Wondering how to become a stuntman in the UK? I became a stuntman by joining the BSR – The British Stunt Register in 2002. To join the British Stunt Register you first need to enquire about joining requirements. The British Stunt Register (BSR) is the only formally organised peer-reviewed membership association for stunt professionals in the UK and was founded in 1973.
Joining requirements are tough and when I joined in 2002, I needed to fulfil a number of qualifications. These qualifications change continually, and now it is much tougher than it was back then. You can choose 6 or more skills which you need to acquire to a very high level. The qualifications I chose were:
- Martial Arts – (level immediately below black belt)
- Trampolining – (I did elementary gold coach level – now it is higher)
- Fencing – (Level 6 in foil epee and sabre)
- SCUBA diving – PADI Divemaster level
- Swimming
- Rock climbing – SPA – Single Pitch Award
You can also choose other skills such as high diving, horse riding, motor cross, gymnastics, parachuting and other relevant skills. Contact the BSR for the full details of membership.
How I Became A Stuntman
In addition to acquiring a number of skills relevant to the stunt industry, you must also have experience working around a film/TV set. I chose to do extras work – eventually doing over 6 years of extras work. You also needed an Equity card. Extras are employed in the background to add to a scene. It’s sporadic work and I needed 30 weeks worth of work to qualify for the stunt register.
You may need more acting experience now in front of the camera, but when I did my training, you could do extras work. Other performing work can also be relevant. A fellow stuntman friend of mine worked with a magician as a magician’s assistant. Some stuntmen work on live shows to get the relevant experience performing.
How I Became A Stuntman – Contacts & Networking
The stunt business is all about contacts and so it’s worthwhile collecting contacts as soon as you can. Even when you join the BSR, finding work initially can be tough. I waited 2 years before my first job came in – partly because I didn’t know what I should be doing and didn’t have the contacts. There are various groups on WhatsApp you can join today once you start making contacts. They can give you valuable information as to who you can approach.
Stunt co-ordinators are the people who employ stunt performers, so success as a stuntman depends on getting many contacts with stunt co-ordinators, or just having a good relationship with the right one/s. Some stunt performers only work with a single stunt co-ordinator. But if that co-ordinator gets a lot of work, it can mean you get lots of work.
Summary
To become a stuntman in the UK, contact the BSR (British Stunt Register) and ask for entry requirements. Expect a long list of skills to attain together with experience working in front of the camera. It took me four years to do all the skills required to join the BSR back in 2002, and is more difficult today because the skills are continually being updated.
It’s also useful to have a side hustle as a stuntman for when work is quiet. I found an online business was the perfect side hustle because it allows you to work when you want and where you want. You can build it up around other work and automate online sales – giving you a lot of freedom. I struggled for some time finding work which was flexible enough to allow me the freedom to do stunt work when it came up at short notice.
See also how to become a stuntman.
