Stunt performer Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Stunt performer

Hours

Variable
Starting salary

Variable

If you like sports and outdoor pursuits, and you would like a job in film or TV, this job may interest you.

As a stunt performer, you would stand in for actors when the script calls for anything hazardous to be done on a film or TV set.

In this job you would need to have excellent physical fitness. You would need to work well in a team. You should also be willing to put yourself in dangerous situations.

To get into this job you will need high-level skills and qualifications in several sports. To work as a stunt performer in the UK you must be at least 18 years old.

The work

To be able to carry out the stunts and make it look easy, you would use highly-developed physical and sporting skills, such as:

gymnastics or high diving, for performing all types of falls
fighting skills, possibly with weapons
swimming or diving
horse riding
precision driving, for performing car chases and crashes.

It would be your job to set up as well as perform the stunts, usually under the supervision of a stunt coordinator. You would need to carefully plan every detail of the stunt with the production staff, making sure that everything is safe and that filming is disrupted as little as possible.

Health and safety is very important as the work can be dangerous, so you would need to carry out a full risk assessment and complete detailed paperwork before each stunt takes place.

Hours

Working hours can be irregular and unsocial, depending on filming schedules. Days on set can be very long, although you may spend a lot of that time setting up stunts and waiting between scenes.

The work could be in studios or outside locations, depending on the script. Some stunts may need you to spend a long time in uncomfortable conditions, such as underwater or in heat. You would wear protective clothing, harnesses or helmets for some stunts.

You could travel to studios and locations all over the UK and abroad, and you may spend long periods away from home.

Income

Most stunt performers are self-employed, and are paid a fee for each job.

Equity recommends minimum daily and weekly rates for stunt performers. Contact Equity for full information on current rates.

Entry requirements

To work as a stunt performer in the UK you must be at least 18 years old. You don't need academic qualifications, but you will need high-level skills and qualifications in several sports.

Many stunt performers join Equity's Joint Industry Stunt Committee (JISC) Stunt Register. To be accepted as a Probationary Member, you must be able to prove that you have at least a year’s experience and qualifications in at least six sports across the following groups:

fighting – martial arts or boxing
falling – trampolining or high diving
riding and driving – horse riding, driving cars or riding motorcycles
agility and strength – gymnastics or rock climbing
water – swimming or sub-aqua.

You must offer sports from at least four of the groups, but you cannot offer more than two sports from the same group. One of your sports must be a fighting skill, but you can only offer one martial art.

Your sporting qualifications must be of a high standard, for example, at least first kyu brown belt for martial arts. You are likely to need at least two years to reach the required standard in all six of your chosen sporting areas.

Some sports associations organise training sessions to help their members reach the standards. You will need to fund your sports training and exams yourself, which can be expensive.

For Equity work, you will also need to provide evidence of 60 days' work in front of a camera. You may find it useful to get experience on film and TV sets, as an extra or a 'walk-on'.

Contact the Joint Secretary for JISC at Equity for full details about how to qualify for their JISC Stunt Register.

Training and development

You will develop your skills on the job under the supervision of a fully-qualified stunt coordinator. As part of the Equity JISC scheme, you must be a probationary member for at least three years before you can achieve the standards needed to upgrade to Intermediate Stunt Performer, which means you can perform solo stunts unsupervised.

There are no official training schemes or schools to train stunt performers, although some private ‘stunt schools’ offer short courses in skills like stage combat, working with fire and stunt driving. These courses can be useful for building experience, but will not be accepted towards membership of the JISC register.

You can qualify as a Full Member, or Stunt Action Coordinator, after at least two further years as an intermediate stunt performer, once you have reached the required standards.

You must maintain your fitness and skills throughout your career.

Skills and knowledge

To be a stunt performer you should have:

excellent physical fitness and commitment to staying very fit
interest and ability in several sports and outdoor pursuits
good communication and 'people' skills
the ability to work well as part of a team
quick reactions and calmness under pressure
willingness to work in dangerous situations
a high degree of responsibility and health and safety awareness
good planning skills and attention to detail
some acting skills (although formal experience is not essential).

More information

Creative Skillset Careers (Opens new window)
Tel: 08080 300 900 (England and Northern Ireland)
Tel: 0845 850 2502(Scotland)
Tel: 08000 121 815 (Wales)
www.creativeskillset.org/careers

Creative Skillset (Opens new window)
Focus Point
21 Caledonian Road
London
N1 9GB
www.creativeskillset.org

Equity (Opens new window)
Guild House
Upper St Martin’s Lane
London
WC2H 9EG
Tel: 020 7379 6000
www.equity.org.uk

Opportunities

You will usually be self-employed and work on short-term contracts for each production. You may need to do other work to earn a living when you are not performing.

Competition for stunt work is very strong, and only around 10 to 12 new members are admitted to the JISC stunt register each year.

