Working as a Stuntman

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Many young people, men and women, are interested in doing stunt work. (We'll refer to them as "stuntmen" for now.) As with other parts of show business, it takes time, talent and patience. The first thing you'll need is a Screen Actors' Guild card, but that requires experience in a movie, usually as an extra. You'll obviously need to have some athletic ability, possibly in martial arts or gymnastics. The bad news: it takes years for most stuntmen to achieve success and steady work. The work is done predominantly by stunt coordinators who have been at this for years and are hired to organize stunts. Also, movies are very often made in Vancouver rather than Hollywood. Injuries often happen, and you need to have SAG insurance, requiring you to have worked a certain amount per year.

The good news is that most actors don't do their own stunts. The movie makers don't want them to. The risk is too great. Start by knowing how to stage fight, the ability for your fake punch to look real through the right camera angles. Fight sequences are used most often, especially in small indies, since fire and falls are more expensive. There are fire experts. There are experts in falling. Since young actors often portray students, punks, jocks or potheads, we're back to stage fighting. There's actually a Society of American Fight Directors and the Los Angeles Film Fighting Academy. It's also a good idea to be an actor who fights rather than specifically a stuntman. There might be more opportunity for the guy who says a few lines, then manages to get into a fight.

After some training, make a video showing off your talent to send to a stunt coordinator. They receive hundreds of tapes, but the key is to keep going and not give up. After all, it's show biz.

Working as a Stuntman

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