A Stunt Driving Story: Before the Action Starts

By Mark Aisbett

'Look for a good car with a strong e-brake; it's going to be essential for this one.' I'd just arrived at work around 7:00 pm on a Friday night. Several thoughts ran through my head when the stunt coordinator stated this to me. To start with I was looking forward to a great night. My next thought was that I hoped I'd locate a car that still had a good e-brake.

I picked up the bag with my driving gear and walked toward the picture cars that were lined up at the rear of the location area. Cars of various shapes and sizes were to be used in the shoot that evening and my eyes were drawn to the Crown Victorias parked there. Police lights were set up on the cars and I was excited to be playing a 'goodie' that evening.

Checking each car to see how the e-brake responded, I decided that there were two that were a little squashy, but two were ok. I wasn't entirely happy with any of them, but felt that while they weren't as firm as I'd like, at least they didn't slide to the floor. Selecting the one that I believed had the strongest e-brake I turned the key in the ignition and reversed out of the park.

Thinking it would be best to give the e-brake a test run, I asked a friend to help me check the brakes. While my friend stood back to watch the tire on the passenger side, I revved the car and hit the e-brake when I reached 30km per hour. By leaning out the driver's window I was able to check the rear tire and could see it lock, which my friend confirmed the other rear tire did as well. I was set to go! The initial challenge was behind me.

Coming to a halt, I got out and looked at the pressure in the tires. Feeling it was too low I collected my portable compression pump and plugged it into the car cigarette lighter socket. Placing the opposite end in the tire I then began filling the tires. As the compressor did its work I pulled out a length of garden hose, plus my trusty duct tape and prepared the e-brake release handle so that it couldn't go back in. This was important to ensure that the brakes wouldn't lock when the e-brake was used in the stunts.

After making sure the e-brake and tires were acceptable, I put my seat in the correct place and took out some rubbish lying on the floor; the last thing you need during stunt driving is to have some bits of junk roll under your feet and creating unforeseen problems.

The scenes being shot called for precision driving with stunts involving rapid 90 and 180 degree turns with the vehicle. To make this as easy as possible on the handbrake I had selected 38 lbs. of pressure in the rear tires and 32 in the front tires. By doing this I was aiming to have the car move with as much control as possible to ensure that it turned where I directed it.

With all those preparations completed, I repeated the whole process with the second best vehicle I had come across. This would ensure a speedy transfer if the first car had any problems. That out the way I went in to have some 'breakfast' as the sky darkened. Another night as a stunt driver on a film set was just beginning.

About the Author:

The Secret Art of Stunt Driving gives you the tools to train with confidence. There is no fluff. Every method and trick I teach, I use. Everything has been 'battle tested' in feature movie sets and other settings. It will give you all the tools you need to safely and successfully perform movie stunts like a top professional.