With computer-generated special effects all the rage, and disaster movie crowd scenes packed with virtual 鈥渟ynthespians鈥� rather than real extras, you might think that the age of the heroic stuntman and woman is over, with actors and actresses not far behind. But a little known branch of science 鈥� 鈥渟tuntology鈥� 鈥� has come to the rescue.
Physicists, computer specialists and engineers create the techniques and equipment to make hitherto impossible stunts safe for real people, scoring one over virtual reality. In Australia this month there is even an applied physics workshop in Sydney for those who want to get a car airborne, crash it through a neon advertising sign, and survive.
How did stuntology take off? In spectacular style, with James Bond and an astonishing sequence in The Man with the Golden Gun. Bond is chasing Scaramanga and Nick Nack in a Hornet hatchback alongside a river in Thailand 鈥� but they鈥檙e on the other side. He takes off from a broken bridge, corkscrews through a full 360掳 barrel roll and lands perfectly on the other half of the bridge to continue the pursuit. There was no virtual reality. The success of the stunt relied on computer modelling of car dynamics by a company involved in accident research. They worked out the ramp design, car characteristics and take-off speeds needed to carry out the manoeuvre and performed it at the Houston Astrodome before heading to Thailand.
Advertisement
What is the state of the art now? Simulation work is still crucial for the spectacular car and boat leaps of action movies. But the real fun is in giant explosions which throw people through the air, and battle scenes where evil invaders are hurled from castle walls. For explosion scenes, pneumatic pistons called air ratchets jerk people into the air using cables attached to body harnesses. Their acceleration, deceleration and landing are controlled by computers that also detonate the explosions with the split-second timing needed to make the action look real but keep the actors out of harm鈥檚 way.
Is bigger better? Absolutely. The recent movie Swordfish boasted the biggest ratchet shot of all time, with 21 stuntmen and women blasted simultaneously through the air in a computer-controlled sequence coordinated with a massive explosion. Scenes shot for the next film in the saga of The Lord of the Rings apparently have people raining from castle walls 鈥� onto newly developed crash mats built like giant jellies to absorb a stream of bodies falling from 12 metres. Hollows and vents within the mats release air so the actors can break their falls without injury.
Thanks to the science of stuntology, there is still reality in the movies 鈥� even in Hollywood.