Tips of the Stunt Trade

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:44:29 +0000

What does every action packed-car flipping-fire burning-gun shooting-building jumping scene have in common? The answer: a highly trained stuntman risking his or life in place of your favorite actor/actress. These stuntmen have years of experience and training behind them. To become a successful stuntman (or woman), you’ll want to follow these simple tips:

Get connected: The best way to form connections in the world of Hollywood is to hire an agent. Your agent can hook you up with a stunt coordinator who casts stunt doubles, choreographs stunts, and fulfils the director’s creative vision. Directors usually hire the same stunt coordinators, and stunt coordinators tend to use the same talented stuntmen, so getting a good word in with a stunt coordinator is a surefire way to make it into a movie.
Know how to fight: Stuntmen are most commonly used because they possess skill sets that typical actors do not. Instead of training an actor to sword fight or throw a fake punch, stuntmen who are well versed in combat and fighting techniques are brought in. While it helps to have other skills (like falling or fire training), stage fighting is the most basic and necessary skill stuntmen should possess.
Gain valuable experience from live shows: Theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios that feature live action shows provide great training for beginning stunt artists. In addition to the training and experience, you get paid to learn and perform plus health insurance is included. Look into Disney’s Tarzan show or the Pirates Dinner Adventure.
Apply for the United Stuntmen’s International Stunt School: The only licensed and registered stunt school in the industry with a team of 12 professional stunt instructors who cover 15 disciplines. If you’re 20 or older and have 4000 dollars, the Stunt School will develop your skills and connect you to the world of onscreen stunts so you’re ready for the big screen.

Interested in becoming a stuntman?

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:58:34 +0000

The typical movie watcher thinks of stuntmen as daredevils with dream jobs. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in the stunt industry, you should know it is not for daredevilsit’s for performers. Becoming a stuntman takes a great deal of hard work, training, and connections. It is recommended you become an actor who can perform stunts rather than a standalone stuntman. Before pursuing such a job, you should know that the hours are long, the pay is unstable, and the safety is limited. Work days commonly last up to 14 hours due to the need for impeccable planning, detailed setups, and careful filming. Moreover these 14 hours are often spent in less than optimal conditionsan icy mountain, a hot desert, submerged in water, or surrounded by fire. As far as location goes, stuntmen go where the movies go: everywhere. The pay depends on a stuntman’s experience and the specific stunt they perform with the top tier stuntmen making six figure annual incomes and the lower making anywhere from 5,000-70,000.As for actually becoming a stuntman, the road is long and bumpy. You’ll want to be trained in gymnastics and martial arts (fight training is a necessity because it’s easier to hire a practiced stuntman fighter than train an actor for a fight scene), have experience with high speed driving, extreme sports, and falling and fire techniques. There are stuntman schools located across the country where you can learn the tricks of the industry from stunt pros. The United Stuntmen Association offers an International Stunt School with high credence that will help get noticed and book a gig.Unfortunately for stuntmen, computer generated imaging technology today replaces many of the traditional scenes where stuntmen used to be used. While this serves as a minor setback in the stuntman industry, there are still plenty of stunts that require stuntmen. If you’re still interested in becoming a stuntman despite the dangers and negative aspects of the job, you should look into moving to Vancouver where the largest stunt industry is now based.

Action Stunts » Becoming a Stuntman

Tips of the Stunt Trade

Interested in becoming a stuntman?