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Dear John

Comedy stunts - am I being a prima donna?

First published 20th July 2006

Question:
I'm acting in a low-budget comedy short. As we can't afford special effects the stunts are being done live. I'm worried about injuring myself but my fellow cast members say I'm being a prima donna. What do you think?

Answer:
I think you need to be very clear on how much of a contribution your fellow cast members are prepared to make to your hospital bill if you turn out to be right about the injury potential. More to the point, I'm concerned that you are taking your cue from what your fellow cast members think, as opposed to either your own common sense or the professional advice of someone who knows what they are talking about in the area of stunts and special effects. 'Low budget' is one thing but 'unprofessional' is something entirely different and the two do not have to go hand in hand. Stunts and special effects are designed to look dramatic and impressive (or in this case funny) on the screen but making them look that way involves a wide range of serious and detailed work behind the scenes. Explosives, prosthetic make-up and various wires and mirrors are only part of the tools you need for a successful stunt. The most important tools are often far less exciting - paperwork, insurance certificates and risk assessment forms. Here are two people expert in using both sets of materials.

What the experts say:

D Michael Rose

D Michael Rose is entertainment law consultant at London-based Tarlo Lyons Solicitors. His Legal Eagle column has featured in The Stage since 1994.

When I asked him about your query he noted a number of relevant aspects that you would need to take into consideration. Firstly, Health and Safety Regulations, which as he points out are manifold and complex. Secondly, there are general laws on negligence and on the duty of care owed to a performer by a producer or theatre manager. You would also need to look closely at the terms of your contract and at what is included or excluded under the insurance policies taken out by the producer and/or yourself.

Following up on this point, if you don't have either a contract or insurance I'd really have to question whether this is a production you should be involved in - which leads me to a very relevant point that has been highlighted - any contributory negligence and acceptance of risk by the performer. Since you don't mention any expertise of your own in the area of stunt work, I would say this last factor is one to particularly bear in mind.

Chris Webb

Just a couple of examples of movies on which Chris Webb has worked would include the Superman series, Batman, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and possibly more James Bond movies than any of the James Bond actors themselves. Chris was also chair of the Stunt Performers' Committee and a member of the Equity Council for a total of 11 years. He was recently awarded Honorary Life Membership for his services to the union.

"The level of expertise expected of stunt professionals is very high. Equity's Joint Industry Stunt Committee (JISC) Stunt Register has four levels of membership.

As a probationary member you must already have at least a year's experience and qualifications in one or two sporting skills, for example fencing, martial arts - such as judo, aikido or karate - trampolining, high diving and gymnastics. Your qualifications in these sports must be of a high standard - for example, at least first kyu brown belt for martial arts, or Grade Six Silver Award for fencing.

After three years as a probationary member, you must work for at least two more years as an intermediate member (also known as stunt performer) before achieving full membership. After a further five years' experience as a full member you can register as a stunt action coordinator. To progress within the grades you must show detailed records to JISC of all your sporting qualifications and of each stunt performance you work on.

For you as an actor this means that if you feel you are being pressured into doing something you think is dangerous, the first person you should talk to is the stunt co-ordinator. Not only is the stunt co-ordinator responsible for setting up the stunts on a production, he or she is also responsible for the safety of everyone involved. As you can see from the career journey set out above, stunt co-ordinators work to very high standards and take their jobs very seriously. One of those jobs can be to say a firm 'no' to something they feel is too dangerous. In that way the pressure is taken off you.

Hopefully having taken all this into consideration, it should go without saying that you shouldn't be involved with any stunts without proper training or with productions that are not using professionally trained people. As with many career 'shortcuts' this particular one quite literally isn't worth the risk involved.

John sums up

We all need to make our own decisions, taking into account whatever advice we get from others qualified or unqualified. This is particularly relevant when it comes to our long-term health and safety. You are likely to regret saying 'yes' to something that you should not have agreed to for a lot longer than saying 'no' to something that you don't feel is right for you, even if your fears are unfounded. You'll be in a better position to make that kind of decision when you get advice from people who know what they are talking about and can back that up with previous experience. Even if you feel in a minority among your fellow cast members you should have other people willing to go to bat for you if your concerns are reasonable, whether that is a stunt co-ordinator or your agent. After all that is what they are getting paid for. If you are not getting that kind of back-up then you and your agent need to have a serious discussion, as whatever explosions may be happening on the set won't be nearly as explosive as those in the relationship further down the line.

* You can find a specially indexed archive of Legal Eagle's columns here: www.thestage.co.uk/connect/eagle/

* Details of the Equity Stunt Register are available by contacting Equity at www.equity.org.uk

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk

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