Build the library around the character’s dramatic problem, not around a collection of impressive fight clips. Start with the character’s objective, history, physical circumstances and turning point; then gather varied historical, visual, written and performance references that help you answer those questions. Record what each source actually shows, what you infer from it, and where it stops being reliable.
Use the library to make writing and conversations with a fight director more specific. It is not a substitute for qualified choreography, rehearsal or safety supervision.
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What a character-focused fight reference library contains
A useful library is a searchable set of references tied to decisions in the story. It might contain a historical image, a filmed stage fight, an interview with a practitioner, a book diagram, a script page and a still showing how a body occupies space. The value comes from the connection between the item and a dramatic question.
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Do not let one famous film sequence become the character’s entire vocabulary. A single clip is one performer’s interpretation, shaped by its director, camera, editing, costume, budget and genre. It can suggest rhythm or attitude, but it cannot prove how a historical person, a real martial art or every member of a profession moved.
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The minimum record for every item
- Title, creator, publication or release date, link if you have one, and the date you accessed it.
- Medium and context: historical image, filmed performance, interview, article, book, rehearsal footage or another source.
- Observable details, such as stance, distance, rhythm, use of the environment, apparent fatigue, weapon handling as depicted, and changes in initiative.
- Your interpretation of what those details could mean for the character, clearly labelled as interpretation rather than fact.
- The dramatic question, scene beat or relationship change the item may help you write.
- Limitations, including camera angle, editing, costume, genre convention, unclear provenance or the fact that the example is staged.
Begin with the character and the dramatic problem
Before opening video sites or image collections, write a compact brief. The brief keeps your folder from becoming an undirected inspiration board and gives you criteria for rejecting attractive but irrelevant material.
Write the fight’s objective
State what the character wants in the encounter in a verb: escape, protect, delay, expose, capture, survive, impress or something more specific. Then record why violence starts, what the character fears, what or whom they protect, and what changes by the end. A fight that begins as an attempt to flee should not be annotated in the same way as one intended to establish dominance.
Map history, training and constraints
Ask what the character has learned, from whom and under what conditions. A soldier, a dockworker, a dancer and a frightened civilian may all pick up a tool, but their choices will not carry the same history. Note whether training is formal, improvised, inherited, outdated or mostly imagined by the character.
Record age, size, injury, stamina, disability, stress, intoxication, illness and access to equipment when those facts are part of the story. Psychological circumstances matter too: panic can narrow attention; grief can produce hesitation; overconfidence can create a reckless opening. These are writing questions, not permission to make assumptions about real people with similar bodies or backgrounds.
Question the weapon and setting
Why this weapon or object? Is it familiar, ceremonial, stolen, improvised or selected because nothing else is available? What does the setting provide or remove: a narrow corridor, loose gravel, furniture, a crowd, darkness, a stage edge or a camera that cannot see a particular angle? Your notes should connect each environmental fact to the character’s objective rather than treating scenery as decoration.
Define the audience’s takeaway
Write one sentence describing what the audience should understand afterward. They might see that the character is disciplined but unwilling to injure, that a former advantage has disappeared, or that a relationship has changed more than the physical contest has. This sentence becomes a test for every reference you add.
Collect several kinds of evidence
George Mason University Libraries’ guide for choreographers and fight directors groups useful material into books, articles and interviews, historical images and sources, performance and craft video, and professional resources. Use those categories as a deliberate mix rather than a single undifferentiated folder.
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| Source type | What it can support | What it cannot establish by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Historical image or documented object | Clothing, equipment, posture shown in that image, setting and period details when provenance is clear. | A complete movement system, typical behavior or an unseen person’s skill. |
| Filmed stage or screen performance | One interpretation of rhythm, spacing, focus, relationship and readability for that production or camera. | How a historical person or real combat discipline necessarily moved. |
| Interview or practitioner article | Named methods, terminology, production experience and the author’s stated reasoning. | Universal rules; the author’s practice may be specific to a medium or tradition. |
| Book or institutional guide | Structured explanations, vocabulary, history, production factors and safety principles. | Permission for an unqualified person to stage hazardous action. |
| Rehearsal, craft or behind-the-scenes video | How performers communicate, mark distance, repeat sequences and adapt to camera or stage. | A safe method to copy without the professionals and conditions shown. |
Search by the question, not just the weapon
Useful searches combine movement, context and character. Examples include “movement style for a hesitant defender,” “a combat sequence in a narrow room,” “how a character might have fought in a particular historical period,” or “movement that suits an exhausted older character.” Add the medium—stage, film, animation or prose—because a readable stage action may disappear in a close-up, while a small camera gesture may be impossible for a distant audience to read.
Check provenance and context
For an image, identify who made it, when, where it was published and whether the object or caption is documented. For a video, note the production, performer, director, date and whether editing hides transitions. For an article or interview, record the author’s role and the setting in which the advice applies. If you cannot establish those details, label the item accordingly instead of presenting it as evidence.