As member of the Stunt Register, your details will be available to casting directors and agents. It is also common to find out about jobs through contacts and word of mouth. Some jobs may be advertised in The Stage, and by Equity (to members).

The Stage

You could become a stunt arranger or coordinator, after at least five years’ experience as a stunt performer.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The film industry is part of the creative industries, which is represented by Creative Skillset. This includes: advertising; animation; computer games; corporate and commercial production; fashion and textiles; film; interactive media; photo imaging; publishing; radio; and television.

The UK industry is an independent creator of feature films, a co‐production partner and a provider of services to the international film industry. It is an industry made up of a small number of large companies and a very large number of smaller companies, which have an occupationally diverse and highly skilled workforce characterised.

Key facts:

Around 27,800 people are estimated to work in the film industry, which is 5%of the creative industries workforce.
62% of the workforce is in cinema exhibition, 34% in film production and 4% work in film distribution.
There are around 400 permanent companies in the film industry, but this can fluctuate depending on the number of productions that are being worked on. (production companies form for a particular production then close when completed)
43% of companies are production, 13% are distributors and 44% are cinema exhibition companies.
In 2006, the UK film industry contributed £4.3 billion to the UK economy.

Jobs in the industry include: Production Accountant, Art Director, Production Designer, Director of Photography, Camera Operator, Grip, Casting Assistant, Catering Crew, Plasterer, Carpenter, Stagehand, Costume Assistant, Director, Publicist, Editor, Make‐up Artist, Unit Nurse, Best Boy, Location Manager, Composer, Actor, Re‐recording Mixer, Foley Editor, Boom Operator, Production Manager, Runner, Screen writer.

National and regional data

The largest number of employees in film is located in:

London
South East
Scotland

With access to resources and support from EM Media, the East Midlands have produced some successful writers, directors and companies. Threshold Studios, based in Northampton, have produced films for the First Light young filmmakers scheme and with Warp Films on the Creative Skillset‐funded Darklight women directors project. Nottingham's Spool Films/Confetti Institute also supports emerging film and digital content talent. The Media Archive for Central England (MACE) and the Bang Short Film Festival are also hosted in the region. Around 100 people in the film industry live in the region.

Warner Bros, Parallax East and the Content Providers are located in the East of England. The region also has a range of multiplex and commercial independent cinemas. Screen East invests in projects that aim to increase audiences in rural and urban areas of the region that are underserved by cinemas. The region is particularly strong on organisations focusing on archive work. Around 100 people in the film industry live in the region.

London's film industry alone has a turnover of around £13 billion a year, it is the largest post‐production centre outside of Hollywood and of the top 15 grossing films of the last decade, five were made in and around London. Around 5,700 people who work in production live in London.

The North East is home to several established independent film and TV production companies, such as Costal Productions and Ipso Facto Films, as well as new companies, such as Standing Stone. There are three international film festivals in North East England: AV, Northern Lights and Animex.

In the North West, Merseyside markets itself as having the most significant film industry outside London and North West Vision and Media reported that 2006 was the busiest year to date for filming in the region. Around 300 people in the film industry live in the region.

Over 1,700 people working in film production crews live in the South East, with 2,000 performers. Others working in Facilities provide services for film, with 5,700 employed in the sub‐sectors of post‐production, studio and equipment hire, special effects, outside broadcast, processing laboratories, transmission, manufacture of AV equipment and other services for film and TV. A number of high‐end film and documentary companies exist in the region, including Spice Factory and Seventh Arts. Pinewood Studios is Europe's largest film and television studio facility, providing a work base at full capacity for some 3,000 people working in production and facilities.

Much location filming is undertaken in the South West and a number of film festivals take place in the region each year, including Wildscreen, Encounters, the Cornwall Film Festival and the Cheltenham Screenwriters Festival. Around 600 people in the film industry live in the region.

Film production in the West Midlands is limited to a small number of independent organisations, but there are no distribution companies. Screen West Midlands offer a range of support for emerging film talent and also invest in productions through the Film and Media Production Fund. There are 46 cinemas in the region, including multiplexs, an IMAX and a number of smaller independent and art cinemas. In Birmingham, Star City, the UK's largest multiplex with 30 screens, specialises in Asian cinema. Around 100 people in the film industry live in the region.

Yorkshire and the Humber have a strong independent film sector around Leeds and Sheffield and is home to the nationally recognised Warp Films and Warp X. The UK's premiere documentary festival, Doc/Fest, is based in Sheffield. Bradford is home to major film and animation festivals and Leeds offers international children's film festivals. The Yorkshire Film Archive is one of the UK's most successful and progressive, having recently won major funding to start digitising its archive content. Over 100 people in the film industry live in the region.

Around 300 people in the film industry live in Northern Ireland and 600 in Scotland.

During 2007‐08, over 90 productions were shot in Wales, bringing in an expenditure of approximately £31.9 million. The £7million Wales Creative IP Fund has been a major boost to film production in Wales, financing feature film productions like the Edge of Love.