Thanks to Universal Pictures for sponsoring today's video.
Hello Internet, welcome to Film Theory, the show that does all of its own stunts.
I don't know if there's a group of people in Hollywood that go as underappreciated as the
stunt performer. Seriously, without them, the biggest moments in our favorite action movies
would just not be possible. Stunt professionals are long overdue the recognition that they deserve.
Just saying, if I were writing an award show, stunts would be a category I'd be giving
multiple statuettes away for. I mean, just have Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt zipline in from the
ceiling and give it out. It writes itself. But that's neither here nor there, and this lack
of appreciation for stunt professionals is why I was so happy to hear that Universal Pictures and
87 North were developing a new live-action comedy called The Fall Guy, set to release in theaters on
May 3rd, all about these unsung heroes of Hollywood. It's also why it was a no-brainer for me to say
yes when they approached us to do a theory about the project. If you don't know, The Fall Guy stars
Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a professional stuntman working on the set of his ex-girlfriend
Jody Moreno's directorial debut, starring action hero Tom Ryder. However, when Ryder suddenly goes
missing, the entire movie hangs in the balance, and it's up to Colt to find Ryder and save the movie.
But why are they sending a stuntman to save their main hero? I mean, it's a question that I had,
but even Colt doesn't seem so sure.
Why me?
You're a stuntman. Nobody's gonna notice you. That's your job. No offense.
I mean, some take it.
Now, this is a really fun setup for a movie, but it did get me thinking. Would a stuntman
actually be any good at being an action hero? Could they actually save your life? IRL. I mean,
sure, stunt performers are usually the people we actually see do the heroic set pieces in the
movies, but if we took them out of the filmmaking process and put them in a real life-or-death
scenario, how would they stack up? Today, I want to take a look at what stunt performers like Colt
Seavers are actually trained to do, and see how it would translate into real world versions of
the sorts of incredible moments we see action heroes pull off like it's nothing in a movie.
Have stunt performers secretly been training for the role of a lifetime,
or would the director be yelling CUT before the movie even starts rolling?
Get your crash pads ready, loyal theorists, as we dive headfirst into the question,
could a stuntman actually save your life?
So, first things first, how are we actually going to be measuring this? Well,
after watching a ton of different action movies, I've broken down what the most
common sorts of stunts are pulled off by the action heroes and the professionals that double
them. They fall into a few categories, driving, hand-to-hand combat, taking a fall, use of
firearms, being set on fire, and finally, wire work for jumping long distances. From here,
we're going to go through each of them one by one and see how professionals in the real world
prepare for these sorts of situations. What sort of training does a race car driver have?
What equipment does a firefighter use? That sort of thing. And from there,
we will compare how Hollywood and their stunt professionals stack up against those in the
real world. Okay, okay, we'll get started. Our first category, driving. How would a stunt
person like Colt Seavers do driving in a real world dangerous situation? Formula One race car
drivers are rigorously trained in simulators before they get into a car's cockpit. And also,
they have to be in top physical shape because their bodies can be subjected to anywhere between
2 and 6 Gs of force during acceleration, braking, and turning on the track. Admittedly, that's on
the extreme end of things, but even driving like a first responder isn't something a normal person
can do out of the gate. For example, in California, EMTs must obtain both an ambulance driver
certificate and be trained in ambulance operations. And in some cases, they take emergency vehicle
operator courses, which are basically like mini video games designed to show the candidate how to
drive defensively, to avoid collisions and rollovers. Similarly, police across the country
are trained in special driving courses to show them both the extent of their own driving ability
and what their police vehicles are capable of. And in California, all police must be regularly
trained in driving tactics, communication, and assessing public safety for high-speed pursuits.
So how would a stuntman handle all of that? Surprisingly well. Though not every stunt actor
is also a stunt driver, many like Colt are very adept behind the wheel because it's an easy way
to expand their skillset. Car chases like this are incredibly common set pieces in action cinema
and involve a lot of moving parts and performers. Yeah, when you see a car chase with the hero
bobbing and weaving through traffic, all of the other cars are also being driven by stunt
professionals. And one small mistake can be costly, both for the budget and the health of
the performers. The list of skills that any stunt performer might need for any particular scene
is lengthy, and many would transfer over to real-world high-speed pursuits. 180 degree turns,
drifts through corners, making big jumps, stopping on a dime, and even driving backwards,
just to name a few. They may even be called upon to do some new maneuver unique to the
scene that they're filming, meaning that being one with their vehicle is critical.
And that's even without mentioning that, just like other scenes, you're going to need to be
doing multiple takes of any driving stunts. So you'll need to be a good enough driver to do
these crazy moves over and over and over. You may even need to crash safely, as proven during the
filming of The Fall Guy, when Ryan Gosling's stunt driver Logan Holladay broke the Guinness
World Record for the most cannon rolls when they flipped his car eight and a half times,
all in one go. Thankfully, stunt driving is an area where training is available, just like
real-world EMTs, race car drivers, and law enforcement. There are several schools and
programs everywhere from Atlanta to Los Angeles to help stunt drivers hone their skills.
