Stunt Person

OFO No: 343905

Other names for Stunt Person:

A Stunt Person is an individual (man or woman) who replaces an actor during a dangerous or extremely athletic scene.  They replace the actor because they are more skilled at performing the task safely than the actor who may not be able to perform the task at all.

Stunt Person is usually very athletic, fit and strong.  Their work is extremely dangerous and sometimes even life-threatening.  The risk of getting hurt is high – extreme safety measures are always put in place.

Here are a just a few examples when a Stunt Person would be needed:

• in a dangerous car chase
• rolling and crashing cars, trucks and trains
• jumping out of burning buildings
• being on fire themselves
• dangerous fight scenes
• dangling from high buildings or from helicopters
• being near a big explosion
• leaping from one building to another etc

What does a Stunt Person do?

• meets with directors to decide what is needed from the stunt
• collaborates with the stunt team to ‘design’ a stunt
• makes sure all safety measures are in place
• builds necessary ramps etc
• practices the event to perfect it
• performs stunts like: bungi jumping, dangling from helicopters etc
• performs the stunt perfectly – sometimes the stunt can only be performed once so it needs to be done right the first time

Are you … ?

• adventurous?
• a risk taker?
• a dare-devil?
• responsible?
• safety-conscious?
• athletic, strong and fit?
• courageous?
• detail orientated?

How do I become a Stunt Person?

There are no direct study routes to becoming a Stunt Person.

However the more skills you have in your Skill Set – the more likely you are to succeed as a Stunt Person.

Here are just a few ideas of how to skill yourself as a Stunt Person:

• Being trained in karate / or some form of martial arts
• Being athletic – various disciplines: running, long jump, pole vaulting etc
• Being skilled in horsemanship:  riding and jumping
• Being skilled in weight lifting
• Being skilled in a wide variety of sports: snow skiing, jet skiing, mountain biking etc
• Being skilled at racing cars and motor bikes, driving trucks and skippering boats
• Being in possession of a pilots license:  plane or helicopter
• Being skilled in pyrotechnics (explosions and fires)

Here is a local private stunt school to consider:

• DIMENSION STUNT SCHOOL

http://www.stuntschool.co.za/

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. 
• CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Professional Sportsperson … or … Acrobat … or … Tourist Guide: Adventure

Is becoming a Stunt Person the right career choice for me?