
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before
computer generated imagery special effect
Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...
s, these effects were limited to the use of models, false perspective and other in-camera effects, unless the creator could find someone willing to jump from car to car or hang from the edge of a
skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
: the
stunt performer
A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...
or
stunt double.
Types of stunt effects
Practical effects
One of the most-frequently used practical stunts is
stage combat. Although contact is normally avoided, many elements of stage combat, such as
sword fighting,
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
, and
acrobatics
Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...
required contact between performers in order to facilitate the creation of a particular effect, such as noise or physical interaction. Stunt performances are highly choreographed and may be rigorously rehearsed for hours, days and sometimes weeks before a performance. Seasoned professionals will commonly treat a performance as if they have never done it before, since the risks in stunt work are high, every move and position must be correct to reduce risk of injury from accidents. Examples of practical effects include tripping and falling down, high jumps, extreme sporting moves, acrobatics and high diving,
spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
s, gainer falls, "suicide backflips," and other
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
stunts. Stunt airbags (or "stunt mats"), large deep airbags that may be the size of a small swimming pool, are typically used by professional stunt performers to cushion their landings from staged falls from heights.
Mechanical effects
A physical stunt is usually performed with help of mechanics. For example, if the plot requires the hero to jump to a high place, the film crew could put the actor in a special harness, and use aircraft
high tension wire
An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy across large distances. It consists of one or more uninsulated electrical cables (commonly multiples of three for three-ph ...
to pull them up. Piano wire is sometimes used to fly objects, but an actor is never suspended from it as it is brittle and can break under shock impacts. ''
Hero'' (2003) and ''
House of Flying Daggers'' (2004) are examples of
wuxia films that use
kung-fu and are heavily reliant on
wire stunts.
The Matrix is an example of extensive wire and rigging work in Western cinema.
Vehicular stunts
Performers of vehicular stunts require extensive training and may employ specially adapted vehicles. Stunts can be as simple as a
handbrake turn, also known as the
bootleg turn, or as advanced as car chases, jumps and crashes involving dozens of vehicles.
Rémy Julienne is a well known pioneering automotive stunt performer and coordinator. A Guinness Book of World Records holder stunt driver,
Bobby Ore, performed in numerous movies and events and holds a world record for longest distance driven on two wheels in a London double decker bus (810 feet).
Aviation stunts go back to
those performed in balloons in the 18th century. After the advent of powered aircraft in 1903,
barnstorming and
aerobatics came into existence.
Ormer Locklear invented or helped develop many of the basic tricks of
stunt flying, which included
wing walking and transferring between airplanes in mid-air. Hollywood and the public's fascination with aviation made great demands on stunt pilots, resulting in many injuries and fatalities.
Computer-generated effects
In the late 20th century stunt men were often placed in dangerous situations less and less as filmmakers turned to relatively inexpensive (and much safer)
computer graphics effects using harnesses, fans,
blue- or green screens, and a huge array of other devices and digital effects. ''
The Matrix'' (1999) is an example of a film that extensively enhanced real stunts through CGI post production.
The ''
Lord of the Rings'' film series and the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' prequel films often display stunts that are entirely computer generated. Examples of computer-generated effects include face replacement and
wire removal.
Hong Kong action cinema
In 1982,
Jackie Chan began experimenting with elaborate stunt action sequences in ''
Dragon Lord'', which featured a pyramid fight scene that holds the record for the most
takes required for a single scene, with 2900 takes,
and the final fight scene where he performs various stunts, including one where he does a back flip off a
loft
A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
and falls to the lower ground. In 1983, ''
Project A'' saw the official formation of the
Jackie Chan Stunt Team and added elaborate, dangerous stunts to the fights and slapstick humor (at one point, Chan falls from the top of a clock tower through a series of fabric canopies).
''
Police Story'' (1985) contained many large-scale action scenes, including an opening sequence featuring a
car chase
A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle in pursuit, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive ...
through a
shanty town, Chan stopping a
double-decker bus with his service revolver and a climactic fight scene in a shopping mall. This final scene earned the film the nickname "Glass Story" by the crew, due to the huge number of panes of
sugar glass
Sugar glass (also called candy glass, edible glass, and breakaway glass) is a brittle transparent form of sugar that looks like glass. It can be formed into a sheet that looks like flat glass or an object, such as a bottle or drinking glass.
Desc ...
that were broken. During a stunt in this last scene, in which Chan slides down a pole from several stories up, the lights covering the pole had heated it considerably, resulting in Chan suffering
second-degree burns
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...
, particularly to his hands, as well as a back injury and dislocation of his pelvis upon landing.
Chan performed similarly elaborate stunts in numerous other films, such as several ''
Police Story'' sequels, ''
Project A Part II'', the ''
Armor of God
The phrase "Armor of God" (, ''panoplian tou Theou'') is derived from Ephesians 6:11: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (King James Version).Bible Gateway Passage Lookup: Armour of Go ...
