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A fake fight scene requires real coordination. To make a convincing fight scene you need actors that can fight convincingly. Whether you're filming a one-on-one duel or a big brawl, you want actors who can carry themselves with fluidity and coordination.  If your actors aren't comfortable moving a lot, you can still give them smaller parts in the fight. It will make your job much harder, however. Fake fighting is closer to dancing than actual brawling, and requires a similar level of coordination and athleticism. Do you want a blazing fast kung-fu battle or a slow, intense brawl? Will the fight be one-sided or will the combatants be evenly matched? Maybe one character is getting beaten up badly, but comes behind at the very end to win. Whatever your film, figure out the feel and progression of the fight before you start choreographing it.  How does each fighter behave? A noble warrior, for example, will fight very differently from a scoundrel pirate. Do you want gritty, realistic violence or something more fun and cartoonish? How serious is this fight? If you're not making the movie alone, show your cast and crew fight scenes from 3-4 movies you want your scene to look like. This helps everyone get on the same page. This is non-negotiable -- any closer and you risk real injury, any further and the hit will look unconvincing. Say Kim needs to kick at Ron's head. There are two ways to play it. First, Kim can kick in front of Ron's face, arching her foot in front of his nose. Second, she can kick past his head, flying past his ear. A third method is to let Ron dodge the blow, which is much easier to shoot than fake contact because you don't need to "cheat" the impact of the kick. If Kim is throwing that kick Ron needs to realistically get hit by it. As the kick passes his head, Ron should launch himself in the same direction, mimicking the contact. Take it at 50% speed at first so that both actors know exactly what is happening and where they need to go, then slowly ratchet up the speed with each rehearsal. Let each blow land where an actor just was for the best results. If Kim throws a punch, have Ron back up as he reacts to it, helping sell the movement. Say Kim needs to throw Ron to the floor for the scene. Kim wouldn't ever actually throw Ron. Instead, she would just grab Ron, who would then throw himself to the floor. Kim would simply fake the throw by following Ron's lead. This makes the timing much more fluid and far safer, and should be used in a variety of scenarios:  Say Kim grabs Ron's hand and breaks his arm at the elbow. All Kim should do is grab the hand, letting Ron move himself to the floor as she follows him down. If Kim needs to slam Ron's head against the wall, Ron should throw his head within six inches of the wall and fake the bounce back up. She simply follows his head with her hand. Never use a real weapon on set, even if it is supposed to be just seen in the background. Props should always be harmless and completely safe. In professional movies, prop masters must be professionally firearm trained, even with blanks and fake guns, and for a good reason -- even blanks have caused injury when played with or used inappropriately.  You can purchase realistic foam baseball bats, swords, nunchucks, and much more online from movie prop websites. Prop knives should be retractable, meaning they hide when you "stab" someone. Guns, even rubber ones, should be covered with a bright muzzle indicating that they are fake whenever they are not in use. For example, say your scene starts with traded punches, moves to a dodged kick, and ends with Kim throwing Ron to the ground. You should master the punches, the kick, and the throw individually, then slowly piece them together. When choreographing scenes, go slowly, taking it one piece at a time to ensure perfection and safety. Think back to the tone of your fight, and the attitudes of your characters. For example, a noble and experienced warrior will be calm and confident. When not fighting they will be poised and still. A less experienced fighter, however, is generally jittery and nervous. They make big, energetic movements, bounce or shake when not in action, etc. Once your actual action is choreographed, spend some time making the fight look artistic. Make sure you rehearse in costume as well. Actors need to practice in the clothes they will actually have to fight in.

Summary:
Find physical, athletic actors to work with. Decide on the tone and arc of the fight. Keep all punches and kicks 6–8 inches (15.2–20.3 cm) away from the actors. Coordinate the reaction to each hit to time it up with the action. Let the person getting hit dictate any actual movement. Purchase safe, movie-specific props. Practice each action individually before stringing it all together. Add flourishes and details once the main actions are perfected.