Hollywood strike puts stunt people in the doldrums
It wasn't just moviegoers who suffered from the actors' and writers' strike in Hollywood - stunt people in Germany were also left high and dry. Their orders collapsed. This is likely to change massively in the coming year.
According to an association, stunt people in Germany have suffered greatly from the Hollywood strike, which has now ended. "We're taking the full brunt of the strike. Everything that is not being produced also means that we can't work on the productions. In other words, we have fewer jobs," said Ronnie Paul, Deputy Chairman of the German Stunt Association. "Unfortunately, this has had the effect that many stunt people in Germany have hardly had any work this year."
In Germany, there were 90 percent fewer jobs for stunt people, Paul estimated. In Berlin alone, one or two, sometimes even more, major Hollywood productions are filmed every year. The stunt people are sometimes working on two sets at the same time. Due to the strike in the middle of the year, many of them hardly worked at all. "They may have had a TV job or another film, but a lot of stunt people, especially from Berlin, have worked very little this year," reported the stunt coordinator.
More productions again next year
He expects most productions to return in 2024. As a result, many employees will be needed on set - from stunts to lighting and cameras. "However, many of them will no longer be available, either because they have an oversupply or because they are simply no longer in their job," said Paul.
The German Stunt Association, based in Berlin, represents the interests of the stunt industry - including stuntmen, stuntwomen, stunt coordinators and stunt drivers. According to Paul, there are an estimated 300 professional stunt people in Germany.
Around 160,000 actors in the USA went on strike for almost four months this year, and screenwriters also walked off the job for months. In particular, the unions demanded better pay when films or series are streamed on platforms such as Netflix, Apple and Amazon. Another key issue was the use of AI. The strike had paralyzed production throughout the industry for almost four months. In December, members of the US actors' union SAG-AFTRA ratified a new contract with the film production companies.
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The Hollywood strike impacted the entertainment industry globally, affecting stunt performers in Germany as well. Their work opportunities significantly decreased due to the halt in filming for several major Hollywood productions in Berlin.
Despite the Hollywood strike ending, stunt coordinators in Germany anticipate that many of the talented stunt performers may not be available for new productions in 2024, as they might have found alternative jobs or moved on to other opportunities during the downtime.
Source: www.ntv.de
