Stunt Glossary
• stunt adjustment n. [stuhnt ə-ˈjəs(t)-mənt] stunt adjustments are an additional fee paid to the stunt performer in addition to the minimum daily rate to compensate for more dangerous stunts. Utility stunts, playing a bad guy that takes a couple punches or falling down are usually covered by the daily rate. But for the fun stuff like being set on fire or falling off a roof a negotiation between the stunt performer and production will take place. (typically the coordinator does this on larger shows). The factors used when determining the justified amount of adjustment will be based technical difficulty, level of danger, etc.
• stunt coordinator n. [stuhnt co·or'di·na'tor] the stunt coordinator is head of the stunt department on a picture. When a picture gets the green light and stunts are involved, production needs a go-to expert for this department. That’s where the stunt coordinator comes in. He or she fills the role of creating bringing in the necessary crew and equipment to create the action that the director has envisioned. The stunt coordinator is in charge of finding / hiring suitable stunt doubles, stunt riggers and stunt players. They also establish what can be accomplished within the budget allotted for the stunt department. This person is the one you want to hand your head shot / resume to when hustling a set.
• stunt double n. [stuhnt duhb-uh l] a stunt person that fills in for an actor to perform a piece of action that is considered to be to risky or dangerous for the actual actor to perform. It is advantageous for production to use a stunt double in place of the actor because if an actor is injured an unable to continue the shoot then production has to come to a halt which cost time and money.
• rigging n [rig·ging] any piece of equipment used when setting up a stunt. These items are usually but not limited to; high tensile strength wire (aka steel rope), pulleys, shackles, fuel cells, truss, bolts, nuts, pneumatic cylinders, safety harness, etc etc. You get the picture. Anything that’s needed when rigging a stunt.
• fire stunt n. [fahy·uhr stuhnt] any action sequence performed where the stunt guy / girl is on fire, in fire or escaping fire. Fire stunts are high risk and considered to be one of the most dangerous stunts due to the unforgiving nature of fire. Stunt Performers do not have some super human ability to withstand extreme temperatures. They don a special fire suit typically soaked in a water based gel and have protective thermal barrier gels covering the skin of their face and hands or any other exposed body part which is not covered with the protective suit.
• fire stunt gel n. [fahy·uhr stuhnt gel] aka “stunt gel”, “fire Gel” fire stunt gels are a gelled water based substance that is applied directly to the fire stunt performer’s skin and fire suit. The gel works as a thermal barrier to temporarily prevent the extreme temperatures of the flames and plume from burning the performer’s skin. The best known fire stunt gel available for sale is Devil Skin ® stunt gel.
• stunt bag n. [stuhnt bag] aka gear bag. a stunt performers life support when walking onto set. This bag is usually some sort of large duffle bag containing all the basic essentials for performing stunts [e.g. knee & elbow pads, cup (keep the giggle-berries safe), jerk vest, protective fire layers, bite guard and ibuprofen.
• stunt pit n. [stuhnt pit] a large rectangular shaped foam pad that a stunt performer would use to fall into. It’s not just an ordinary big chunk of foam. These pits are specially constructed to safely break the performers fall without causing harm. This is achieved by using several different layers of foam that vary in density and thickness. Some of the foam layers have channels to help expel air upon impact. These pits are covered with a durable vinyl canvas on the bottom and sides with a mesh across the top to allow maximum air expulsion. Though its not uncommon to see some stunt pits with mesh on the sides for added air expulsion. Most pits will measure at least two feet tall or thick, five feet wide and at least eight feet long. Though the size will vary depending upon the stunt.
• box rig n. [bäks rig] a box rig can substitute for a stunt pit. It can also be used to catch objects. The way a box rig is constructed is by using several cardboard moving boxes that are stacked and aligned in rows, X wide by X long by X tall. To keep the boxes from shifting but without making the box rig too rigid of a structure, they’re wrapped together with plastic wrap. Like the kind used to wrap pallets (think saran wrap). The cardboard boxes crush or give way upon impact allowing the objects to safely stop. Box rigs are affordable and a low-tech solution. Interesting factoid; box rigs are great for catching cars that need to be flipped upside down without being severely damaged.
• pipe ramp n. [pīp ramp] a ramp built out of steel box tubing used to flip a car, truck or the family minivan. The ramp is constructed on average 3-6 feet tall and 10-15 feet long. It doesn’t have a platform in which the wheels of the vehicle ride up. Instead it has a steel tube that the vehicles undercarriage slides on, favoring either the left or right sight depending on which way the vehicle needs to flip. On a scale of 1-10, this is a 10 in stunts that never get old.
