This post is a bit late, as I have been super busy/out of service. One week ago, I flew back to my home among the hills, West Virginia. I completed the fourth and final week at the International Stunt School in Seattle, which was made up of various aerial stunts, including high falls, air ram, bungee, ratchet, wire, and interestingly enough, some circus stunts (aerial silks and hoop). To be honest, the week was a blur. I was so excited to work with a smaller group on wire, which (combat aside) has become my forte. Some of the bigger dudes in my class had way too much fun lifting my tiny frame in the air, as I got pretty close to the ceiling more than once! I don’t really have too much to say about the training this time, because my focus has shifted way forward – where am I to take all of the knowledge and skill I’ve acquired in the past month? My impulse is to head to the theme parks – Six Flags, Universal, Disney – and audition for some live stunt shows. I’ve been taking a pretty close look at Marvel Universe Live as well, which is auditioning in October. I will always have a passion for fight choreography, and in the coming weeks, I hope to put together two more short fights for YouTube. However, before I take off on another stunt adventure, my first objective is to continue to train – nail down a good workout regimen, get some more gymnastics training, and work on my falls. I want to again extend my endless thanks to my instructors – Jeff McKracken, Greg Poljacik, Wadi Jones, Chuck Johnson, Brandon Belieu, Amy Sturdivant, Dutch Stenehjem, Charly and John from Cabiri, and David Boushey – for giving me an incredible month of priceless experience and instruction. I'm so proud to have been able to work with them. Hope to see you all on the silver screen!
0 Comments
And as the third week of stunt training comes to a close…. I am officially a stunt performer!
This week, we worked on driving, wirework, fire, high falls, air ram, air ratchet, and rappelling. I was nervous to get behind the wheel (especially one handed), but I didn’t do too terribly. I even managed to do a 90-degree skid. The intro to the wirework was pretty awesome; I did a few flips, and hovered “Mission: Impossible” style. Fire was INCREDIBLE. I was worried about doing the stunt, as I still had my cast on, but Jeff McKracken again went the extra mile and helped me wrap it in plastic and fire resistant gel. I had a blast. I also discovered where my boundaries lie in pushing the envelope. Due to my broken finger, I had missed out on a lot of techniques used during mini tramp, so the only major fall I knew how to do was a sit fall. When it came time for high falls, I got ten feet in the air and decided that it was not for me. I attempted a face off, and in doing so, I torqued my neck the wrong way and decided I was done with high falls until I could start back at square one with the techniques. However, I got some air on the air ram, and that was good enough for me. Today, we got tossed by the air ratchet and learned some basic rappelling techniques, including the “007” upside down rappel. I even had a classmate go Super Saiyan on me, sending me flying backwards. At the end of the day, Jeff presented us with our certificates, stating that we are all official apprentice stunt performers, and honorary members of the United Stuntmen’s Association. TL;DR: What. A. Week. Up next: The aerial intensive! Week two of the 2014 International Stunt School, complete. It definitely didn’t have the best start. On Saturday night, I somehow managed to smash my finger in the bathroom door, bad enough to warrant a trip to the ER with my stunt coordinator. Six hours, three x-rays, and several stitches later, I was told I had an open fracture, and they sent me back with a full cast. However, in spite of this ridiculous mishap, I made it to training the rest of the week. I sat out for the stair rolls, but I was able to participate on the mini tramp. I also got to try out some martial arts, although I was quite disappointed about my inability to try Capoeira. I can definitely say this injury has knocked the wind out of my sails a bit. However, the always-joking Greg Poljacik managed to cheer me up, as he has dubbed me “The Lobster,” due to my giant lobster claw of a cast. We did two fights this week – a 2-on-1 martial arts fight, and a 6-person found weapons brawl. David Boushey gave us a super helpful lecture on the business of stunts, which was FANTASTIC. On top of that, our instructors gave us a nice little surprise today that we had a lot of fun with (but it’s top secret!). I am so grateful I was able to at least give it all a shot. Tomorrow is our day off, and I intend to NOT get injured. HUGE thanks to Jeff McKracken, who drove me to and from the ER and sat in the waiting room for an eternity, to Greg Poljacik, who made me chuckle at my misfortune, to Chuck Johnson and Wadi Jones, for working around my injury, and to all my awesome stunt buddies here at the International Stunt School, for being super helpful and supportive. Up next: Precision driving, wire work, and fire! (And hopefully this girl will be minus one lobster claw by Monday.) Well folks, I survived my first week at International Stunt School! This week has been incredibly exciting and… eye opening. This just in: STUNTS ARE HARD. Who would’ve guessed? Day one focused primarily on basic falls and rolls, and boy did I learn my weaknesses quick; forward rolls are not my forte. I learned a lot that day, and we had tons of fun, but the next morning was absolute torture. I don’t think I’ve been that sore in my entire life, and that’s considering the fact that I used to do Shaun T’s Insanity workout on a daily basis. The pain continued through the next two days, which were focused on unarmed fighting techniques. Day two was all about learning various ways of pounding an opponent into hamburger, and on day three, we learned and filmed a short unarmed fight, receiving feedback from Mr. David Boushey himself. A little nerve-wracking to say the least, but extremely informative and helpful! On day four, we learned both knife and stick (or club). As a member of the SAFD and a certified actor-combatant, I was stoked to learn club technique, as it was never covered in the combat classes I took in college. I really enjoyed the flexibility the weapon provided in determining the circumstances of the fight. For example, is the stick a crow bar? A frying pan? A rolled up newspaper? Although I had previous experience with knife, it was interesting to learn a new angle on the technique. In college, I had been taught a more romantic/operatic way of handling a blade, so it was challenging and thrilling to make the fighting a little more “muddy” and gritty. We learned a few disarms, wounds, and kills, as well as how to amp up the illusion of danger in a fight. We did a lot of reviewing on day five, working on our falls, rolls, and knife/stick techniques. I also had the satisfaction of learning a hip throw (nothing feels better than slamming a dude twice your size down on a cushion). We then learned our choreography for knife/stick, and filmed it that afternoon. Again, it was a little intimidating having a fight critiqued by the founder of the SAFD and the USA, but extremely beneficial. So that brings us to today, our first day off. We have been told repeatedly to not go around hip tossing people or rolling down hills for practice on our breaks, and I can’t say I disagree. I’ve been teased a lot already for going to bed early (I’m still kind of running on EST), but honestly, at the end of eight hours of throwing myself at the ground, fighting, and being surrounded by tough, sweaty people, the last thing I want to do is go out for drinks. I’ve learned over the years, whether I was dancing, doing stage combat, or just working out in general, to listen to my body and follow its needs. If my eyes start closing at 10 PM, by gum, I’m going to sleep. And goodness knows that after being in a hot, sweaty room with 40+ people all day, I need solitude! So today, after my laundry is finished and this blog post is up, I intend to go for a long walk around campus, maybe head to the sporting goods store. More updates coming! |
Jessi's ThoughtsHey everyone! This blog is to keep you updated on what I'm currently working on. I will be posting show dates, readings, and other crazy stuff here. Archives
May 2018
Categories |