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British Academy Of Stage & Screen Combat (BASSC)
Encyclopedia
The British Academy Of Stage & Screen Combat (BASSC) is a British organisation for the tuition and development of stage combat
for theatre
, television
and feature film
.
The British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat was formed in 1993, many founding members being of the former S.B.F.D. The organisation set about creating its current reputation as the invigorating and driving force behind stage combat in the United Kingdom.
In 1997, British Equity recognised the BASSC’s Advanced Certificate as a valid qualification for entry onto the Equity Fight Directors’ Training Scheme and, in 2001, the BASSC was appointed by the Equity Council for the training and assessment of Fight Directors candidates applying to join the Equity Fight Directors’ Register. The BASSC is currently respected, both nationally and internationally, as a provider of professional level stage combat training.
Richard Ryan was appointed the first Master Teacher of the BASSC. Since then he has gone on to become an established Hollywood Fight Director. His film credits include: Troy
, The Dark Knight
, Stardust & The Last Legion
. As well as television & theatre, his work extends as far as video games; Notably, he was the Fight/Combat Consultant for the best-selling Xbox 360
game Fable 2
from Lionhead Studios
.
, East 15 Acting School
, Royal Academy of Music
, Central School of Speech and Drama
, Italia Conti, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Drama Studio and the City Lit
. Classes and Workshops are also held across the UK and are open to the public and other actor/combatants.
BASSC now has training schemes in place which allow for development from Actor/Combatant to Certified Teacher as well as assessment and training of Fight Directors for the Equity register.
The test requires actors to perform a dramatic scene containing a stage combat fight, choreographed and taught by a BASSC certified teacher. Students are marked on both stage combat technique and the acting within the scene. Based upon marks the awards available are: Fail, Pass & Pass with Distinction.
Below is a list of the BASSC core weapon syllabus:
Weapons Systems
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
for theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
.
History
The British Academy Of Stage & Screen Combat (BASSC) has its roots in the now defunct Society of British Fight Directors. In the early to mid nineties the Society of British Fight Directors went through a transitional period, as its focus began to shift towards the teaching of Stage Combat. In 1996, the Society of British Fight Directors voted to change its name to The British Academy of Dramatic Combat (BADC).The British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat was formed in 1993, many founding members being of the former S.B.F.D. The organisation set about creating its current reputation as the invigorating and driving force behind stage combat in the United Kingdom.
In 1997, British Equity recognised the BASSC’s Advanced Certificate as a valid qualification for entry onto the Equity Fight Directors’ Training Scheme and, in 2001, the BASSC was appointed by the Equity Council for the training and assessment of Fight Directors candidates applying to join the Equity Fight Directors’ Register. The BASSC is currently respected, both nationally and internationally, as a provider of professional level stage combat training.
Richard Ryan was appointed the first Master Teacher of the BASSC. Since then he has gone on to become an established Hollywood Fight Director. His film credits include: Troy
Troy (film)
Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:...
, The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
, Stardust & The Last Legion
The Last Legion
The Last Legion is a 2007 film directed by Doug Lefler. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and others, it is based on a 2003 Italian novel of the same name written by Valerio Massimo Manfredi...
. As well as television & theatre, his work extends as far as video games; Notably, he was the Fight/Combat Consultant for the best-selling Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Fable 2
Fable 2
Fable II is an action role-playing game in the Fable game series developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. It is the sequel to Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters, it was originally announced in 2006 and released in October 2008...
from Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios
Lionhead Studios is a British computer game development company led by industry veteran Peter Molyneux, and acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in April 2006. Lionhead started as a breakaway from the developer Bullfrog, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a...
.
Today
BASSC teachers can be found at many leading UK Drama & Arts Schools, including the Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
, East 15 Acting School
East 15 Acting School
East 15 is a British drama school in Debden, Loughton, Essex. At the main campus, Loughton, it occupies an 18th century mansion, Hatfields, and has its own theatre, the Corbett, which is adjacent. The Corbett Theatre is an adaptation of a 15th-century barn...
, Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
, Italia Conti, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Drama Studio and the City Lit
City Lit
City Literary Institute is an adult education college based in central London, offering 3,000 part-time courses. It was established in 1919, with the purpose of educating London's workforce after the war...
. Classes and Workshops are also held across the UK and are open to the public and other actor/combatants.
BASSC now has training schemes in place which allow for development from Actor/Combatant to Certified Teacher as well as assessment and training of Fight Directors for the Equity register.
Fight Performance Tests
For Actor/Combatants, the BASSC offers 'Fight Performance Tests' in core stage combat weapon systems from the BASSC syllabus.The test requires actors to perform a dramatic scene containing a stage combat fight, choreographed and taught by a BASSC certified teacher. Students are marked on both stage combat technique and the acting within the scene. Based upon marks the awards available are: Fail, Pass & Pass with Distinction.
Below is a list of the BASSC core weapon syllabus:
Weapons Systems
- Unarmed Combat
- Single Rapier
- Rapier & Dagger
- Broadsword
- Quarterstaff
- Sword & Shield
- Smallsword
- Knife