For additional historical perspective: Belizaire the Cajun’s Silver Anniversary

Trailer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh_fABeKqBI

… And, I think this is my shortest blog post yet.

The Risk Gene, Stunt-performers & Borderline Personality Disorders

By

Leigh Hennessy

According to Art Linkletter, kids say the darndest things. According to every terrified parent around the globe, kids do the dumbest things. How many daredevil young boys do you know that have endeavored to fly off the roof of their house in a make-shift Superman cape? Or, stubbornly rammed their banana-seat stingray bicycle into a brick wall convinced they could pierce a hole through it? We’ve all taken a whack at defying gravity or inertia at one time or another in our young lives. We were courageous and we were invulnerable. We thought: Where’s the danger in it all? And, stunt people were no different.

However in adulthood, precarious pursuits diminish over time. Adults learn to protect themselves from danger. All modern research shows that the inclination to throw all caution to the wind declines with age. Humm? Why haven’t stunt people been affected?

Blame our fathers. When I was around 4 years old and still getting my fashion advice from diaper commercials, my father caught me standing on the edge of a high diving board contemplating a leap into the cool water below. When he discovered his topless tot on top of the ten-foot tower, his paralyzing screech from across the pool abruptly broke my concentration. But oddly unlike most parents, instead of forcing me to climb down to safety, he made me jump. The death-defying drop took intense coaxing, but I finally stepped off performing my first less than perfect cannonball. Weeeeeee! What fun! After a wimpy splash and labored dog-paddle to the side (of course, he wouldn’t help me swim to the side), nothing could stop me from climbing right back up.

A Southern AAU Diving Champion, Dad taught me early on to take the plunge, so to speak.  But that’s only part of the equation. The other part is genetic. Stunt performers have a rare gene that affects about one in five people, mostly young males. In the world of psychological research, it is known as the Risk Gene.

The Risk Gene is a DNA concoction of three neurotransmitters that make up the enzyme Monoamine Oxidase, what we commonly call MAO. The three neurotransmitters play a role in regulating arousal, inhibition and pleasure. Norepinephrine arouses the brain in response to incoming stimuli. For example, as a racecar increases in speed, norepinephrine allows the driver to experience an adrenaline rush, otherwise known as a thrill.  Dopamine is involved with the sensation of pleasure in response to arousal, letting the driver feel excitement as the speed increases. And serotonine acts as a brake inhibiting arousal, telling the driver to slow down when it gets too dangerous. A person with the Risk Gene has lower levels of MAO, causing a need for more stimuli than the average person to reach a desired level of excitement. In other words, a car has to go twice as fast for a person with the Risk Gene to experience excitement than for a person without it.

Dr. Frank Farley, from the University of Wisconsin and former President of the American Psychological Association, developed personality types similar to the familiar Type A and Type B. Most stunt people would classify themselves as a Type A since we can’t seem to keep still. However, Farley’s new personality type better exemplifies stunt people.  We are Type T – T for Thrills. He divides Type Ts into four categories: T-Mental, T-Physical, T-Positive and T-Negative. Obviously, we fall into the T-Physical category and most of the time we are T-Positive since we take risks safely and for good reason: to earn a living.

Risk-takers are also known as High Sensation Seekers or HSS. Dr. Marvin Zuckerman from the University of Delaware and pioneer in the study of risk-taking, calls HSS individuals an ironic moniker.  He calls them “Highs.” Since Highs have an excitement deficit, they get bored easily. They tend to be impulsive, uninhibited, social and prefer high stimulus activities. They prefer friends with offbeat or exciting lifestyles while avoiding boring people. Here’s a kicker: they have trouble keeping full-time jobs. They are more apt to succeed on Wall Street than in a factory or should I say, more likely to succeed in a film career rather than to that in a 9-5 office.

They are also the ones who buck the system. As our society increasingly imposes controls on risky behaviors, Highs seek new ways to achieve thrills. Case in point: In the past 30 years, as a result of unceasing liability lawsuits, new laws like seatbelt and helmet laws were recorded in the safety books. At the same time, so-called “Extreme Sports” were born.

