Why I HATE Fight Scene Breakdowns! #film #sword #stunts

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[SellswordArts]

Analysis and critique of fight choreography is perfectly fine. It can be cool to look at the ideas, techniques, and storytelling that happens within a fight scene.

However, when people breakdown a fight frame by frame, It's just nitpicking.

Egregious mistakes will be obvious without having to pause or isolate frames. If you really want to analyze a fight scene, watch it without altering the speed.

[ToaWillova]

Honestly minor mistakes like that ADD to a feeling that the characters fighting are real individuals in the story, not some machines trained to perform with absolute perfection

[fumoffu_l]

A lot of great fight choreographers praise the fencing duel in The Princess Bride. It is not hyper realistic, but it's realistic enough, and super fun to watch. That's what matters.

[dragonfly]

I enjoy going by frame by frame, not to find mistakes but just appreciate the work that goes into it and find details I might have missed at full speed

[farkasmactavish]

Yup. Difference between breakdown and analysis. If all you're doing is listing what happens, then you're not actually _understanding_ it.

[kuzurihanma]

I have watched a scene in a movie or show in frame by frame manner a couple times; but I wasn’t looking for mistakes in the fight choreography, at least not like what is being talked about here. I was looking for things like a guy falling the wrong direction, a sheath that is suddenly on the other side or a different color, or the hands suddenly being in different places.
It was something I did with older movies like ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ or ‘Conan the Destroyer’.

[carltwigg]

God you can taste the Shad slander and I am here for it

[muffonnen]

The fedora and invisible glasses though 😂😂

[valandil]

I think some people genuinely think that they're just giving constructive criticism, which I'm always open to till it's like that and isn't very helpful

[selly-ssrb]

Something important to remember in these things is that trying to analyze the smaller details is what we do when we're passionate about something. It is the mark of someone who cares, to sit down and assess something at a level of detail as granular as frame by frame. People analyze things deeply because, when they do so and find the finer pieces hold up well, it's rewarding - and it speaks very highly of the person responsible for the impressive performance or creation being analyzed. Granular analysis isn't just smacking things down, it's also appreciation of the truly extraordinary.

[-Scorched-Earth-]

I love how arcane is the opposite. You go frame by frame to admire the detail and mastery and every frame somehow looks good

[SinApex]

I think it can actually be good to analyse frame by frame when you're appreciating details that can be easy to miss in full speed. Like if you're watching the fight scenes in Arcane season 1, you can very easily miss a lot of technical details in Vi's fights with Sevika. Its easy to miss a slipped punch or something like that when the action is quick, so frame by frame analysis can be good if you're not doing it for the sake of looking for mistakes. A good frame by frame analysis can catch subtle details really well, and I think it should be used to highlight and appreciate them.

[dominicbue]

such breakdowns are really usefull if you analyse your own sparring session to improve or to learn from others

[timtarbet]

This makes me want to go back and watch that one Polish saber fight.

[DavidHutchison-vb]

Better watch out. Shad might make a response to this.

[xenon]

I can’t believe that you’d just walk up and execute Jeremy CinemaSins like that

[SplatastictheRealOne]

Honestly, when it comes to some mistakes on a forme or blade technique, it does show that they could improve.
But also like another said it can make it feel like a story of the character fighting another.
Even outside of the fictional direction, some flaws do say "hey, you can improve but you're doing pretty good with what you have as well." To kinda put it into perspective that even through combat motions or fencing(which isn't restricted to Rapier types, hence blades with no edge, or Wooden swords and padding) you as a person are still learning, but also perfectly use what you know extremely well.
Like raw emotion, it can be tempered to make each strike mean something to prove one's character.

[samwiseb]

That’s why I like the term Semi Realistic and why I think that’s a way better term than realistic.

Semi Realistic means close enough to realistic in that the the basics are solid, but it allows for safer fencing and flourishing so you can make it fun.

Like is it believable and safe and the actors are having fun? Then it’s semi realistic and great.

Same should be applied to video games in a sense

*cough* looking at you Dark Souls *cough*

[Elizabeth-xcg]

Day two of suggesting a collaboration with Jill Bearup, who analyses fight scenes from a stage combat perspective to talk about how they ARE meant to be watched

[darthhodges]

I like Jill Bearup's videos because she understands what you mean. She primarily looks at the fights from a storytelling perspective. How a character moves in a short fight can tell you more about them than pages of dialogue. She particularly enjoys certain choreographers and "flirty fights".