I loved action flicks when I was a child. It could be Spider-Man swinging among skyscrapers or Fast & Furious cars flying in the air, but I was fixed to the screen, being totally fascinated. There was one question which resounded in my head:
“How do they live through these stunts?”
I would ask myself how these heroes could fall off the 30th floor and hit the ground running away without as much as a graze. It seemed like magic; as a kid, I thought that these actors were superheroes in real life. I would even jump off the couch and pretend I could land like a movie star. Naturally, I did not pause to think about what actually happened behind the curtains.
The secret behind all this finally solved years later when I entered university and took my bachelor’s degree in design majoring in VFX. My education showed me the actual science and art of those bigger-than-life spectacles. There was nothing magical about it; it was the art of movie-making.
Whether it be through stunt doubles, CGI, choreography, or camera tricks, filmmakers use a powerful combination of tools to make it appear that the actors are in danger—when in fact they are never endangered. And the best part is how all that transfers so smoothly to the screen.
So, what happens when we need to see the actors do things that they are not directly doing? Let us explore the amazing behind-the-scenes cinematic magic of making it look like the actors are doing those stunts.
Teaser: In Part 2, we’ll step onto the set to witness the illusion of danger and the unsung heroes who make it happen.