all you need to know on stunt doubles
work partnersStunt doubles have to work with a few people, as part of the job. First of all, they have to work with the stunt co-ordinator, to go over precisely what they have to do for that particular stunt. The director and stage technicians also play a role to plan out the stunt that the stunt person has to do. So, the stunt double has to be able to communicate and cooperate with all of these people, to do the stunt as effectively as they can.
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the workplaceBeing a stuntman requires long hours of work, in many different working environments. Depending on where the scene in the movie is being filmed, you could be in a studio or outdoors. Work days can be as long as 12 hours, however most of this is mainly rehearsing, and waiting for ideal filming conditions. Also, since stunt doubles usually work on contract, there may be certain periods of time where you're unemployed, so taking up part time jobs would be essential for this job.
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incomeThe income for a stunt person really depends on their ranking and how often they work. A special skills extra replaces extra actors in the movie, for things as simple as dancing and sports. The average daily pay for these extra stunt doubles is $150-200 a day. Then an apprentice stunt man usually makes $150-450 a day, as they are pretty much a higher ranking stunt extra. Then as an actual stunt man, you can make anywhere between $50,000-$200,000 a year. Finally, the stunts co-ordinator, who sets up stunts as well as doing the stunts themselves on occasion. They can make anywhere between $70,000-500,000 a year! All of this depends how good the stunt person is, their skills in certain activities, and how often they get to work.
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attributes of a stuntman |
pros and cons of the job |
There are a few attributes you have if you want to be a stuntman. First of all, you have to be obedient, and willing to listen to what the stunt co-ordinator tells you to do. You can make suggestions, but in the end its up to the directors, stage crew, and the co-ordinator. Secondly, the job can be indoors, outdoors, or somewhere across the world. So, you have to be flexible, and be able to get places fast. Experience is also good, which comes over time. The better you are, the bigger movie productions you'll get in. Finally, being a stunt man requires a large variety of skills, such as martial arts, driving, skydiving, and pretty much anything dangerous.
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There is a lot of ways to look at a stunt doubling job. There is a ton of good things about the career. There is a large skill set which you can have, and you don;t necessarily have to have a specific skill set. For example, you don't have to be an amazing driver to be a stunt man, you can just do more stage combat based stuff, or whatever you're good at. Also, when you get better at being a stunt man, the pay gets very, very good. However, it can be hard to get really high in the industry, and it can be hard starting off. At the beginning the pay isn't the best, and you can't just work as a stuntman. Also, it's a possibility that in the future, less stuntman will be required, as photoshop and animation can completely replace stuntman, so they may not be needed.
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Chad Sparkes, Lars Plougmann, Chi-Hung Lin, nudelbach, paisteline581