From practice: the Eddie the Eagle crash

How you bring a stunt out of the red into the doable range is shown by an example from one of my feature films. On the stunt for “Eddie the Eagle”, the stunt coordinator was Vic Armstrong – for decades Harrison Ford's stunt double in all the Indiana Jones films and in several James Bond films, and a second-unit director too. He knew exactly how he wanted the stunts on camera and what lies within the doable.

The scene was meant to look as original as possible: Eddie, who couldn't actually ski, jumped off the ski jump, was already wobbly on the in-run, fell before the take-off table and then flew shoulder-first, in a bad flight position, into the landing hill and landed on his shoulder. That had to be recreated exactly.

The risk was clearly in the red: if the angle and trajectory were only slightly off, you'd land on your head instead of your shoulder – and that quickly means a broken neck with irreversible damage. We were very close to the edge. We defused it with a great deal of training, thorough preparation, mats, prepared equipment and many rehearsals – until the stunt moved from red into the orange, partly yellow range. And we were several stunt colleagues taking turns, so the load on any one person didn't get too high. Bruises are part of it – a broken neck never is.

How an action shoot runs

A professional action shoot follows a clear sequence. First, the preparation phase with the client: together we work out what's possible – and where the limits are. Second, tests and dummy shots: I do test runs, present what's feasible and give an early sense of how it will look. Third, training to reproducibility: once the plan is approved, I train the stunt so often that I can deliver it on cue on set.

Why that matters: the shoot day carries a high cost block. When the whole team – lighting, camera, direction – is waiting for the one moment, it has to land. Whoever has trained the stunt a hundred times delivers it reliably.

Injuries are probabilities, not chance

Many think this kind of sport automatically carries a high injury risk. That's not quite true. Injuries are a chain of probabilities whose causes you can know and minimise. On a paraglider shoot, for instance, the weather is the most important factor. Conditions have to be right – and that can be checked in advance. If the wind isn't right, you wait. Soberly considered, the injury probability in football is higher than in a trained extreme sport where all the risk factors are calculated in.

The most dangerous mistake: routine

The real danger at a high level isn't a lack of skill, but carelessness through routine. Anyone getting a flying licence learns a five-point check in the first lesson: harness, surroundings, all buckles, correctly clipped in. Over the years you quickly get sloppy – you take things for granted even though you're long since operating at the limit. On a professional set that's ruled out: every check has to be done. Helmets are a given, and for dangerous stunts a medic on set is mandatory, provided by the production.

Plan for the worst case: insurance and the last word

Professionalism also means thinking about the worst case. I'm insured with Allianz and carry appropriate accident and occupational-disability cover. In the absolute exception, that also includes covering things like a helicopter rescue. If an athlete, model or stunt performer doesn't bring this protection, I consider that grossly negligent.

And one point is decisive: it's not the production that's responsible for your health, but you yourself. That's why on set the last word is mine. If conditions are questionable, I decide whether a scene can be performed. That's not diva behaviour – it's exactly the reliability a production needs.

Consulting from the start

Because there's a lot of groundwork behind all this, I'm happy to advise productions from the very beginning – as early as the ideation phase. We clarify early what's feasible, where the limits are and what might be better handled by CGI. That way a concept emerges that looks spectacular and is safe to execute – with no nasty surprises on the shoot day.

If you're planning a campaign with real action and want to know what can be done safely: send a booking request.

FAQ

How is a stunt or action scene priced?
Via a risk matrix of probability and severity. The more demanding the scene, the higher the price – not only because of the risk, but above all because of the preparation and training time. Scenes in the red zone are either not approved or only performed under maximum precautions and paid accordingly.

Who decides whether a stunt is safe enough?
Not a single person. Complex stunts require a stunt coordinator, and ideally a panel of experienced stunt people judges the risk – not someone who badly wants the job. On set, the performer also has the last word over their own safety.

Isn't extreme sport on camera far too dangerous?
Soberly, no. Injuries are a chain of probabilities you know and minimise. Conditions like the weather are checked in advance; if something isn't right, you wait. Trained extreme sport with calculated risk factors is often statistically less risky than, say, football.

What insurance should an action performer have?
At least professional liability plus accident and occupational-disability cover – in my case with Allianz, including cover for the ultimate emergency. Working without this protection I consider grossly negligent. On set, the production also provides a medic for dangerous stunts.

How does the preparation for an action shoot work?
In three steps: a joint feasibility check with the client, tests and dummy shots, then training to on-cue reproducibility. That way the decisive moment lands reliably on the expensive shoot day.