STUNT DRIVING COURSES

What You’ll Learn

We will teach you the ‘why and the how’ of stunt driving; the physics, safety systems, control systems and even mechanical sympathy – to avoid downtime on set. All of our training and techniques are specifically applicable to the world of film; from forward slalom and hand, feet and eye synchronisation, to hand-braking techniques, manual or hydraulic – all bases and disciplines are covered.

There is a 2-1 ratio for instructors and trainees and on average you will be driving for 6 hours per day. You will leave the course with integral Film and TV specific precision driving skills.

Cars in the fleet

4×4 SUV type

Convertable

Mini

Saloon

Race car

POD vehicle

Safety

• Personal vehicle safety checks
• Tyre knowledge
• Failure points: Chassis, brakes & tyre
• Area risk assessment: Understanding vehicle weight & trajectory
• Understanding drive train dynamics: Front wheel, rear wheel, 4wheel drive
• ESP safety systems: Stability management, traction control, yaw control
• Understanding car dynamics on a film set
• Understanding and being taught how to foresee problems and how to fix them
• Understanding safe driving distance between cars and artist.

Film set etiquette

• Onset terminology
• How to use a radio correctly
• Understanding equipment required for specific stunts

Skills/manoeuvres

• Different steering techniques that will apply to different skills
• Hand brake technique: Hydro & normal
• Understanding handbrakes & handbrake maintenance
• Basic car evaluation & test (prior to accepting vehicle)
• HB Turn: box park, forward 180, stopping on mark at different angles, i.e. from 45 – 90
• J Turn: Timing of the J turn in relation to the camera angle and understanding what the camera will pick up.
• Reverse 90
• Stop on mark / up to object
• Drive through restricted width opening and also with blind direction change beforehand.
• Drifting for film sets, delivering what is asked for.
• Sliding under an inertia, sliding under throttle, sliding with minimum revs (i.e. keeping the noise down for Sound Department), understanding the surface you are sliding on from a safety point of view (kicking up gravel, understanding where crew are based, where video village is etc.)
• Driving in a multiple car convoy, learning timings and distance, maintaining timings and distance. With the size of our facility, you will be in a in a car convoy with up to 10 cars, with the instructors applying real world and film set issues and experiences along the way.
• Camera tracking

• Simultaneous reverse 180s inward and outward.
• Reverse 180 into a box 90
• Tandem drifting
• Stopping on a mark with extreme precision. ie. Another car and actor
• High speed driving. Increasing the speed on all skills learned to offer the camera more energy.
• Lift off oversteer
• Power sliding through an apex
• Chase car
• Camera car driving (classroom and practical)

• Driving in different seated positions
• High speed reversing
• Flying 360 front and rear wheel drive
• Racing technique with close proximity driving
• Driving with weapons. Shooting at a vehicle and shooting from a vehicle.
• Understanding safety equipment. ie. checking harnesses, roll cage (classroom)
• Understanding airbags (classroom)
• Understanding tyres and pressures (classroom)
• Driving different vehicles. ie. SUV, convertible, pod car, race car.