LOTS OF GUTS, LITTLE GLORY FOR FILM STUNTMEN
Jakarta Post,
Features - July 22, 2006
Eric Tiwa, Contributor, Jakarta
Four middle-aged gentlemen were sitting in a small living room that evening.
They were in the middle of a passionate discussion about a project. One had developed a 30-episode script for TV about the life and work of policemen and women.
The script is aptly titled I've labored on this for 16 years. says Ronald Kansil, the writer. The others in that room have done their bit trying to find somebody crazy enough to produce it.
But as Ronald added, "No takers so far. Not yet." There was a tinge of defiance in his voice. The other men quickly nodded in agreement.
It does not take long to see that these men are fighting an impossible fight. An action drama about policemen taking on criminals is an anachronism in Indonesian television.
Yet, making movies like Crime is what they know best. They are some of the people in the movie industry who started their careers by getting punched in the face or deliberately falling off a running SUV for the camera. Even today, they are still proud to be called stuntmen.
"This is not about changing the industry. We know better than that. We just need to make a break for ourselves." Stewart Ponto admitted. Others like Gatot and his team are wishing for more commercial movie projects. "Today's movies are heavy on cultural messages and moral values. We want something where we can go over the top with stunts and effects."
Back then, these men did not turn down calls for dangerous acts very often. All that a director had to do was ask and they would suit up for whatever stunts were required for a production. "I'd do anything that others wouldn't. I'd up the ante." said Edy Bakar Pare, who once jumped off a 12-meter coconut tree with nothing but a little body padding.
In fact, padding was not the most important protection for him and his fellow stuntmen those days. Throughout most of the 70s they relied more on adrenalin than anything else. Nobody in the movie industry had adequate knowledge or skill on stunt work.
"The only thing on our minds during work is not to land on our head." said Stewart. "Broken bones and burns will heal. But a busted head is not something you could live through."
It is a profession that was born out of desperation. It offers no insurance or proper compensation. However, young men craving fame and money would do anything to be in front of the camera. But with no luck after a while, they had to do anything they were asked to just to stay in the movie circle.
When he came to Jakarta almost 40 years ago, Edy Bakar Pare was not planning on becoming a stunt double. He was working as a bus driver when somebody told him that with his looks he might have a chance in a movie.
Edy was a sturdy young man with long hair and a fashion sense of a star. What seemed to be an opportunity came to him one day in 1974.
That afternoon, he drove his bus to a gas station where people were shooting a film near by. Edy immediately pulled over and hung around. The director noticed him, then he was hired as an extra.
The acting bug bit him so he started looking for movie locations to get more extra jobs.
On Edy's second stint, senior director Nawi Ismail had him beaten in few scenes. Apparently he did well as calls to be in other projects came in afterward. Little did he know, from that point on he was to be a punchbag for the stars.
Movie makers try to make action scenes as safe as they possibly can. But when a stunt actor has to ride a bike through a glass window, accidents can happen. Even in what looks like a simple fall, something can go wrong. "Awareness is the key here." explained Ronald Kansil.
He had never so much as kick-started a scooter before the day he was asked to perform a bike stunt. He was to elude a police chase through obstacles on a speeding bike. The scenes had just been added and nobody but the director knew about them.
Ronald was scheduled for an afternoon take so he had only that morning to become proficient on the bike. Luckily, he came out unharmed. Stuntmen often worked under conditions like these, that place safety second to guts.
In 1976, PT Nugraha Mas Film set out to produce a big-budget action movie, Duel Maut (Deadly Duel). The demise of Bruce Lee three years prior left audiences longing for in-your-face fight scenes. Executives at PT Nugraha Mas Film saw an opportunity to quench the thirst.
They hired Peter Chen, from Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong to create action scenes for the movie. Chen, a veteran action director, immediately spotted the inadequacy of human resources he was to work with. Out of necessity he set up a workshop for all crew members -- stuntmen included -- three months before production began.
