{{Short description|Unusual and difficult physical feat}} {{About|stunt performance|other uses of the term|Stunt (disambiguation)}} {{Redirect|Stunt driver|the video game|Stunt Driver}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2020}} [[File:Stunt Pyrotechnics Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Pyrotechnics stunt exhibition by "Giant Auto Rodéo", Ciney, Belgium]] A '''stunt''' is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer-generated imagery special effects, these depictions were limited to the use of models, false perspective and other in-camera effects, unless the creator could find someone willing to carry them out, even such dangerous acts as jumping from car to car in motion or hanging from the edge of a skyscraper: the stunt performer 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, and acrobatics 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,{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} 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, spins, gainer falls, "suicide backflips," and other martial arts stunts.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} 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.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} [[File:Stunt 1298471366.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Freestyle & Stunt Show 2007 in Landrévarzec, France]]
===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 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.<ref>{{cite news |date=2006-12-17 |first=Sheigh |last=Crabtree |title= High-wire act raises the bar in fight scenes |work= The Los Angeles Times |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-dec-17-ca-goldenflower17-story.html |access-date=2020-05-04 }}</ref> The Matrix is an example of extensive wire and rigging work in Western cinema.<ref name="Vineyard">{{cite web |date=25 March 2019 |last=Vineyard |first=Jennifer |title=The Matrix's stunt coordinators and choreographers reveal how the iconic fight scenes were made |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-matrixs-stunt-coordinators-and-choreographers-reveal-how-the-iconic-fight-scenes-were |website=SYFY WIRE }}</ref>
===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).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/news/2007-09-28/on_the_town/040.html |title=Stunt driving is pay-to-play {{!}} www.thecamarilloacorn.com {{!}} Camarillo Acorn |access-date=2017-01-31 }}</ref>
thumb|alt=Two biplanes flying, with Ormer Locklear standing on the top wing of the lower airplane|On 1 June 1919, Ormer Locklear waited on one biplane for a second one trailing a rope ladder. 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.<ref name="Vineyard" /> The ''Lord of the Rings'' film series and the ''Star Wars'' 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== {{See|Hong Kong action cinema}}
In 1982, Jackie Chan began experimenting with elaborate stunt action sequences in ''Dragon Lord'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Dragon Lord|publisher=Love HK Film|url=http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/dragon_lord.htm|access-date=2011-04-14}}</ref> which featured a pyramid fight scene that holds the record for the most takes required for a single scene, with 2900 takes,<ref name="Amazon">{{cite web|title=Dragon Lord (DVD Description)|website=Amazon UK |date=25 August 2003|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Lord-DVD-Jackie-Chan/dp/B0000A5BRV|access-date=2011-04-12}}</ref> and the final fight scene where he performs various stunts, including one where he does a back flip off a loft and falls to the lower ground.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 16, 1996 |first=David |last=Everitt |title=Kicking and Screening: ''Wheels on Meals,'' ''Armour of God,'' ''Police Story,'' and more are graded with an eye for action|magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://ew.com/article/1996/08/16/we-grade-some-jackie-chans-best-movies/ |access-date=2020-04-02 }}</ref> 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 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 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, particularly to his hands, as well as a back injury and dislocation of his pelvis upon landing.<ref name="I Am Jackie Chan">{{cite web|url=http://www.randomhouse.com/features/iamjackiechan/excerpt_aches.html|title=Jackie's Aches and Pains: It Only Hurts When I'm Not Laughing|author=Jackie Chan|author-link=Jackie Chan|publisher=Random House|access-date=19 December 2012}}</ref> Chan performed similarly elaborate stunts in numerous other films, such as several ''Police Story'' sequels, ''Project A Part II'', the ''Armor of God'' series, ''Dragons Forever'', ''Drunken Master II'', and ''Rumble in the Bronx'' among others. thumb|Two motorbikes jump a car at a country fair, England 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 include Thai actor Tony Jaa;<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 18, 2004 |author=Andrew Perrin |title=TIME Asia Magazine: Hitting the Big Time -- Oct. 25, 2004 |url=https://time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501041025-725168,00.html |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050113051927/https://time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501041025-725168,00.html |archive-date=2005-01-13 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Indonesian actors Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian; and Indian actors Jayan, Akshay Kumar, Vidyut Jammwal and Tiger Shroff.
