Screenwriting : En Garde! Touche! That sort of thing! by Tony Ray

Here's a link that offers some tips.

https://freshmenscreenplay.com/the-only-way-to-write-a-movie-fight-scene...

Maybe there's a pdf online of Captain Blood or about half a dozen other Errol Flynn films.

Mista Martel Thx so much for sharing. It's brilliant, and a highlight.

Here's a link to the script for Highlander 4. There's lots of sword action. Hope it helps. :)

https://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/highlander_4.html

Mista-That's a good read. I'll save it and use it for reference. Thanks.

Eric-I'll have to look those up. I've seen Errol Flynn in "Robin Hood", so I kind of have an idea of what it looks like. So maybe the screenplays will shed even more light. Thanks.

Baz-I'll have to read that at some point. Thank you.

It's an interesting problem. But don't overthink it.

I've got a number of scripts with sword fights in them. As a screenwriter, a fight director AND a Classical Fencing Master - I have to walk a fine line between being descriptive and 'over directing' the scene.

Here's the deal. Unless you're planning on choreographing the fight yourself and want to write down the actions - there's no point in getting down to the nitty gritty of "He makes a feint in the high line, disengaging into the low and finishing with a 'fleche' - landing the point..." Because that means nothing to a reader sitting in the office.

You need to convey the 'feeling' of the fight - and leave the details to the fight arranger.

William Goldman does this brilliantly in "Princess Bride". Here's a bit of it. Wesley and Inigo have just faced off at the top of the cliff.

THE TWO OF THEM:

And what we are starting now is one of the two greatest

sword fights in modern movies (the other one happens later

on), and right from the beginning it looks different.

Because they aren't close to each other -- none of the

swordscrossing "en garde" garbage.

No, what we have here is two men, two athletes, and they

look to be too faraway to damage each other, but each time

one makes even the tiniest feint, the other counters, and

there is silence, and as they start to circle --

What he's done here - and in the rest of the fight - is describe what an undeducated viewer sees on the screen. Athletes - tentative actions - the tension of the moment.

That's how I do it - and I know exactly how I'd choreograph the action if I were doing it. Leave it up to the fight arranger. Instead - tell them what you see. Is one opponent confident? Toying with the other? Is one of them struggling, stumbling?

It's fine if there's a particular detail of the fight that you want to put in. Perhaps someone has to be injured in a particular way. Perhaps the weapon needs to break. Perhaps someone has to be at sword point in order to extort a confession - whatever. Make that clear in your description.

But it is more important to describe the feeling - the intention - of the actions, than the technical action itself.

That's how I approach it as a screenwriter - and what I need to see on the page as a fight director.

Good luck!

Lookup Terry Rossio's website, Wordplayer. He's got tips on writing swords/action. And he co-wrote a little franchise called, "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Zorro." :) One other thing, your action description should match the tone of the screenplay/movie. Pirates... and Zorro are playful romantic-comedy sword fighting.

Here's an excerpt from Pirates of the Caribbean I thought was described simply but lets the fight choreographer use his/her imagination:

Jack attacks. The two men trading feints, thrusts and

parries with lightning speed, almost impossible to follow.

Will has no trouble matching Jack.

JACK (CONT'D)

You know what you're doing, I'll give

you that ... Excellent form ... But

how's your footwork? If I step here --

He takes a step around an imaginary circle. Will steps the

other way, maintaining his relationship to Jack.

JACK (CONT'D)

Very good! And now I step again.

(continuing in a circle)

They are now exactly opposite their initial positions.

JACK (CONT'D)

Ta!

Jack turns and heads for the door, now directly behind him.

Will registers angry surprise -- and then with a vicious

overhand motion, throws his sword -- it buries itself into

the door, just above the latch, barely missing Jack.

Source: http://www.macalania.com/depp/filmografia/scripts/Piratesscript.htm

I would say “The Princess Bride”, mostly because I love the film and Goldman.

I'd take a look at the duelist along with a polish film called the Deluge which trained swordsman refer to as the most realistic theatrical sword fight ever.One of the actors was almost killed filming it.Theirs a Youtuber called Skallagrim who explains the different techniques used with different types of swords and weapons that may be useful to you as well.

I know it will kind of sound cheesy but the fight scenes in the Highlander movies and series has some great sword fighting maybe find a screenplay from one of them.

Richard P. Alvarez , I really appreciated your answer here. Thanks, man. I've been rewriting one of my features that takes place in the world of acroyoga -- and the acrobatic moves they do. I'll employ some of your tips on those action descriptions.

That fight scene in Scaramouche (1952) gives new meaning to the line: Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango? But seriously those fight scenes from The Three Musketeers (1973) were very good.

William Hobbs a British fight director - Did the fights in the Three Musketeers/Four Musketeers, the Counte of Monte Cristo,(2002) Hamlet(Mel Gibsons) Shakespeare in Love, The Man in the Iron Mask (DeCaprio) Willow, Dangerous Beauty, Lady Hawke, Mists of Avalon, Excalibur, Robin and Marion and many others. But by far my favorite work of his - is "The Duellists".

He was the Penultimate fight arranger in my opinion. His work is the best of the best. His style is always true to the character and the moment and the environment.

Thanks for that info Richard P. Alvarez. I got a list of films to watch and re-watch.