In Chen's class, transfer of knowledge occurred every day, four days a week. He taught the Indonesian crew every detail of making a quality action movie, from proper mattress arrangement to cushion a fall safely, the right camera angle for a better picture, to makeup tricks for a more realistic effect.
Nothing was omitted. With stunt actors, Chen did not stop at training them to react in a certain way to a certain body blow. More importantly, he showed them the discipline needed for their profession.
After Duel Maut, the workshop alumni went on to make more projects. The knowledge they have received in Chen's class spread throughout the action movie community. New insights on their work among stuntmen led to the need to polish their raw skill.
It is fairly common that accidents suffered by stunt actors are caused by ignorance as well as the dynamics in a shooting location. Movie production is a group effort that requires coordination from all its elements.
Rudi Soedjarwo, an established movie maker of today, explained that making high-risk scenes needs a unique approach. Shooting them will require more attention to detail and preparation in order to produce a realistic depiction on the screen.
In his next project, Shrouded Corpse, Rudi is ensuring the work of the special effects department as well as stunt actors is safe and efficient. "A well-prepared and knowledgeable team will save production time and cost immensely." he said.
The new generation of moviemakers are the ones calling the shots now. They are bringing in fresh air to movie production with their energy. Additionally, technology that was not there in the old days is now available.
It means that better, faster movie production with quality results is within reach. However, some things in the industry stay the same. Fame is still the major attraction and money still talks. Therefore, safety takes a back seat to profit.
Meanwhile, as proven by the pioneers, stunt work is not about horsing around the set. It is a profession that requires dedication -- just like any other job.
"This is not something you do casually. You should not treat stunt work as a mere stepping stone to get parts in a movie. There are safety procedures to adhere to." said A. Rahman Tolies.
Today, the men of Santiago Diamanti may be too rusty for a 20-meter jump. Yet, they stay the course because the hope to go further is still within them. After all those years, there is no other activity they would rather be in than the movie business.
These men, more than anybody else, should know that it takes more than guts to survive in the industry
Features - July 22, 2006
Eric Tiwa, Contributor, Jakarta
Four middle-aged gentlemen were sitting in a small living room that evening.
They were in the middle of a passionate discussion about a project. One had developed a 30-episode script for TV about the life and work of policemen and women.
The script is aptly titled I've labored on this for 16 years. says Ronald Kansil, the writer. The others in that room have done their bit trying to find somebody crazy enough to produce it.
But as Ronald added, "No takers so far. Not yet." There was a tinge of defiance in his voice. The other men quickly nodded in agreement.
It does not take long to see that these men are fighting an impossible fight. An action drama about policemen taking on criminals is an anachronism in Indonesian television.
Yet, making movies like Crime is what they know best. They are some of the people in the movie industry who started their careers by getting punched in the face or deliberately falling off a running SUV for the camera. Even today, they are still proud to be called stuntmen.
"This is not about changing the industry. We know better than that. We just need to make a break for ourselves." Stewart Ponto admitted. Others like Gatot and his team are wishing for more commercial movie projects. "Today's movies are heavy on cultural messages and moral values. We want something where we can go over the top with stunts and effects."
Back then, these men did not turn down calls for dangerous acts very often. All that a director had to do was ask and they would suit up for whatever stunts were required for a production. "I'd do anything that others wouldn't. I'd up the ante." said Edy Bakar Pare, who once jumped off a 12-meter coconut tree with nothing but a little body padding.
In fact, padding was not the most important protection for him and his fellow stuntmen those days. Throughout most of the 70s they relied more on adrenalin than anything else. Nobody in the movie industry had adequate knowledge or skill on stunt work.
"The only thing on our minds during work is not to land on our head." said Stewart. "Broken bones and burns will heal. But a busted head is not something you could live through."
It is a profession that was born out of desperation. It offers no insurance or proper compensation. However, young men craving fame and money would do anything to be in front of the camera. But with no luck after a while, they had to do anything they were asked to just to stay in the movie circle.
