How to Direct an Action Movie Like SS Rajamouli

Welcome to The Queue — your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, we’re watching a video essay that explores SS Rajamouli’s approach to shooting fight scenes.

It’s possible that RRR‘s recent Oscar nomination has rekindled the film’s presence in your mind. Then again, maybe you’ve had sweaty heroics and thrilling pyrotechnics playing on a constant loop in your mind’s eye since the film was released in 2022.

In addition to being one of the most movies of all time (just generally), RRR also easily trounces the competition when it comes to its elevated status within the modern action genre. RRR embodies the rollercoaster-like feeling the best action movies create. And while the secret to RRR‘s success isn’t due to any one singular thing, director SS Rajamouli‘s emphasis on character-driven emotional storytelling is certainly a big piece of the puzzle.

As the video essay below outlines in greater detail, each action set piece in RRR packs a punch in more ways than one because of Rajamouli’s creative decisions. From structuring action-packed sequences like little mini-movies to his prioritization of visual clarity, RRR is a stunning modern example of how action can tell a story (while also blowing your socks off). So, without further ado, here’s a look at how Rajamouli balances spectacle and emotion.

Be warned: the following contains some visual and story spoilers. Maybe take this as a sign to finally watch RRR? It’s very good. We promise.

Watch “SS Rajamouli Directing Action — How to Ground Fight Scenes with Storytelling in RRR”

Who made this?

This video essay on how “RRR” director SS Rajamouli makes an action movie is created by StudioBinder. This production management software creator also happens to produce wildly informative video essays. They tend to focus on the mechanics of filmmaking itself, from staging to pitches and directorial techniques. You can check out their YouTube account here.

More videos like this

Related Topics: Action, RRR, The Queue

Meg Shields is the humble farm boy of your dreams and a senior contributor at Film School Rejects. She currently runs three columns at FSR: The Queue, How’d They Do That?, and Horrorscope. She is also a curator for One Perfect Shot and a freelance writer for hire. Meg can be found screaming about John Boorman’s ‘Excalibur’ on Twitter here: @TheWorstNun. (She/Her).