All of which could transfer over to a real-world chase. So I think it's safe to say that a stunt
performer would pass this driving test with flying colors.
I'll buy you a drink when this is over. Engage your core.
But of course, driving is only one such dangerous situation where your life might need to be saved.
Another action set piece that can make for a dangerous real-world situation? Fighting,
specifically in hand-to-hand combat. Thankfully, close-quarters combat, or CQC,
is a common skill amongst athletes, militaries, and law enforcement all over the real world.
Obviously, athletes who box or practice martial arts train rigorously for their competitions,
focusing on honing their footwork, punching speed, and strength. In the United States,
all soldiers learn basic hand-to-hand combat during the third and fourth weeks of basic
training, with those skills being refined to take on multiple targets at the same time during weeks
five through seven. And the big benefit this gives our stunt professionals is that a lot of them have
backgrounds in athletics or the military, so these skills would come pre-packaged for any
stuntman forced to fight in the real world. But even if you want to ignore that and focus only
on what's done in the movies, you might be thinking that doing a pre-choreographed fight
would be way different from actual fighting, right? Well, you'd be surprised. When performers
come to blows on screen, what looks like a brawl is actually a high-speed, precise,
and dangerous dance. Stunt fighters train for years to have full control over every part of
their body, because if one punch or kick just ends up being a few inches off, that means a
potential injury. Funnily enough, intentionally NOT hitting someone might be harder than actually
hitting them. All that being said, there's no denying that a real fight is rough. More than
likely, you will be getting hit, thrown, or knocked down. Almost nobody comes out of a fight
totally unscathed. But here's where our stunt performers might actually have an upper hand over
other real-world fighters. Sometimes, when a scene demands it, stunt performers will have to get hit
for real. When they're shot, thrown, or knocked downstairs, the performer really needs to be able
to sell the fall while also protecting themselves. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways you can do
this. Our friends over at Corridor brought in a stunt professional to teach a bunch of their VFX
artists how to safely fall in films. He taught them that for many falls, tucking your chin as
close to your chest will protect your head from hitting the floor and damaging your brain. You
can also do your best to choose what hits the ground first, focusing on wider areas like your
upper back or forearms. You can also use other parts of your body like your palms to disperse
the energy from the fall, and use your feet to keep your hips and knees from slapping the floor.
Using all of this, stunt performers are able to minimize any damage they take in a fall and get
up to go again. So, with fighting and with falling down, our stunt professionals would be able to do
this in real life and probably save yours. But what if the situation required guns? What if the
fist fight turned into a firefight like it so often does in action cinema? Well, again, the
background many stunt professionals have in the military or law enforcement is gonna come in
clutch here. The United States military requires marksmanship during basic training, while California
police officers must pass arrest and firearm courses, which involve a full 24 hours of firearm
training during the curriculum. And for more specialized divisions of the military or law
enforcement like the Navy SEALs or SWAT teams, the standards for firearm use are even higher.
What's more, there is specific training that actors and stunt professionals can undergo that
will train them heavily with the use of firearms for their fight choreography. Keanu Reeves famously
did this for the John Wick films, training with the gun range Taron Tactical to hone his skills,
and let's just say I wouldn't want to meet him at high noon. So, once again, stunt professionals
are in a great position to save your life during a shootout. But that's how a stunt professional
would fare in a firefight. But what about fighting fire? If you were in danger from a fire or trapped
in a burning building, could a stuntman help save your life? The best real world analog for this
would obviously be a firefighter. And to them, the best way to survive a fire is to avoid being set
ablaze entirely. As a result, firefighters wear elaborate personal protective equipment or PPE,
which include leather gloves and boots, a hard helmet, a self-contained breathing apparatus,
that's the masks that you always see them wear, and most importantly, triple layered jackets and
pants. These are almost always made from some fire resistant fabric such as Nomex, Aramid,
or Kevlar. Combined, all of this protects the firefighter from the heat and from catching a
flame. Obviously, the way stunt professionals handle these sorts of situations is quite
different. Oftentimes, their goal is to be set on fire for whatever shot their movie needs. But
that being said, their equipment is quite similar. On a typical set, when an actor needs to be set
on fire, they wear suits made from Nomex, just like a firefighter, which is able to withstand
temperatures as high as 700 degrees Fahrenheit, 370 degrees Celsius. But stunt professionals also
have a bit of a secret weapon here, something that would give them a bit of a leg up against
firefighters. See, stunt professionals are also typically covered in a special cold gel that
creates an extra layer of protection between their skin and the flames. We actually see Colt
getting lathered up in the stuff in the Fall Guy trailer, though you can get a more in-depth look
at the process over from this video, again by our friends over at Corridor Digital. Now, just to be
clear, firefighters do use fire retardant gels and foams while firefighting, but from my research,
it's typically used on the environment rather than on an individual. Regardless, stunt professionals
absolutely would have the experience and the equipment required to help in a fiery situation,
but that's only part of the challenge here. The other half would be keeping your cool in the heat
of the moment. Yeah, fighting a fire is dangerous work and could cause a lot of stress. In fact,
all of the situations we've talked about so far, extreme driving, fighting, shootouts,
are situations that could very easily trigger your fight or flight response. Pump your body
full of adrenaline and get you to make stupid mistakes that could cost you or someone around
you their life. Thankfully, there are ways to keep your calm while in these stressful situations.
