Hello filmmakers and action fans. Feel free to shoot me your questions about action in film.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, July 12th, 2009 at 9:14 am and is filed under Ask the Coordinator.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
“Hustling” a coordinator refers to the ‘art’ of being able to track down a coordinator to introduce yourself or to keep yourself in the mind of the coordinator by being seen and being able to refresh the coordinators memory about who you are and what you can do.
You might be recommended to a coordinator by a fellow stunt performer or even an actor requesting you as a stunt double. But you may not get the call if he doesn’t know who you are, has not heard of you or you have never taken the time to meet and talk to him. Some might suggest hustling can be done by email and Facebook, but I don’t think that many job come to us from coordinators who haven’t met us.
It’s a very close business and you want to surround yourself with as many like minded people as you can. That’s usually stunt people you know…not just know of. Start finding places that you can find a network of stunt people who will share knowledge and their relationships with coordinators. This can happen in gyms and training facilities that cater to stunt professionals and those who are training to work in the stunt industry.
This can definitely be an “out of site, out of mind” business, so you have to stay in the game if you want to get a call to play. So get out there and find a way to ‘meet n greet’. The human reality is that we all like to talk about what we do and what we’ve done. Who we worked for and what they are like to work for…obviously from their perspective. Point is, if you keep your ear and eyes open and put yourself in the right situations, good things and good people will be all around you, and good things will start to happen.
Fortunately – blessedly – there is SAG health insurance. You’re not a stunt professional if you’re not a SAG member. And if you’re a SAG member, you have health insurance. Our brothers and sisters fought hard in the beginning of this industry to establish SAG. Today we need to support it wholeheartedly to maintain the protections it affords.
Mr. Ciarfalio,
Although now banned or outlawed by the movie industry, what exactly was the Flying W?
Thanking you in advance.
What is meant by the term “to hustle” the coordinator?
Hi Moon Drop!
“Hustling” a coordinator refers to the ‘art’ of being able to track down a coordinator to introduce yourself or to keep yourself in the mind of the coordinator by being seen and being able to refresh the coordinators memory about who you are and what you can do.
You might be recommended to a coordinator by a fellow stunt performer or even an actor requesting you as a stunt double. But you may not get the call if he doesn’t know who you are, has not heard of you or you have never taken the time to meet and talk to him. Some might suggest hustling can be done by email and Facebook, but I don’t think that many job come to us from coordinators who haven’t met us.
It’s a very close business and you want to surround yourself with as many like minded people as you can. That’s usually stunt people you know…not just know of. Start finding places that you can find a network of stunt people who will share knowledge and their relationships with coordinators. This can happen in gyms and training facilities that cater to stunt professionals and those who are training to work in the stunt industry.
This can definitely be an “out of site, out of mind” business, so you have to stay in the game if you want to get a call to play. So get out there and find a way to ‘meet n greet’. The human reality is that we all like to talk about what we do and what we’ve done. Who we worked for and what they are like to work for…obviously from their perspective. Point is, if you keep your ear and eyes open and put yourself in the right situations, good things and good people will be all around you, and good things will start to happen.
Thank you Mr. Ciarfalio for the informative and helpful information. Greatly appreciated.
I’ve always wondered what happens to a stuntman without health insurance.
Fortunately – blessedly – there is SAG health insurance. You’re not a stunt professional if you’re not a SAG member. And if you’re a SAG member, you have health insurance. Our brothers and sisters fought hard in the beginning of this industry to establish SAG. Today we need to support it wholeheartedly to maintain the protections it affords.