How to record fights

How to record fights

We do NOT encourage fighting, but here's what JFP do support: People of both sexes standing up for themselves and showing haters and bullies where the boundaries are.  Bullies can be relentless if you don't show them that "enough is enough."  We are for female empowerment, and that means that sometimes you gotta beat those haters down.  If it's a fair fight with two willing participants, what's wrong with it?  (We are AGAINST ANY form of assault or non-consensual violence.)  We want to show what fighting tactics seem to work. We neither promote nor judge nor sensationalize fighting, but we document what's going on in society... It's newsworthy and it is our First Amendment right to show it.  But please remember, the depiction of reality does not imply its advocacy.  Basically, we are like a news station or that old TV show "COPS," but we happen to focus on fights only...

A bit of advice for recording good fights (the ideal fight clip):

  • Never edit sound.  Never put soundtrack over original audio

  • Don't edit the video.  Leave the end on there.  Many fights are not over after round 1, so keep filming until you know for sure it's over. 

  • Try to hold camera as steady as possible

  • Try to get as close to the fight as you can

  • Make sure your own side also record the fight. Do not leave recording to other side.
  • If other side is clearly intoxicated, postpone the fight.

  • Include build-up and trash talking, if possible.  Viewers are interested in the back story. Sometimes the build-up is as interesting as fight itself.  What a perfect build-up looks like is shown in Brooke Valentine's video "Girlfight."  Even footage from days before the fight can be interesting if the girls talk smack. 

  • Include close-ups of fighters' faces (post-fight face check) 

  • No one really cares about the crowd, focus on the fighters.

  • Only 1 camera, but more than 1 fight? Don't switch from fight to fight. Instead, stay with fight with most action or with most attractive fighters.

  • Don't comment on the fight while you are recording it; instead, concentrate on the quality of the video.

  • Bring friends as back-up so they can make sure that no one in the crowd jumps in.  If people start jumping in, break it up. Whenever a fight becomes unfair, break it up! 

  • Do NOT break up fights when there's hairpulling or grappling on the ground.

  • Include short interviews with both fighters, if possible ("Reason? Backstory?"), but don't insist on it.

  • Always record in best quality available (highest resolution, highest framerate). 

  • Look in Free Samples section for example videos. 

  • Good idea to have more than one camera ready, if possible.  (But if you follow the tips above and have enough battery juice left, you actually will only need one camera.)

Again, we do not encourage fighting in any way, shape, or form, but if you happen to have a video of a fair fight that was mutually agreed upon, we'd love to hear from you. Check out our X accounts justfightsjfp2 and justfightsjfp or write us at submit@justfightsjfp.com ).  

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