 heads of a dragon, fighting 3 other characters who are also simultaneously fighting somebody else.

Thanks!
You will have to sing for your supper & your mortgage, your dental coverage & your children's shoes, over & over again while people in desk jobs roll their eyes the minute you start to complain. So it's a good thing you like to sing.

Maribeth

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1056
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Experience: Former SM
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #18 on: Jun 04, 2014, 06:54 pm »
If it were me, I would probably do some kind of chart with columns.

1-2-3-4     K+D do X move     R, E, W do Y move     P+T circle group CCW
5-6-7-8     K+D do X move     R+E do Z move         P engage W USL               T continue circle CCW

Or something like that, breaking it down into smaller "chunks" where each actor is accounted for. If it's possible to videotape, even better, but I still like to have the fight notated in some way.

You might also talk to your fight director about how they notate things, and if you can get a copy of their notes.

maximillionx

  • Permanent Resident
  • *****
  • Posts: 270
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Experience: Professional
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #19 on: Jun 04, 2014, 07:02 pm »
My $0.02....the way I've been taught/have taught:
3 columns is probably the most you want to deal with on one sheet of paper.  Beyond that it gets craaazy.  The idea of having 6 to 8 columns, all overlapping with arrows and color coding makes me geek out, but is impractical.  I would break the fight into sections for each combatant - specific notation for each character. One column is for the actor your focusing on and a column for whomever they're fighting.  You'll probably end up with 8 different charts, but those also could be handed out to each particular actor for their rehearsal purposes.  A 3 column chart would be good for your dragon: column A for left head, column B for right and column C for their prey.
Also, a video camera is your friend!  And since everyone has one on their phone now, it's easier than ever.

MatthewShiner

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 2478
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Freelance Stage Manager; Faculty for UMKC
  • Experience: Professional
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #20 on: Jun 04, 2014, 07:05 pm »
Videotape each section
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

loebtmc

  • Forum Moderators
  • *****
  • Posts: 1574
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA, SAG, AFTRA, SMA
  • Current Gig: Caroling, caroling now we go — and looking for my next gig!
  • Experience: Professional
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #21 on: Jun 04, 2014, 08:48 pm »
if you have an assistant (or assistants), you can work it the way we do with large casts - divvy up people or sections of the stage and then you marry the notes together for the whole picture.

SMeustace

  • SM Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 115
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: Theat Troupe Theatre Company
  • Experience: College/Graduate
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #22 on: Jul 22, 2014, 10:08 am »
Is there a standard or common fight notation?
Would someone be able to show me an example? I would deeply appreciate it.
"On the first day the lord said....Light cue 1, GO! Then there was light".

Maribeth

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1056
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
  • Affiliations: AEA
  • Experience: Former SM
Re: REHEARSALS: Fight Notation
« Reply #23 on: Jul 26, 2014, 01:02 pm »
I've never used a standard fight notation but a quick google search yields this: "Gregory Fight Notation".

 

riotous