Annotate references so you can retrieve them
A folder full of links is not a working library. Give each item a short record that lets you recover its relevance months later, when the scene has changed.
A practical annotation template
- Identity: title, creator, date, medium, URL and access date.
- Scene or frame: timestamp, page, image number or a description precise enough to find the moment again.
- Observation: write only what can be seen or read—distance closes, a hand protects an injured side, initiative changes, or a character pauses before committing.
- Interpretation: explain what the observation might communicate about temperament, history or the relationship.
- Story use: name the beat, line, objective or reversal the item could inform.
- Limits: identify editing, costume, camera position, uncertain origin, genre stylization or staged-performance status.
Keep observation and interpretation in separate fields. “The performer circles before entering” is observable; “the character is testing the opponent’s courage” is an interpretation that may or may not fit your script.
Choose an indexing format you will actually use
| Format | Strength | Limitation | Best use in a writer’s library |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrative notes | Captures gesture, orientation, emotional life, motivation, costume and movement around objects. | Long descriptions are slower to scan. | Character meaning and context. |
| Sketches or annotated frames | Shows visual relationships and helps visual thinkers or storyboard work. | Quick drawings may not communicate intent or emotion. | Spacing, sightlines and environment. |
| Numbered action plan | Fast and concise. | It can be difficult to follow one character’s through-line. | Short sequences or beat lists. |
| Parallel table | Places partners’ actions side by side and makes a sequence easy to recover. | Can oversimplify motivation and timing. | Comparing initiative, reaction and reversal. |
| Video and stills | Shows bodies moving through real space. | Full speed can hide details without slow motion, freeze frames or annotations. | Movement quality and camera or stage readability. |
A hybrid record usually works best: a paragraph for motivation, an annotated still or sketch for space, and a timestamped link for the moving reference. You are not trying to create a formal choreographic score; you are creating a clear handoff for your own drafting and later conversations with professionals.
Put the script beside the movement
Fight choreographer and author T. Fulton Burns wrote in 2009, “The first step is to take the written word of the script and place it next to the fight choreography.” For a writer, that means placing the relevant line, objective or turning point beside the movement reference rather than storing action separately from dialogue.
Build a beat-to-reference map
| Script beat | Character intention | Reference question | What to record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threat appears | Assess whether escape is possible. | How does this character gather information before committing? | Posture, gaze, distance and any delay. |
| First commitment | Protect someone or create an opening. | What action makes the objective visible without extra dialogue? | Direction of movement, use of space and who controls initiative. |
| Setback | Recover, change plan or accept a cost. | How does fatigue, injury or surprise alter the movement? | Loss of balance, shorter reach, hesitation or environmental adaptation. |
| Reversal | Choose a new objective. | What changes in rhythm or distance tells the audience the relationship has shifted? | Tempo, focus, proximity and whether control is surrendered or seized. |
| Aftermath | Live with the result. | What does the body communicate after the physical contest? | Breathing, protective posture, avoidance, relief or unresolved tension. |
Burns also argues for connecting choreography to the director’s vision and the playwright’s words while keeping plans flexible enough to change in rehearsal. Treat your references as proposals. If a later staging decision changes the space, costume or camera, update the note rather than forcing the original idea to survive unchanged.
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Compare references with explicit criteria
When several options look promising, score them in words instead of choosing the most spectacular clip. The following axes keep the decision tied to the story.
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Character fit
Could this movement plausibly come from the person you have written, given their history, temperament and access to training? A technically elegant sequence may be wrong if the character would avoid risk or lacks the physical preparation it assumes.
Story function
Does the reference make the objective, setback, reversal or relationship change legible? If removing the movement would leave the same dramatic information, it may be visual decoration rather than a useful model.
Physical plausibility
Does the idea respect the limits established for the fictional character? Keep this as a writing check, not a safety assessment. Writers should not judge whether a performer can safely execute an action.
Historical and cultural fit
Is the source suited to the time, place and background being depicted? Check provenance and avoid treating a modern stylization as a period document. If the story intentionally departs from history, note that choice so it is deliberate.
Medium and readability
Is the reference intended for stage, camera, animation or prose? A stage audience needs clear bodies and sightlines; a camera can use framing and editing; prose must turn movement into selective, comprehensible description.
Evidence quality
Prefer a primary source, named expert, credible institutional record or clearly identified production over an unattributed clip. A weak source can still spark an idea, but label it as inspiration rather than documentation.
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Use a repeatable library workflow
- Draft the character brief. Record objective, cause of violence, fears, protections, training history, weapon rationale, physical and psychological circumstances, and the audience takeaway.
- Set search boundaries. Choose the historical period, geography, medium, setting and kinds of evidence you need. This prevents endless collecting.
