If you're a talented fighter, you may want to consider quitting your day job and making fighting into a full time career. With the amount of action movies out in theatres, there's a high demand for skilled choreographers to orchestrate believable, memorable and theatrical fight scenes. Read the tips listed below and learn about how you can become a fight choreographer.
- Education In order to become a highly demanded choreographer, you will have to become proficient in a number of different fighting styles. Successful fight choreographers are well versed in multiple martial arts, including karate, judo, tae kwon do, kendo and aikido. You may also want to study sword fighting, gymnastics and fencing [source: Chapin].
- Certification While there are no set certifications required to work as a fight choreographer, the more you can add to your resume, the better chance you have of finding an agent. The Society of American Fight Directors offer proficiency exams that allow you to receive certification [source: SAFD].
- Experience Before you move to Hollywood to pursue a career as a fight choreographer, it's best to get some training under your belt. Choreographers must know different fighting styles as well as how to deal with people. Consider offering your services to a local film school for student or independent films. The work will provide you with both experience and film footage to show potential employers and agents.
- Demos Once you have worked on several films, put together your own demo video to show to agents. Your demo should be a montage of you displaying your fighting techniques and a medley of shots of you working as a fight choreographer on a movie set. Remember to incorporate as many types of martial arts as you can to show your range of expertise. Send your demo and resume to agents.
Keep in mind that though choreography is not acting, it is part of the movie industry. You will have to be mentally strong and patient to deal with the competition in the field. But if you're a talented fighter and a creative choreographer, you can turn your fight hobby into your career.
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