Stand-in to stunt performer
A stand-in already meets 60% of what the stunt performer role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
45.6/ 100
1 How much of what a stunt performer is expected to do is already part of a stand-in’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the stunt performer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A stunt performer role treats 13 of its required skills as things a stand-in already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to type of media
- attend rehearsals
- collaborate on costume and make-up for performances
- express yourself physically
- follow directions of the artistic director
- follow time cues
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A stunt performer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a stand-in background worth leading with.
- already held express yourself physically communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held harmonise body movements communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt to acting roles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held practice dance moves communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held self-promote communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held collaborate on costume and make-up for performances communication, collaboration and creativity
All 22 carried skills, including the 13 the stunt performer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn perform stunts required
- still to learn manage feedback required
- optional, not held practise extreme sports optional
- optional, not held adapt fighting techniques for performance optional
- optional, not held communicate expectations of fight actions optional
- optional, not held learn the choreographic material optional
- optional, not held perform with motion capture equipment optional
- optional, not held practice martial arts optional
- optional, not held prepare rehearsals optional
- optional, not held perform improvisation optional
- optional, not held ride horses optional
- optional, not held work with prop makers optional
- still to learn work with respect for own safety required
- optional, not held use firearms optional
- optional, not held obtain relevant licenses optional
- still to learn analyse own performance required
- optional, not held analyse your fight discipline expertise optional
- optional, not held organise rehearsals optional
- optional, not held search for a suitable filming location optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held sword fighting optional
- optional, not held interact safely with animals optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a stunt performer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 perform stunts practise this
- 02 analyse own performance practise this
- 03 manage feedback practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held attend rehearsals skill
- already held collaborate on costume and make-up for performances skill
- already held express yourself physically skill
- already held follow directions of the artistic director skill
- already held follow time cues skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held harmonise body movements skill
- already held study media sources skill
- already held study roles from scripts skill
- already held work with an artistic team skill
- already held work with the camera crew skill
- already held work with the lighting crew skill
- already held acting techniques knowledge
- already held adapt to acting roles skill
- already held film production process knowledge
- already held interact with fellow actors skill
- already held lighting techniques knowledge
- already held perform dances skill
- already held photography knowledge
- already held practice dance moves skill
- already held self-promote skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held practise extreme sports optional
- optional, not held sword fighting optional
- optional, not held adapt fighting techniques for performance optional
- optional, not held analyse your fight discipline expertise optional
- optional, not held communicate expectations of fight actions optional
- optional, not held interact safely with animals optional
- optional, not held learn the choreographic material optional
- optional, not held organise rehearsals optional
- optional, not held perform with motion capture equipment optional
- optional, not held practice martial arts optional
- optional, not held prepare rehearsals optional
- optional, not held search for a suitable filming location optional
- optional, not held use firearms optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held obtain relevant licenses optional
- optional, not held perform improvisation optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held ride horses optional
- optional, not held work with prop makers optional
5 held skills the stunt performer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse a script skill
- not needed by the target role perform scripted dialogue skill
- not needed by the target role practise singing skill
- not needed by the target role sing skill
- not needed by the target role work with the director of photography skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held sword fighting optional
Common questions about this move
Can a stand-in become a stunt performer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A stand-in already covers 60% of what a stunt performer is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 13 of which the stunt performer role treats as required.
What skills does a stand-in need to become a stunt performer?
4 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is perform stunts.
How hard is the move from stand-in to stunt performer?
Its learning distance is 45.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.