The Best Lightsaber Fight Frame With Purpose With multiple combatants and a bunch of bright, flashing lights, it is easy to get lost in the midst of a lightsaber battle. Just look at how chaotic a scene can become like the arena battle in Attack of the Clones.

Petranaki Arena Battle | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

With so much going on, it is difficult to know what to pay attention to in this particular battle. Rian Johnson wisely avoids this mistake by framing in such a way that your eyes know exactly where to go.

When examining the opening scene of the fight when Kylo Ren kills Snoke, we first get a close-up of Kylo Ren’s hand. We know definitively he is the one controlling the lightsaber, and he is the one responsible for Snoke’s death.

From there, the camera racks focus to show us Snoke being cut in half by the lightsaber. It moves through the z-axis toward Kylo Ren, but Rey grabs it. In the background, which has become blurry, we see Snoke fall apart in two halves. Our eyes are already focused on the center where Snoke collapsed, and this is where Rey pops up.

A bunch of edits could have made this scene clunky. It would’ve been hard to discern what just transpired and who is where. Similar framing strategies are used throughout the scene to guide your eye to what is most important.

It makes this lightsaber duel more engaging because you know exactly what is happening. You know where people are located within the scene, so there is no confusion.

Best Lightsaber Duels

Move the camera with intent

There is more to a director’s job than guiding the actors. He or she must also direct the camera and know when to move it and when to keep it stationary. A camera pan may seem simple, but as we've discussed before regarding camera movement , it can be incredibly helpful at guiding the viewer to various items within a scene.