News

Thursday 7th, March, 2013

Mind over Matter, See what Stunt Performer Peter Dillon finds Challenging

Hello Peter I see you are sometimes referred to as Stunts Coordinator and sometimes as Stunt Double, can you tell me what is the difference and what each role consists of?
"Hi Guys, well a stunt coordinator is primarily a managerial role. It is the coordinators job to assess the stunt requirements for the shoot and make sure that everything is in place in terms of budget, equipment, personnel, training time and actor coaching, in order to do the job safely and well. The coordinator will also often design the action sequences to be filmed, and thats where their experience in the game really comes into play.
The stunt performer, well, the name is on the tin. The stunt performer, either in their role as stunt double or when playing their own character, will look after the physical performance of the stunt. When doubling an actor, it is very important that you pay close attention to how the actor expresses their character physically, so that you can maintain the integrity of that character, when you step in to do your job."

Can you give me an example of what you consider to be the best thing about working as a stunts person?
" When all is said and done, for me anyway, it's the people that I have met and had the opportunity to work with, train with and learn from. I have worked most closely with the Stunt Guild in New Zealand and the Stunt Guild in Ireland and the calibre of the people, the camaraderie developed over time - that's what really makes the job worth doing. And, I have to say, I love the total focus, physical and mental, required to do the job right. It is exactly the kind of intensity that suits my personality and when you're not at work, you recover and train and look forward to the next one ..."

 Is there an important movie on your CV and if so did it make a big difference to your career?
 I"'ve been lucky in my career so far and have worked on a few biggies. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was my first stunt job, and that certainly didn't do my prospects any harm, and since then I have worked on The Chronicles of Narnia for Disney, James Cameron's Avatar, and more recently, the Hobbit Trilogy. Truth is, though, that a job finished quickly becomes ancient history, and you're always hungry for the next one. And the next one is never a certainty!"
I want to be a Stunts person, Can you tell me is there much demand for Stunts people in the film industry? What sort of work and positions are out there? 
"The film industry is a global industry. If you are going to limit yourself to one neck of the woods, then it will not be easy to build a viable career. But you have to start somewhere, so if you have the passion and the requisite skills, and are prepared to work hard all the time, then go for it ..."

I can not finish without asking this question, what do you consider was the scariest stunt you ever had to do?
 "I have climbed the mast of a ship in a storm at sea, at night, I have been set on fire, blown up, catapulted through the air into a wall, been thrown from a height, fallen off galloping horses ... but fear is a very relative thing, and the scariest thing I ever did, was to be buried in a grave! Sounds boring but Im claustrophobic and, in term of pure mind-over-matter, that was definitely the stunt I struggled with the most!"