Walking the tightrope

From Harry Houdini and Evel Knievel to daredevil martial arts actor Jackie Chan, throughout history there have been many celebrated stunt performers.

Stunt doubles used in film and television productions and live stunt performers – such as escape artists and circus acts – typically work in a highly controlled environment. At the other end of the scale there are ‘BASE’ jumpers, who dive off skyscrapers and tall bridges before deploying their parachutes. BASE is an acronym which stands for the categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: buildings, antennas, spans (or bridges), and earth.

Underwriting such a risky profession requires great skill. “Our job is to assess not just the level of risk in the event but to review the controls that are in place that might mitigate that risk,” explains Tim Prifti, Active Underwriter for accident and health at Kiln Syndicate 510.

“When we’re assessing that risk we’re looking at what safety procedures and guidelines are in place, the experience of the performer or the performers, the level of expertise and training and also the support environment.”

A risky profession

While stunt performers in an unregulated environment would not be considered an attractive risk, those working as part of a professional production with strict controls and safety procedures are more acceptable to underwriters.

“BASE jumping is a high-risk activity where the controls are not strong and therefore the risk is incredibly unattractive, compared to a professional circus troop where you’ve seen the conditioning they have, the training they go through and the safety measures they put in place – it makes a risky entity writable from an underwriting point of view,” says Prifti.

Prifti was recently involved in underwriting the Franco Dragone show The House of Dancing Water, which is showing at the City of Dreams in Southeast Asian gambling Mecca Macau. Dragone, an Italian-Belgian theatre director, is best known for his work with Cirque du Soleil.

His latest Macau-based spectacle took five years to develop and cost $250m to create and produce. Housed in its own purpose-built theatre, which includes a stage pool with a volume equivalent to five Olympic size swimming pools, it is by no means a small production.

The show combines water stunts, acrobatics, aerial arts and theatre. “If you look at who you are insuring in those types of things the acrobatic performers are always highly trained athletes,” says Prifti. “They are often ex-sportspeople or gymnasts, and while they are obviously higher risk with the stunts they’re doing, our job is to try and assess which of the stunts are made to look risky and which ones are genuinely of high risk.”

“For acrobats who are performing high wire jumps and dives we look to see what controls are in place and do they have safety nets and harnesses,” he adds. “How professional is the organisation and what do they have in terms of conditioning coaches and physiotherapy? How do they make sure their performers are robust enough to manage the rigours of their performances?”

Stunt doubles

Away from the live acts, many stunt performers – or stunt doubles – make a living performing some of the more risky scenes in blockbuster movies and TV shows. Often these scenes are made to look more hazardous than they actually are.

While stunt doubles will not necessarily command high sums insured, this quickly changes when an actor decides he or she will perform some of their own stunts in a movie.

“Brad Pitt’s body double might not command a huge salary because he’s not Brad Pitt,” says Prifti. “But if your movie star is performing their own stunts it does increase the risk from the underwriter’s point of view.”

Jackie Chan, who has performed many of his own stunts throughout his career, has been injured numerous times, fracturing his skull when he fell from a tree while filming Armour of God. The dangerous nature of his stunts makes it difficult for him to find insurance, particularly in the US.

 “The underwriter will always ask for details of what they are going to do, how it is being done and what controls are in place,” adds Prifti. “In the event of a severe accident, death or disability to a key star it could result in the cancellation of the entire movie and associated production costs, so the costs can be incredibly high.”

Movie producers take out employers’ liability insurance to compensate stunt performers in the event of an accident which causes bodily harm. Lower premiums are typically offered for highly-skilled stunt doubles operating in a tightly-controlled environment.