The Cost of Success Part 2: Brende Vs Hutch and "Low Budget Man" Episode 9

Now that I’ve shown you what big money can buy, let’s look at some low budget fight scenes.

Here is a brief fight that is performed by James Hutchison III and Solomom Brende. Both of these performers are incredibly well trained and skilled, as evident by their work. Take a look at something they put together and shared on YouTube:

The first thing I’d like to discuss is their use of stage blood. Bravo! Typically fights on stage do not use blood. Most of the time, you’ll see cuts made but no blood drawn. Such "bloodless" wounds are also commonplace for low budget “fight scenes" that are filmed. There are many reasons for this. Stage blood is sticky in nature and a pain to work with when you have to shoot scenes over and over from various angles. That's just to name a few. However, the presence of stage blood in a fight really does add a sense of realism. For this reason, I say, "Well played, Fighter Guys"!

As stated earlier, these two performers are very talented stage combatants. This fact is evident by their constant communication with each other. Now, I don't mean that they are physically speaking to one another. In Stage Combat, the best way to communicate with your partner is by keeping eye contact. They are doing this throughout the entire fight. Additionally, their moves are quick and coordinated. They use their full bodies to fight, rather than just their feet or just their arms. Lastly, they are fighting like they mean it while still using proper technique. In my book, this is the most crucial component of any good fight. Anyone can swing a sword fast. However, it takes a skilled and knowledgeable fighter to be able to swing the sword fast while still keeping their fight partner safe.

This fight is a “diamond in the rough”. Based on my experience, the “low budget” fight scenes one can find on YouTube are often choreographed and performed by people who have average to low quality capabilities. More often than not you find pieces that are simply ridiculous as far as their fight scenes are concerned. Don’t believe me?  Go ahead and see for yourself. This is a short episodic series with loads of mediocre fighting:

The biggest differences I see between these two low budget “films” are the fighters themselves. The fight choreography in the “Low Budget Man” Series isn’t terrible. In fact, I think the choreography is just fine. However, the characters in “Low Budget Man” are supposed to be excellent fighters. Unfortunately, the people playing these characters don’t really seem to have much in the way of fight skills.

The question of whether or not budget has anything to do with the quality of a fight scene was asked in my previous post. The answer is not necessarily.  Excellent Stage Combatants are always going to be excellent no matter how much you pay them. Sometimes, they may even decide to come together and create some fight scenes of their own accord. This not only keeps their skills sharp (no pun intended) but it's also fun and educational for the fighters. When this happens, the possibilities are endless. The flip to that is many people are not professional stage combatants; they don't really know what they're doing. So, when they post "flashy fight scenes", there's not much to see in way of greatness. It is the latter example that leads to not-so-great low budget fights.

When it comes to more professional films, the reality is that the most gifted Stage Combatants/Stunt Coordinators are going to expect their paychecks to reflect their hard work and experience. Thusly, the best of the best are likely going to cost more and require a bigger budget. 

Thanks for Reading!