How to Become a Stuntman (or woman!)
So you think you have what it takes to be Hollywood’s next stuntman? Or maybe you just like jumping off things and rolling around getting muddy and would like to know if there’s a way to make money from it? Well there definitely is money to be made from stunts (and lots of it once you get established) but it does take some practice and hard work to get to the point where being a stuntman is a stable career. Hopefully here, we’ll be able to point you in the right direction, so you can ride off into the sunset on your stunt motorbike with an awesome stunt career.
First things first (just to check), do you actually enjoy doing stunts or are you only interested in the job because of the money prospects? If it’s the latter then I’d probably stop now. Being a stuntman is a career that can well and truly consume all of your time, and you’ll spend most of that time either waiting around or being thrown through the air and working yourself extremely hard physically. You’ll spend your weeks on location and might be away from home for what could be months, so if you’re not 100% convinced this is for you – it probably isn’t.
Once you’ve decided that this is the right path for you, you’ll probably want to sign up to some kind of “stunt school”. A quick Google can illuminate lots of local courses that can develop and polish all the skills you’ll need to add to your resume. The key thing to remember is variety – a long list of well polished skills is what employers will look for as during any one project you might be required to muck in on more than one activity (it could be anything from horse riding, sky diving, motorbiking, wrestling or crashing a car).
The nest thing you’ll want to do -once you’ve built up an awesome list of skills, is get a agent. Look around and browse before you choose which one you choose as different agents will have different success rates and will want different levels of commission. Another great thing about having an agent is you can ask to talk to other stuntmen they work with. The stunt community is a great one to be part of as it’s so varied, so you’re bound to make some great friends too who can pass on job recommendations too.
Some other things to think about when starting out in this career, and things you’ll definitely be needing are listed below:
* A professional head-shot, of your face and your build.
* A gym membership – to keep in top physical condition and minimise injury.
* A willingness to travel, because once you make it big you’ll be travelling lots.
* A website and show reel, showing off your best work.
Good luck in your future career! Don’t forget your knee pads!
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