How do they shoot fight scenes without causing harm to performers?

Question

What are the techniques to create a realistic fight/combat scene without injuring the actors?

Answer 1

A few different ways.

Older techniques:

1. Stage combat (derived from theatre). Example: aiming for your opponents shoulder and placing the camera so that it looks like you're landing your hits. Then they cover it up with some--
2. Sound effects. Sound effects can really drive home a combat hit. Look at classic Hong Kong martial arts cinema for the most pronounced examples. They might use the sound of reeds smacking against the ground or, for a more contemporary example, in the movie Fight Club they used the sound of punching chicken breasts with pecans layered in, then they recorded the sound being played back in an empty basement (The specific scene that uses this sound is the "I felt like destroying something beautiful" scene with Angel Face.
3. Tricky editing. Tony Zhou on the YouTube channel "Every Frame A Painting" has a wonderful video on Jacki Chan. One of the key points he makes is that you can cut two different punches (or kicks, hits, etc.) to look like one very hard hit. You're tricking the audience's brain when you edit this way and it's really effective.

Contemporary movies use

1. Higher shutter speed. Everything looks rougher and grittier.
2. Handheld camera work. By taking the camera off the tripod, you can use the camera to almost make it feel like the camera is in the fight.
3. Quick edits. Most fight scenes have a lot of shots that only last seconds as opposed to the longer takes of old Hollywood.

Good examples of the old school way would be Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master" versus the contemporary "Bourne Identity."

I hope this answered your question. :)