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| May 2000 Stuntman Unsung hero By Chan Siu Sin RELATED ARTICLE: Article from the same
section: As he gallops across the sandy wasteland, bombs blast beside him. The steed falls and he is unhorsed, lying on the ground as though unconscious. “Cut!” The director yells. The man stands and laughs. He has completed his job. He is Cheung Chi-chuen, 34, who has been a stuntman and a stand-in for 10 years, and has practiced Chinese kung fu since he was 7. According to Cheung, there are three kinds of stunt men: actors doing acrobatics, stand-ins and action heroes. Being actors in acrobatic roles is the starting point for every stuntman. They have to perform all kinds of jobs that concern action. Then one can be promoted to be either a stand-in or an action hero, according to their talents. Stand-ins are the ones that replace actors to perform acts the actors are incapable of, such as skateboarding, jumping down from tall buildings, riding or swimming in icey water. Action heroes have high status. They not only perform stunts — they also have to act. Said Cheung: “Up the ladder, you can be an action director, an assistant director, or even a director like Stanley Tong.” Every stuntman has his specialty and function. “Because I am short and slim, I can act as stand-in for actresses like Maggie Cheung and Brigitte Lin — sometimes even for children. “As for old stuntmen, they engage in the operation of the wire, as they are experienced.” For a stunt man, besides agility, courage is also a must. Cheung remembered an accident a decade ago: Two stunt men were seriously injured. One was paralyzed from the waist down and the other died. “Every stunt man has been injured,” said Cheung. One of his kidneys was injured during a performance when he first worked as a stuntman in 1990. In bed for nine months, his confidence declined. “When I jump, I am slower than before. I know I cannot get injured again,” said Cheung. Though the career may be dangerous, he still wants to do it, but with care. Insurance companies reject stuntmen’s application forms because being a stuntman is regarded as a high risk career. Once the Hong Kong Stuntman Association suggested setting up a fund for all the stuntmen in case they are injured during work. However, nothing has come of the proposal. Even the government does nothing for their safety. But stuntmen rarely quit because of getting injured. They only quit when under-employed in downturns of the film industry. In the early 1990s, the Hong Kong film industry flourished. Nearly all the stuntmen were employed. Said Cheung: “At that time, I had to work two shifts, nine hours each, sometimes even getting over-worked.” But when the industry is in a downturn, there may not be a job for three months. As a result, the incomes of stuntmen are unstable. For actors playing acrobatic roles, each job of nine hours pays $1,400. It is $2,800 for stand-ins. Therefore, it is impossible to make a living by being stuntmen alone. Stuntmen have to find other jobs such as being taxi-drivers and contractors in order to survive. Yet, the job satisfaction keeps Cheung in the field. He said he is content whenever he can complete a challenging act. He also said he enjoyed making friends in the film industry, including movie stars. But what Cheung gets the most out of career is in his career is that his horizons are broadened. “I have seen elegant productions. And I have also slept in a ditch. My life experiences are enriched,” said Cheung. Beside the downturns in the industry, there are two upcoming challenges for stuntmen. In 1999, the Junior Stuntmen Training Class started to train professional stuntmen. This year, over 120 youngsters were attracted to join. The government, with the aim at promoting the Hong Kong film industry, subsidized students by lowering their tuition fee from over $3,000 to $10,000. This means that in a couple of years, the number of stuntmen will increase dramatically. The other challenge is the development of technology. Lots of acts can be created by computer with the insertion of actors’ facial expressions. Besides, competition is keen. Talents in China and other Southeast Asian countries have learnt the skills from local stunts. More and more crews now go abroad to film, employing stuntmen there to reduce the production costs. But Cheung is not pessimistic about his future. Said he: “The Hong Kong film industry is well-known for action films. Therefore, we should train youngsters in a time of downturn. “Who knows? Maybe the peak may come again.” |
Stuntmen seem strong and agile, but accidents still happen. (Courtesy of Cheung Chi-chuen)
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