==Failed stunts== {{main|List of film and television accidents}}
==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;<ref name="Brennan" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sengupta |first1=Deepayan |title=Movie Stunts: Not Just For Action Films |url=https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2019/06/25/movie-stunts-not-just-for-action-films |website=Birth.Movies.Death. |date=25 June 2019}}</ref> Repeated campaigns for a "Best Stunts" Academy Award have been rejected.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 February 2013 |last=Price |first=Allan |title=Why do stuntmen not have an Oscar? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-21460202 |website=BBC News }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2 April 2018 |last=Marotta |first=Jenna |title=Helen Mirren Wants Stunt Performers to Be Eligible for Oscars |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/helen-mirren-stunt-performers-oscars/ |website=IndieWire }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=26 February 2016 |author=Jonathan Handel |title=Stunt Community Rallies Outside Academy Building for Oscar Recognition |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stunt-community-rallies-la-oscar-869342 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226094425/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stunt-community-rallies-la-oscar-869342 |archive-date=2016-02-26 |quote=The rally is part of a 25-year effort to create a category for stunt coordinators at the Academy Awards.}}</ref><ref name="Brennan">{{cite web |date=2014 |last=Brennan |first=Jude |title=Stunt Actors Remain Oscar's Forgotten Heroes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/judebrennan/2014/02/07/stunt-actors-remain-oscars-forgotten-heroes/ |website=Forbes }}</ref>
In 2001, the first "World Stunt Awards" were presented in Los Angeles by actor Alec Baldwin. The event had A-list stars presenting the statues to Hollywood's stunt performers. Arnold Schwarzenegger was presented with the first "Lifetime Achievement" award. He presented the awards in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 May 2001 |last=Dore |first=Shalini |title=Kudos for crashes |url=https://variety.com/2001/scene/vpage/kudos-for-crashes-1117799973/ |website=Variety }}</ref> 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 portray women and white American stunt performers to portray African American performers, in a practice known as "wigging".<ref name="Longwell" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web |date=25 May 2007 |last=LaPorte |first=Nicole |title=Danger smashes gender barrier |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/danger-smashes-gender-barrier-1117965800/ |website=Variety }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Longwell">{{cite web |date=March 1, 2019 |last=Longwell |first=Todd |title=Hollywood's Stunt Industry Grapples With Issues of Race, Skin Color and Blackface |url=https://variety.com/2019/artisans/news/stunt-industry-affirmative-action-1203151451/ |website=Variety |quote=stunt coordinator shall endeavor to cast qualified persons of the same sex and/or race involved.}}</ref> For example, in ''A View to a Kill'', stuntman B.J. Worth doubled for the black Jamaican actress Grace Jones whose character parachuted off the Eiffel Tower.<ref name="jb-avtak">{{cite video |people=Maud Adams |title=Inside A View to a Kill |medium=VCD/DVD |publisher=MGM Home Entertainment Inc. }}</ref>
==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''.<ref>{{cite web |date=12 February 1995 |author=Lisa Respers |title=Stuntwoman's Family Sues Over Fatal 42-Foot Fall on Set : Courts: Mother seeks $10 million, saying studio did not provide proper safety equipment. Defendants have made no comment. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-12-me-31166-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times|quote=air bag that was to cushion Davis' fall instead reacted like a huge balloon, causing the young woman to bounce, slam into the building and hit the ground }}</ref> Despite speculation that developments in computer-generated imagery (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.<ref name="Verini">{{cite web |date=24 January 2008 |last=Verini |first=Bob |title=SAG recognizes stunts for first time |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/awards/sag-recognizes-stunts-for-first-time-1117979592/ |website=Variety |quote=some have found irony in recognizing a community at the exact moment when CGI advances seem destined to render that community irrelevant — or at best secondary — to creating thrilling action on film. }}</ref><ref name="maestros">{{cite web |date=25 May 2007 |last=LaPorte |first=Nicole |title=CGI meets mayhem maestros |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/cgi-meets-mayhem-maestros-1117965803/ |website=Variety |quote=Would computers displace stunt work? }}</ref>
==See also== * Stunt coordinator * Stunt performer * Stunt double * Motorcycle stunt riding
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * Gene Scott Freese, 2014, ''Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s-1970s: A Biographical Dictionary,'' 2nd ed. illustr. rev., McFarland, {{ISBN|0786476435}}, see [https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0786476435], accessed 16 April 2015.
==External links== * [http://www.taurusworldstuntawards.com/ Taurus World Stunt Awards] * [http://www.potashnikov.com/gallary/v/reportag/stuntriding/ Photos from competition and international gathering stuntriders in Minsk (Belarus)]
Category:Cinematic techniques Category:Special effects Category:Theatrical combat Category:Stunts