Immerse yourself in the electrifying world of cinematic combat with our live online webinar, “From Fist to Frame: Filming the Perfect Fight”. This value-packed session, led by award-winning fight choreographer and SAG-AFTRA stunt performer Kevin Inouye, takes place on Saturday, May 27, 2023, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm PST (2:30 pm to 3:30 pm EST).

Leverage Kevin’s extensive expertise, honed in the field of stunt performance, fight coordination, and theatrical firearms instruction, to enrich your understanding of fight scenes. This unique exploration offers practical knowledge that you can apply in your projects, whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker or a professional in the field.

Benefit from Kevin’s deep dive into various elements that make a fight scene convincing and engaging. Gain insight into the art of filming non-contact hits, the use of consent in choreography, and the impact of lens choice and camera motion in enhancing the viewer’s perception of combat.

This session isn’t just about fight mechanics—it’s also about storytelling. Understand how the narrative is woven into fight scenes and how these intense moments can shape a character’s journey and audience perception. Learn to evaluate whose story is being told and how to use this understanding to create captivating fight scenes.

Get a real-world glimpse into on-set protocol, from selecting prop weapons to collaborating with a team of coordinators, choreographers, and armorers. Kevin will illuminate the importance of pre-visualization, storyboards, rehearsals, and actor doubles, all key aspects that ensure a smooth and realistic depiction of combat on screen.

This webinar is more than just a learning opportunity—it’s a chance to absorb knowledge from an industry-leading professional. Don’t just witness cinematic combat, learn to create it. Enhance your filmmaking skills and immerse yourself in the art and science of filming the perfect fight. Sign up today and step into a world of captivating cinematic combat.

Webinar Schedule

Webinar: From Fist to Frame: Filming the Perfect Fight
With Award-Winning Fight Choreographer Kevin Inouye

Date: Saturday, May 27, 2023
Time: 11:30am PST to 12:30pm, PST. (California Time)
- 2:30pm EST to 3:30pm, EST. (New York Time)
Location: Live Online via Zoom
Cost: FREE for Members. Click here to Become a Member.
Registration: Pre-registration required. Register online now.

Curriculum

Introductions
General Concepts
- There always needs to be at least one thing that’s fake about it.
- Ideally multiple safeties.
- Use the safest method and prop that will get the job done.
- Use of consent, and the “no but”.
Non-contact hits:
- Drawing the line.
- Eclipse/hide.
- Cross.
- Reacting – specificity.
- Other applications besides jabs and crosses.
- Lens choice. (Flatten the image using longer lenses is one trick, but that makes camera movement harder… impacts how close you can/need to be to sell it.)
- Fill the frame.
Always take it back to the story.
- What do we want to see or feel? Use that to decide what we show or focus on.
- Whose story is it, from FPS to follow-shots?
- What do we need to learn or feel about the character differently after this moment?
Using a cut when needed to sell a hit (use sparingly!)
- Matching direction, speed, and frame.
Using cuts or The Texas Swap:
- Makeup/injury reveals.
- Prop and Actor swaps out of frame.
- Building in hidden cuts like whip pans and wipes.
Camera motion and framing.
Framing out stuff, using mats and pads and safeties.
Prop weapons – choosing and selecting and on-set protocol.
The various people usually involved, the workflow, and models of collaboration.
- Coordinators, choreographers, 2nd unit, armorers, etc.
- Pre-viz, storyboards, rehearsals.
- Training time for actors, and/or use of doubles.
- Contracts and unions.

About the Speaker

Kevin Inouye is a dynamic SAG-AFTRA stunt performer and accomplished fight coordinator, with extensive experience as an armorer and gun wrangler under the aegis of Fight Designer, LLC. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Movement, Acting, and Stage Combat at Case Western Reserve University, Kevin’s teaching approach seamlessly blends liberal arts synthesis and context with practical skills, paving the way for students towards professional performance careers.

A certified teacher with both the Society of American Fight Directors and the National Michael Chekhov Association, Kevin is also a respected Theatrical Firearms Instructor. His expertise is further bolstered by his status as a Level I Instructor with Margolis Method and his role as Assistant Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education.

Kevin’s diverse teaching experience spans a variety of BA, BFA, and MFA programs and extends to national, international, and regional workshops and conferences. His credentials are underpinned by an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

As an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Kevin ensures he stays at the forefront of his field. He is also the author of the influential work, The Theatrical Firearms Handbook.

For more about Kevin, visit his personal website at kevininouye.com or explore his professional contributions at fightdesigner.com.

Order a copy of Kevin’s book, The Screen Combat Handbook: A Practical Guide for Filmmakers. See options for paperback and e-Book.