Stuntman required
Mon, 24 Nov 2003, 04:40 pmAndrew20 posts in thread
Stuntman required
Mon, 24 Nov 2003, 04:40 pmCurrently seeking a stuntman for a short film. The stunt requires the individual to drop through a plastic skylight and land on a padded couch two metres below. The individual will be bound at the wrists and have a pillowcase over his head. Pay: $100. Waiver required to be signed. This is a non-union film. An army medic will be on site. Anyone mad enough to be interested, write to anupstartcrow@hotmail.com Cheers.
Re: Stuntman: Be careful, you'll get what you pay for
Mon, 24 Nov 2003, 11:59 pmAndrew Smith wrote:
>
>
> Currently seeking a stuntman for a short film. The stunt
> requires the individual to drop through a plastic skylight
> and land on a padded couch two metres below. The individual
> will be bound at the wrists and have a pillowcase over his
> head. Pay: $100. Waiver required to be signed. This is a
> non-union film. An army medic will be on site. Anyone mad
> enough to be interested, write to anupstartcrow@hotmail.com
> Cheers.
Warning bells flashing everywhere here, for all concerned.
I'm not saying the idea isn't possible, but I hope a LOT of THOUGHT goes into how it can be achieved SAFELY.
Pay is far too low for what a trained professional would agree to. Therefore the 'mad' enough individual (who may be capable, if not experienced?) will probably have no recognised qualifications.
So who is coordinating the stunt? Probably the director...who probably also has no experience in this sort of thing?
"Non-union" I take to mean amateur/volunteer production standards? So there may not be regulation (or any?) contracts involved. The waiver probably absolves everyone apart from the volunteer doing the stunt from any liability....look at it carefully before agreeing to sign. An army medic present does not guarantee the stunt will be set up safely; merely that some form of care will be available after an accident occurs...!
There has been no mention of liability insurance. A serious mishap could not only be dire for the stunt performer, but seriously cripple the production...because if this 'Waiver' is not comprehensive in what it purports to be, the director/production company could still probably get sued in the event of an accident . An non-professional waiver will not stand up in court if the management is found to be negligent and causes a major accident.
There is possibly confusion between what is happening to the character and what is required of the stuntperson. The CHARACTER is the one with bound wrists, a bag over their head, and falls through the skylight onto the couch.
The STUNTPERSON does not necessarily need wrist restraints, so long as on film it appears consistent that the arms can't move. The bag over the head may still be cut to allow vision, so long as this is out of camera shot. The fall through the skylight and the landing on the couch are TWO SEPARATE events, depending on how the shot is set up. So there can be adequate safety mats under the skylight (and hands and eyes can be free to land) out of camera shot. The matching shot of landing on a couch amidst broken pieces of skylight can also be a different shot.
Unless it's being envisioned as a long single shot for a specific purpose, I imagine the drama/suspense possibilities would be enhanced by closer camera frames and faster editing...another reason why accuracy and separation of the events will enhance the final product.
I'd be very surprised if the distance from above the skylight to the impact area of the couch is only 2 metres ...just over a body length? I'd hazard a guess of at LEAST double that. From that height, and falling through an obstruction on the way, the accuracy of the landing is going to be more seriously restricted.
Has anyone tested the padded couch, to see what is required from a 2-4 metre fall? Will the couch stand up to the impact? (Another reason a closer second shot is good, the fall can be from a lower height.
And has the skylight plastic been especially constructed? Has it been tested, as to whether it will shatter into manageable fragments? If it doesn't shatter the way windscreen safety glass does, it could break into sharp shards that could lacerate the person coming through, or seriously impale them upon landing.
These are my immediate thoughts on reading your post...there are probably even more safety issues. My concern is obviously for the safety of whoever undertakes this stunt, and from the limited description you give in your advertisement, it does not instill much confidence.
But I offer these warnings also to assist the filmmakers...because seriously, how would it affect your reputation/career/life if something goes wrong? With the exception of shooting two different angles (the skylight shot and the couch shot) it sounds like it will be a one-take event...once you've crashed through one skylight you probably won't try it again. You obviously want to get a great shot in the can, so triple- and quadruple-checking everything possible is also to your advantage....snuff films went out in the late seventies.