When he came to Jakarta almost 40 years ago, Edy Bakar Pare was not planning on becoming a stunt double. He was working as a bus driver when somebody told him that with his looks he might have a chance in a movie.
Edy was a sturdy young man with long hair and a fashion sense of a star. What seemed to be an opportunity came to him one day in 1974.
That afternoon, he drove his bus to a gas station where people were shooting a film near by. Edy immediately pulled over and hung around. The director noticed him, then he was hired as an extra.
The acting bug bit him so he started looking for movie locations to get more extra jobs.
On Edy's second stint, senior director Nawi Ismail had him beaten in few scenes. Apparently he did well as calls to be in other projects came in afterward. Little did he know, from that point on he was to be a punchbag for the stars.
Movie makers try to make action scenes as safe as they possibly can. But when a stunt actor has to ride a bike through a glass window, accidents can happen. Even in what looks like a simple fall, something can go wrong. "Awareness is the key here." explained Ronald Kansil.
He had never so much as kick-started a scooter before the day he was asked to perform a bike stunt. He was to elude a police chase through obstacles on a speeding bike. The scenes had just been added and nobody but the director knew about them.
Ronald was scheduled for an afternoon take so he had only that morning to become proficient on the bike. Luckily, he came out unharmed. Stuntmen often worked under conditions like these, that place safety second to guts.
In 1976, PT Nugraha Mas Film set out to produce a big-budget action movie, Duel Maut (Deadly Duel). The demise of Bruce Lee three years prior left audiences longing for in-your-face fight scenes. Executives at PT Nugraha Mas Film saw an opportunity to quench the thirst.
They hired Peter Chen, from Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong to create action scenes for the movie. Chen, a veteran action director, immediately spotted the inadequacy of human resources he was to work with. Out of necessity he set up a workshop for all crew members -- stuntmen included -- three months before production began.
In Chen's class, transfer of knowledge occurred every day, four days a week. He taught the Indonesian crew every detail of making a quality action movie, from proper mattress arrangement to cushion a fall safely, the right camera angle for a better picture, to makeup tricks for a more realistic effect.
Nothing was omitted. With stunt actors, Chen did not stop at training them to react in a certain way to a certain body blow. More importantly, he showed them the discipline needed for their profession.
After Duel Maut, the workshop alumni went on to make more projects. The knowledge they have received in Chen's class spread throughout the action movie community. New insights on their work among stuntmen led to the need to polish their raw skill.
It is fairly common that accidents suffered by stunt actors are caused by ignorance as well as the dynamics in a shooting location. Movie production is a group effort that requires coordination from all its elements.
Rudi Soedjarwo, an established movie maker of today, explained that making high-risk scenes needs a unique approach. Shooting them will require more attention to detail and preparation in order to produce a realistic depiction on the screen.
In his next project, Shrouded Corpse, Rudi is ensuring the work of the special effects department as well as stunt actors is safe and efficient. "A well-prepared and knowledgeable team will save production time and cost immensely." he said.
The new generation of moviemakers are the ones calling the shots now. They are bringing in fresh air to movie production with their energy. Additionally, technology that was not there in the old days is now available.
It means that better, faster movie production with quality results is within reach. However, some things in the industry stay the same. Fame is still the major attraction and money still talks. Therefore, safety takes a back seat to profit.
Meanwhile, as proven by the pioneers, stunt work is not about horsing around the set. It is a profession that requires dedication -- just like any other job.
"This is not something you do casually. You should not treat stunt work as a mere stepping stone to get parts in a movie. There are safety procedures to adhere to." said A. Rahman Tolies.
Today, the men of Santiago Diamanti may be too rusty for a 20-meter jump. Yet, they stay the course because the hope to go further is still within them. After all those years, there is no other activity they would rather be in than the movie business.
These men, more than anybody else, should know that it takes more than guts to survive in the industry
posted by Handewi Soegiharto at 4:29 AM