'' series, ''
Dragons Forever'', ''
Drunken Master II'', ''
Rumble in the Bronx'', and the ''
Rush Hour
A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...
'' series, among others.

Other
Hong Kong action movie stars who became known for performing elaborate stunts include Chan's
Peking Opera School friends
Sammo Hung and
Yuen Biao, as well as "
girls with guns" stars such as
Michelle Yeoh and
Moon Lee. Other
Asian cinema stars also known for performing elaborate stunts including Thai actor
Tony Jaa
Tatchakorn Yeerum ( th, ทัชชกร ยีรัมย์, , ; formerly Phanom Yeerum ( th, พนม ยีรัมย์, ); born 5 February 1976), better known internationally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom ( th, จา � ...
, Indonesian actors
Iko Uwais
Uwais Qorny (), known professionally as Iko Uwais, is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist. He is best known for acting in the action films '' Merantau'' (2009), '' The Raid'' (2011), '' The Raid 2'' (2014), ...
and
Yayan Ruhian, and Indian actors
Jayan,
Akshay Kumar,
Vidyut Jammwal
Vidyut Dev Singh Jammwal (born 10 December 1980) is an Indian actor, martial artist and film producer who predominantly works in Hindi films. He is also a practitioner of Kalaripayattu. He is best known for his roles in Commando film series, ...
and
Tiger Shroff.
Stunts that have gone wrong
Recognition of stunt performers
Films such as ''
Hooper'' and ''
The Stunt Man'' and the 1980s television show ''
The Fall Guy'' sought to raise the profile of the stunt performer and debunk the myth that film stars perform all their own stunts. Noted stunt coordinators
Hal Needham,
Craig R. Baxley, and
Vic Armstrong went on to direct the action films ''
The Cannonball Run'', ''
Action Jackson'', and ''
Joshua Tree''.
Vic Armstrong became the first stuntman to win both an
Academy Award (for developing a descender rig as a safe alternative to airbags) and a
BAFTA award (for lifetime achievement in film). But the status of stuntmen in Hollywood is still low;
despite the fact that few films of any genre or type could be made without them, stunt performers are still perceived as working mainly in action films. Repeated campaigns for a "Best Stunts" Academy Award have been rejected.
In 2001, the first "
World Stunt Awards
The Taurus World Stunt Awards is a yearly award ceremony held midyear that honors stunt performers in movies. It is held each year in Los Angeles. The first awards were given out in 2001. The deciding committee has been around since the year 2000. ...
" were presented in
Los Angeles by actor
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...
. The event had A-list stars presenting the statues to Hollywood's unsung heroes.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
was presented with the first "Lifetime Achievement" award. He presented the awards in 2001. The awards show hands out eight awards: Best Fight, Best Fire Stunt, Best High Work, Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Man, Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Woman, Best Speciality Stunt, Best Work with a Vehicle and Best Stunt Coordinator or 2nd Unit Director.
Equality in stunts
In past Hollywood films it was common for men to double for women and
white American stunt performers to double for African American performers, in a practice known as "wigging".
Veteran stunt man
Dave Sharpe, a man of shorter than average height, often doubled for women in film serials of the 1930s and '40s. Veteran stunt performer
Jeannie Epper, who doubled for
Lynda Carter in ''
Wonder Woman'', explained that the situation improved in the 1970s as actresses did not want to be doubled by men, and could be more convincingly doubled by a woman.
SAG-AFTRA union rules for stunt performers say that to double an actor of a different gender or race the stunt must be so dangerous that there are no volunteers available of the appropriate gender or race.
For example, in ''
A View to a Kill'', stuntman
B.J. Worth
BJ or B. J. may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* BJ Services Company, an oil and gas equipment and services company that is now a subsidiary of Baker Hughes
* BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, an American restaurant chain
* BJ's Wholesale Club ...
doubled for the black Jamaican actress
Grace Jones
Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...
whose character
parachuted off the
Eiffel Tower.
The future of stunt work
A backlash against dangerous stunts followed the fatal 42-foot backward fall of
Sonja Davis off a building on the set of ''
Vampire in Brooklyn''.
Despite speculation that developments in
computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
(CGI) would make stunts unnecessary and reduce stunt performers to the status of body doubles, stunt work has increasingly been made safer and enhanced by CGI effects; nevertheless, stunt performers remain essential to provide a human quality to the action.
See also
*
Stunt coordinator
*
Stunt performer
A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...
*
Stunt double
*
Motorcycle stunt riding
Notes
Further reading
* Gene Scott Freese, 2014, ''Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary,'' 2nd ed. illustr. rev., McFarland, {{ISBN, 0786476435, se
accessed 16 April 2015.
External links
Taurus World Stunt AwardsPhotos from competition and international gathering stuntriders in Minsk (Belarus)
Cinematic techniques
Special effects
Theatrical combat