On the surface this seems like a pretty simple question. Not even worth asking. Yet many newer filmmakers get it wrong! They think that the stunt coordinator is one of the LAST people to hire for their production team after the budgeting has already been done. Many producers and directors mistakenly believe that once they’ve made most of the production decisions, then they should talk to a stunt coordinator about coordinating the action. Nothing could be more bass-ackwards!
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QUESTION: So when is the BEST time to talk to a stunt coordinator about your project?
ANSWER: During the writing phase!
What! How can this be?!? Very simple. It is very common for the writer not to know what the production is actually capable of doing ‘action-wise’ with the budget that they’ve been allocated. The writer may write in action that is beyond the budget that production has or does not include enough high production value action sequences that really make a measurable improvement on the movie.
We have encountered a number of productions that BEFORE talking to us they decided to cut out action sequences and stunts from their project because they thought the stunts would be too expensive or time consuming. After talking to us, they found out how to actually do the stunts and that they’re either FREE (meaning it doesn’t cost them anymore than what they’d already budgeted) or low cost and relatively simple to coordinate and shoot (with experienced professionals).
Few things frustrate a writer or director more than to realize too late that their initial vision could have been brought to life instead of their ‘Plan B’ vision. Think about it. YOU DON’T KNOW STUNT COORDINATION!
So doesn’t it make sense to talk to an expert in stunt coordination when you are envisioning implementing action into your story? Especially during the writing phase. And just so you know, the writer(s) loves this! S/he loves knowing what action they can actually implement into the story. Plus, it helps to guide their vision as they’re writing the screenplay.
Discover our highly popular Stunt Design Solutions for film & TV
An experienced Professional Stunt Coordinator can advise you about action arcs, the best stunts and action sequences to leverage for character development, the ideal stunts to use to increase your production value all the while ensuring that you get all of the action that you want for your project while staying comfortably within your budget.
Have some questions? Contact us today, for a FREE ‘Action Strategy Session’!