For example, according to firefighter Tyler Morris, high-level professionals in firefighting,
special military operations, SWAT teams, and athletes all use a technique called box breathing
to keep themselves calm. This involves taking a deep breath slowly, holding it in for a few seconds,
exhaling slowly, and then holding again, and then starting the whole thing over. This sort of hacks
your nervous system and regulates your body, pulling it out of fight or flight mode and letting
you make more rational, informed decisions. And hey, wouldn't you know it, but this also sounds
a lot like techniques used by real-world stunt professionals. According to stuntman Tommy Europe,
sitting quietly and breathing deeply before any big scene is how he keeps his cool in the face
of dangerous stunt work, just like real-world professionals. And there aren't many stunts
more dangerous than our last big action set piece, wire work. See, excessive running and
jumping can lead to all sorts of injuries, muscle strains, back and knee pain, stress fractures in
your bones. And that's without throwing you into an intense or dangerous situation, running for
your life or jumping between buildings, you know, stuff you'd typically see in an action movie.
These sorts of jumps could be missed, causing whoever makes them to fall to their death. And
running along buildings could result in tripping, which again could lead to a deadly tumble.
Normally, on a film set, big running jumps would be wire stunts, with the stuntman rigged up to a
wire apparatus that would help them jump further and more safely, you know, preventing them from
going off course or crashing into a wall or building that might hurt them. So, when removed
from the safety of a film set, how would a stuntman fare in these sorts of situations in the
real world? If they needed to run and jump from a building to save you, could they do it? Maybe,
but not doing it might be the better decision. And you see, that is actually what makes stunt
people perfectly suited to be a real hero and save your life in the real world. Although we tend to
think of action heroes as having witty one-liners, there's one line that stunt performers give that
holds so much more power. No. Ultimately, it's the stunt performer who makes the call about
whether or not they feel safe to perform a stunt. It's their life on the line, and if they get
injured or worse, it could put everyone else's livelihoods on the line too. If something just
feels off, if they don't like the way something looks, it's better to pull the plug than risk
bodily injury. In fact, we see Colt make this exact call in the first trailer for The Fall
Guy as he decides whether or not to jump from a dock onto a boat.
Colt assesses the situation that he's in
and decides that it's not worth the risk, that doing something less flashy but safer is the right
call to make. Now, you might be thinking, wait, how would this save me in real life though? Well,
you see, these are the same sorts of calls that firefighters and law enforcement have to make
regularly. If someone is trapped in a burning building with no safe entrance, firefighters
might have to make the impossibly difficult call not to go in and find another way to make that
rescue because if they go in and also get trapped, that's now two people's lives on the line. Or,
if a police officer is chasing a dangerous suspect and believes that continuing pursuit
would cause more danger to those around them, again, they should make the call not to continue
because the good of the public has to come before catching the bad guy. These are incredibly hard
decisions to make, ones that I do not envy and frankly am glad that I don't have to make,
but ultimately, they're the ones that save more lives. Just like a stuntman who would see a
sketchy scene and say no. When it comes down to it, could stunt performers like Colt Seavers
actually save your life in the real world? Could they step up to be the hero? Well, based on their
skills behind the wheel, in hand-to-hand combat, with firearms, keeping cool under fire, keeping
themselves safe in dangerous situations, and knowing when to say no, yeah, they would. And,
in the world of action filmmaking, stunt people are already the heroes. Without these professionals,
the performers, coordinators, and choreographers, action movies would be limited to whatever
Mai Tai or ballet lessons their lead actors happen to have experience in. It's literally their job
to make the actors they're doubling look more heroic. To do all of the awesome set pieces
themselves. So, both on the screen and off. Of course they'd make for incredible heroes. They're
doing the heavy lifting already. And, if you want to see the hard work that stunt professionals put
into these films firsthand, go check out The Misadventures of Colt Seavers and The Fall Guy
when it hits theaters on May 3rd. This is a movie made by stunt professionals, celebrating stunt
professionals. And, I can't wait to get a peek behind the curtain at this part of Hollywood.
Thanks again to Universal for sponsoring this video. And, as always, remember,
it's all just a theory. A film theory. And, cut!