acceleration. An example of that is: I was rigging a friend's show in the
Houston Astrodome. He was doing a 200-foot high fall from the ceiling.
We wanted to figure out how hard he was hitting the air bag.
"Strong determination and common sense are also important . . .
Another thing stunt people need is perfect timing."
Advice for Someone Seeking This Job
To get started in the business, Gums suggests finding a working stunt-
person or coordinator you can learn from. "If you can find somebody that
works regularly and is willing to let you train with them, or bring you
down to the set and let you hang out, that's a really good way to not only
learn, but get in with a group of guys that may hire you in the future."
Action unit director/stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong suggests that
prospective stunt people first specialize in one area, such as horseback
riding (as he did), fights, gymnastics, and so forth. Then try to land a job
based on that special skill, build up film credits, and learn from co-
workers. "You have to have a specific ability that somebody wants to use
you for, and then you just build on that. Work your butt off and do the
rounds and talk to people. Get yourself known and just try to get some
credits. It's very, very tough. My daughter is a young stuntwoman and
she's finding it hard, even with the contacts I have. You've just got to get
a reputation and build on it. I was lucky and took the opportunities I had
and made the most of them. I tried to be inventive and original."
Professional Profile: Steve Gums, Stunt Coordinator, Stuntman
and Weapons Specialist, President Kontrolled Khaos
Ever since he was a young boy, Steve Gums wanted to be a stuntman.
Following high school, Gums graduated from the firefighter's academy,
enabling him to understand the basics of creating burns. A self-taught
stuntman, he learned by trial and error, performing stunts in his brother's
high school film productions. "When the project was complete I would go
to class with my brother Jeff, just to watch the teacher's reaction. Imagine
being a high school teacher, watching what you expect to be a typical
student video project. Then someone on screen gets hit by a moving car
and slides up the windshield, or falls down a flight of stairs, or runs across
the screen on fire. We definitely got his teacher's attention."
During his first year at George Mason University, Gums took a
makeup class, which his brother audited. Perfecting their technique
together, they landed work doing special effects and aging makeup for
a children's television video production company. Over the next several
years, they continued to work for the company whenever needed.
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