Stunt person

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Stunt scene

A stunt person (male stuntman [ ˈstantmən ] [ ˈstantmɛn ], plural stuntmen [ ˈstantmən ], female stuntwoman , English for "trick demonstrator"), extremely rarely also German cascadeur or Cascadeur , is a trained professional person who works in films or in Television performs dangerous scenes ( stunts) . When they take the place of another actor, they are called a stunt double .

In the early days of the film , some actors, like Buster Keaton, took over the execution of dangerous scenes themselves. Later, specialized doubles were used for this, which acted rather unknown in the background. However, a few managed to become famous themselves, such as the German "climbing maxi" Arnim Dahl .

Tasks of a stunt person

The stunt person's area of ​​responsibility includes doubling actors in dangerous scenes. A stunt person is by no means to be confused with a pyrotechnician , SFX technician or set builder or outfitter, even if stunt persons have some knowledge of these areas. The essential part of a stunt is planning and preparation, avoiding avoidable risks as much as possible.

Stunt people are needed particularly often in some film genres: Westerns , thrillers , horror , war or action films .

job profile

The Federal Association of German Stunt People first developed job profiles for the professional group in 2010. The job titles are not protected. They have the character of a model and are intended to serve both internally and for outsiders as a guide for a minimum level of safety and quality of the work of stuntmen. The job description of a stuntman includes a number of different artistic and technical skills that form a homogeneous unit.

The area of ​​activity can be broken down into various occupational profiles. The Federal Association of German Stunt People differentiates between:

  • Stuntman / Stuntwoman (stunt performer)
  • Stunt coordinator
  • Assistant stunt coordinator
  • Fight choreographer
  • Horse Master
  • Precision Driver
  • Stunt rigger
  • Stunt Rescue Diver
  • 2nd Unit Director / Action Unit Director

The terms mentioned refer to independent activities and stations in a given career. Depending on the requirements, one or more of these professionals are required to realize a stunt in film, television or theater production.

Well-known stunts and stunt people

In 1903 the demand for stunts began. The first stuntman in film history was used in 1908 in the silent film The Count of Monte Christo by director Francis Boggs . In order to outdo the film pioneer Thomas Alva Edison with a spectacular ending, the film producer William N. Selig asked his director to insert a dramatic climax into the film. This should consist in the escape from the Château d'If . To make this happen, it took a very good and brave swimmer. He was a very good acrobat who was the only one able to fulfill the director's wishes. He was ready to jump off a cliff into the ocean for $ 5.

Yakima Canutt was a rodeo star, through which he was discovered by film producers for action scenes and stunts. At the beginning of the 1930s, all training on action and stunt as well as the planning of action scenes ran through Canutt; among other things, he worked with John Wayne at the time . Yakima Canutt is considered to be the pioneer for the variety of today's stunts.

Miki Dora , a well-known surfer , has acted as both a stunt double and an actor in several feature films and starred in the surf films The Endless Summer and Surfers: The Movie . Terry Forrestal (1948-2000), who worked as a stunt man and stunt coordinator in over 100 films and television productions, was also active as an actor.

Dar Robinson set 21 stunt world records in his long career and received the record fee of 150,000 US dollars for a cable-secured jump from the 553 meter high CN Tower on August 12, 1980. He is in the Guinness Book of Records in 1988 as the highest paid stuntman.

Evel Knievel (1938–2007) became famous around the world for his spectacular motorcycle jumps and stunt shows. His son Robbie Knievel is also a stunt man.

Well-known stunt women are, for example, the New Zealander Zoë Bell or the Germans Tanja de Wendt and Katja Jerabek.

In Germany at the time of National Socialism, “popular entertainment” and propaganda films played a major role, in the post-war period shallow entertainment films, so that there was hardly any need for stunt people. One of the few exceptions is the film “Klettermaxe”, with which Arnim Dahl , the stunt double, became better known as the main actor.

The establishment of stunts in German film did not take place until the beginning of the 80s, when the era of auteur films came to an end. François Doge, who specializes in car stunts, was one of the first to make a living from his work, one of the most famous German stuntmen is probably Hermann Joha , who at times trained stunt people in his company action concept. Both promoted the establishment of stunts in German film significantly through their work, as they designed artistic stunt scenes themselves or worked as action directors.

The longest-serving stuntman in the world was the American Wally Rose , who was still over 80 years old and played stunts until his death .

The World Stunt Academy has been presenting the World Stunt Award or Taurus annually since 2001 to honor special achievements in their industry.

literature

  • Hakan Haslaman: Stunts and How To Do Them - About the Real Heroes of Action Movies. Bender, Mainz 2002, ISBN 3-936497-00-1 .

Web links

Wiktionary: stunt person  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Stunt People  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gene Scott Freese: Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland & Co Inc., 2014, ISBN 978-0-7864-7643-5 .