The magic of film and editing is that you can make the impossible seem possible...you can also create an audience perception of danger where in reality there is none.
I really hope everyone thinks this through well, and if it goes ahead, does everything SAFELY.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
>
>
> Currently seeking a stuntman for a short film. The stunt
> requires the individual to drop through a plastic skylight
> and land on a padded couch two metres below. The individual
> will be bound at the wrists and have a pillowcase over his
> head. Pay: $100. Waiver required to be signed. This is a
> non-union film. An army medic will be on site. Anyone mad
> enough to be interested, write to anupstartcrow@hotmail.com
> Cheers.
Warning bells flashing everywhere here, for all concerned.
I'm not saying the idea isn't possible, but I hope a LOT of THOUGHT goes into how it can be achieved SAFELY.
Pay is far too low for what a trained professional would agree to. Therefore the 'mad' enough individual (who may be capable, if not experienced?) will probably have no recognised qualifications.
So who is coordinating the stunt? Probably the director...who probably also has no experience in this sort of thing?
"Non-union" I take to mean amateur/volunteer production standards? So there may not be regulation (or any?) contracts involved. The waiver probably absolves everyone apart from the volunteer doing the stunt from any liability....look at it carefully before agreeing to sign. An army medic present does not guarantee the stunt will be set up safely; merely that some form of care will be available after an accident occurs...!
There has been no mention of liability insurance. A serious mishap could not only be dire for the stunt performer, but seriously cripple the production...because if this 'Waiver' is not comprehensive in what it purports to be, the director/production company could still probably get sued in the event of an accident . An non-professional waiver will not stand up in court if the management is found to be negligent and causes a major accident.
There is possibly confusion between what is happening to the character and what is required of the stuntperson. The CHARACTER is the one with bound wrists, a bag over their head, and falls through the skylight onto the couch.
The STUNTPERSON does not necessarily need wrist restraints, so long as on film it appears consistent that the arms can't move. The bag over the head may still be cut to allow vision, so long as this is out of camera shot. The fall through the skylight and the landing on the couch are TWO SEPARATE events, depending on how the shot is set up. So there can be adequate safety mats under the skylight (and hands and eyes can be free to land) out of camera shot. The matching shot of landing on a couch amidst broken pieces of skylight can also be a different shot.
Unless it's being envisioned as a long single shot for a specific purpose, I imagine the drama/suspense possibilities would be enhanced by closer camera frames and faster editing...another reason why accuracy and separation of the events will enhance the final product.
I'd be very surprised if the distance from above the skylight to the impact area of the couch is only 2 metres ...just over a body length? I'd hazard a guess of at LEAST double that. From that height, and falling through an obstruction on the way, the accuracy of the landing is going to be more seriously restricted.
Has anyone tested the padded couch, to see what is required from a 2-4 metre fall? Will the couch stand up to the impact? (Another reason a closer second shot is good, the fall can be from a lower height.
And has the skylight plastic been especially constructed? Has it been tested, as to whether it will shatter into manageable fragments? If it doesn't shatter the way windscreen safety glass does, it could break into sharp shards that could lacerate the person coming through, or seriously impale them upon landing.
These are my immediate thoughts on reading your post...there are probably even more safety issues. My concern is obviously for the safety of whoever undertakes this stunt, and from the limited description you give in your advertisement, it does not instill much confidence.
But I offer these warnings also to assist the filmmakers...because seriously, how would it affect your reputation/career/life if something goes wrong? With the exception of shooting two different angles (the skylight shot and the couch shot) it sounds like it will be a one-take event...once you've crashed through one skylight you probably won't try it again. You obviously want to get a great shot in the can, so triple- and quadruple-checking everything possible is also to your advantage....snuff films went out in the late seventies.
The magic of film and editing is that you can make the impossible seem possible...you can also create an audience perception of danger where in reality there is none.
I really hope everyone thinks this through well, and if it goes ahead, does everything SAFELY.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
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