- Gather a first spread of sources. Include at least one item from several categories—written explanation, historical or material evidence, performance video and professional guidance.
- Annotate immediately. Capture the timestamp or page, observation, interpretation, dramatic use and limitation while the context is still clear.
- Group by dramatic beat. Tag entries as assessment, commitment, setback, reversal, escape, aftermath or another beat from your script.
- Compare alternatives. Use character fit, story function, plausibility, historical fit, medium and evidence quality. Keep rejected options with a brief reason so you do not repeat the same search.
- Place the shortlist beside the script. Add the relevant line, objective and turning point to each reference. Mark questions for the director rather than writing unsafe instructions.
- Revise after professional input. If the director changes spacing, props, costume or timing, update the library’s interpretation and keep the source link for context.
Keep safety boundaries explicit
Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Performance handbook describes a fight director as the professional who choreographs and oversees the safety of physical action. Its 2024–2025 production handbook says, “Fight choreography shall be staged within the limitations of the performers.” It also calls for ample rehearsal time, adequate space and consistency with the props, weapons, costumes and scenery established in rehearsal; changes are subject to fight-director approval.
That handbook is an institutional production policy, not a universal law for every jurisdiction. Its practical lesson for writers is clear: use references to clarify storytelling, then hand hazardous movement to qualified fight-direction support.
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- Do not invite actors, readers or friends to test a move because it looks simple on video.
- Do not treat a book, clip or workshop note as a credential to direct dangerous action.
- Do not add a weapon, prop, costume restriction or surface hazard late without professional review.
- Do not assume that slow motion, camera cuts or a performer’s apparent ease makes an action safe to copy.
- Do not conceal a change from the fight director; the established sequence, equipment and space must remain coordinated.
Books and professional references for deeper study
These titles can expand vocabulary and help you ask better questions. None replaces qualified direction or supervised rehearsal.
- Unarmed Stage Combat by Philip d’Orléans: the author’s page describes an illustrated book covering more than 40 unarmed performance techniques, safety principles, character performance, staging, sightlines and fighting for camera. It is useful when you need to understand how performance choices and audience visibility interact.
- The Screen Combat Handbook: A Practical Guide for Filmmakers by Kevin Inouye: Routledge describes this 2020 guide as covering preproduction through editing and sound design, including on-set protocol, choreography, shot planning, acting, cinematography and editing.
- Fight Choreography: A Practical Guide for Stage, Film and Television by F. Braun McAsh: Google Books lists this 2010, 192-page volume on the artistic process from scripted page to performance, including characterization, production factors, weapons and choreography phrasing.
Use the books for terminology, questions and production awareness. A writer’s notes should never be mistaken for a rehearsal plan.
Common failure modes and fixes
The inspiration folder is all spectacle
Symptom: Every entry is a polished duel, but none explains what your character wants. Fix: Require each new item to name a beat, objective or character question before it enters the shortlist.
The notes confuse observation with fact
Symptom: A performer’s pause is described as proof of a historical custom. Fix: Keep “seen” and “inferred” fields separate and record provenance.
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Symptom: A subtle camera gesture is copied into a stage scene where nobody can see it. Fix: Tag every item as stage, camera, animation or prose and evaluate readability in the intended form.
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The sequence becomes a rigid script
Symptom: A numbered list leaves no room for the actual room, cast or rehearsal discoveries. Fix: Keep the dramatic beats and objectives firm while allowing the fight director to solve physical details safely.
The library becomes impossible to search
Symptom: You remember a clip’s mood but cannot find its timestamp or reason for saving it. Fix: Use consistent tags such as objective, period, medium, weapon, distance, beat and limitation; archive duplicates and rejected options.
A compact final checklist
- Does every reference answer a character or story question?
- Have you mixed written, historical, visual and performance sources?
- Can you distinguish what is observable from what you infer?
- Have you recorded creator, date, context, timestamp or page, and limitations?
- Is the script line or dramatic beat beside the movement note?
- Have you considered historical fit, medium, readability and evidence quality?
- Are unsafe choices clearly left to a qualified fight director?
- Can another collaborator understand why each shortlisted item matters?
Frequently Asked Questions
How many references should a character’s library contain?
There is no useful universal number. Stop collecting when several source types answer the character’s major questions and additional items no longer change a writing decision.
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Only if the story requires that specificity and a qualified adviser confirms the portrayal. A performance clip alone cannot establish how an entire real discipline is practiced.
Can a writer choreograph a fight from these notes?
The notes can clarify objectives, beats and visual intent, but hazardous movement should be created and supervised by a qualified fight director within the performers’ limits.
What is the fastest way to make a messy folder usable?
Add a consistent record to each item—source identity, timestamp or page, observation, interpretation, dramatic beat and limitation—then tag it by character, medium and beat.
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