Butcher of Blaviken: Henry Cavill Breaks Down The Blaviken Fight Scene Blow By Blow

The star of Netflix’s The Witcher details how shots were created for the Blaviken fight scene, and which swords were used in the series.

Netflix continues its tradition of Shot By Shot videos which give viewers a look behind-the-scenes of various shows and movies made by the streaming service. In the following video, Henry Cavill explains what it took make that fight scene believable, and for his character to truly earn that title, Butcher of Blaviken.

The whole sequence was done in one take, though another cut exists of multiple shots cut together. “The problem with a one shot is that if any bit slows down, or anything doesn’t work perfectly it ruins the whole scene, and so you have to keep going back and doing it again and again and again until you get it right. There’s no time fore mistakes. There’s no space for mistakes.”

The one shot, if done right, sells the actor in the scene more than multiple shots could. Cavill truly looks like the Butcher of Blaviken.

As you can imagine, fight sequences–especially one as complex as this–are carefully choreographed by a stunt coordinator. There is the training itself. Cavill was trained by Lucy Cork, and Emma Appleton (who plays Renfri) trained every day for 3-4 weeks for her part in the fight, which is less than one minute of screen time. As expected, all movements are choreographed. For instance, veteran stuntman Wolfgam Stegeman choreographed that great crossbow bolt deflection that starts the fight.

“We wanted to make it unique in a way,” said Cavill. “And Wolfgam’s idea of the camera circle round the crossbowman allows the audience to feel that moment like the bolt was truly going to hit him.”

The choreography comes in handy when using swords. If you’d ever wondered if those swords land on a stunt performer, then Cavill reveals that they often use cut-off swords for complex moves. The half of the blade that is missing (the sharp end) is added digitally. Literally the actor is blocking, stabbing, or cutting with nothing.

Timed choreography is everything. And not just for the actors involve in the scene. The cameraman has to keep out of the way of the actors, while not backing into a wall or prop. A guiding hand behind him is crucial.  through a guiding hand behind him. And with multiple takes

Cavill explains that even if he remembered and performed his moves perfectly, it would come to naught if the camera was on a slightly different position or the stuntman was slightly off his mark. So many factors determine a believable and entertaining fight scene.

But in the end, a fight sequence still advances the story. “Wolfgang and I really wanted to make sure that the story was told through the fight,” said Cavill. “It’s not just a random fight of people swinging swords at each other. These are two people in a dance, and through that dance a story is told.”

Based on The Witcher‘s success, this is a story that audiences want to be told. It’s Netflix’s number one viewed first season show with a reported 76 million households tuning in. Demand for the books and video games have also increased dramatically since the shows launch.

You can learn more about the fight that made Cavill the Butcher of Blaviken from the director behind the fight scene on Reddit.