So, while researchers have been working hard to decipher the roles of nature and nurture in risk-taking behavior, many see a dark side of taking risks. Risk-takers not only represent a limited sample of society, they often don’t have the resources or role-models for T-Positive behavior. Therefore, to fulfill their need for thrills, Highs often resort to drugs, sex, gambling, reckless driving or various crimes. The dominant conclusion of the psychological community is that risk-takers are abnormal. Prominent researcher from UC Davis, Dr. Salvadore Maddi,  feels that well-adjusted people are “good at turning everyday experience into something interesting.” Dr. Randy Larsen, psychologist from the University of Michigan, takes it to another level. He thinks risk-takers are a little sociopathic.

Others view us as normal, but with a common unique personality profile. One such expert is Dr. Keith Johnsgard, a professor of clinical and sports psychology at San Jose State University. He has spent more than a decade studying HSS personalities. Some common traits he found include that they tend to have a higher tolerance for pain, they tend to minimize risk when evaluating situations and experience less anxiety, and they have a facility for assimilating figures and symbols faster. In addition, he finds that they are tough-minded and unsentimental, they have a high drive to be the best, they are fiercely independent, non-conformists, don’t like to be told what to do, and are exhibitionistic and creative. All research also concludes that they have a higher sex drive. Intriguing, but perhaps it’s a subject better suited for a different magazine.

While researchers squabble over character traits and labels, the reality is that the world depends on risk-taking behavior. Survival requires it. Society provides abundant opportunities for constructive risks such as investing in business ventures, running for political office, taking an unpopular stand or perhaps making more conventional choices like changing careers, going back to school, getting married or having children. Our history is shaped by Type-T personalities. Would there be a United States of America if not for the pilgrims? Would there be Christianity without Jesus of Nazarus? Would women have the right to vote without the Suffragettes? And how far would the civil rights movement have gone without Martin Luther King? The world needs risk-takers.  The Dalai Lama reminds us, “Take into account that great love and great achievement involves great risk.”

Quite frankly, if no willing cowboy back in the first half of the 20^th century didn’t jump up and proclaim, “I can fall off that horse, Mr. Director,” there would be no stunts in pictures. It took some brave souls to establish and develop the creative and exciting craft of stunts that magically enhance the art of filmmaking as we know it.

However, ultimately, the greatest benefit to taking risks is personal. “Taking a risk, stepping away from the guardrails, from the rules and the status quo, that’s when you get a sense of who you are,” affirms Dr. Farley, former APA President. You have to push beyond the boundaries to know that. Challenging your limits increases your self-esteem. The satisfaction achieved from that step off the platform awesomely fulfills your soul, giving you a reason to believe in yourself.

A great little book we should all read called “Right Risk” by a former high-diver Bill Treasurer is filled with intriguing thoughts on the subject. His answer to why climb the mountain is not ‘because it’s there.’ It’s more profound. It’s because IT means more than the mountain’s location. To Treasurer, “IT is all the lessons to be gleamed by going through the ordeal of taking a risk. It is the gratification derived from learning character-building lessons about fortification, courage, sacrifice and persistence. It is the personal fulfillment you feel when you withstand strength-sapping pain and find out what you are truly made of … And, ultimately, it is the self-confidence gained from experiencing first hand the pre-eminent value of your own worth.”

So, stunt performers have lucky genes. We challenge ourselves every day. We take it to the limit regularly. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we fail. But, ultimately, we learn. Therefore, the next time a parent in your neighborhood panics over their child attempting to fly off the roof, assure them that it’s OK. It’s not the dumbest thing they can do (but, it could be the darndest). Foremost, remind them that it’s their first stab at self-discovery. Better yet, quote Anonymous who said, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Click on the link to see the trailer, ENJOY and look for a release date. When I find out, I will post it here.

Monsterwolf Trailer

I made better decisions while shooting. Most of the stunts involved actor’s scuffles, but I also performed stunts that I coordinated. Without giving away too much, let me say that it wasn’t easy to wear two hats at the same time, especially when you can’t monitor what you are doing on camera. During the car stunts, I couldn’t get out of the car to look at the monitor (and I don’t think they had playback, regardless). I had to rely on the Director and AD to guide me through and trust their explanation of adjustments I needed to make. This is quite common on shoots with limited budgets. You just have to do your best, hope for the best and have faith.

The entire shoot took only a couple of weeks and will to go the film festivals looking for distribution. I have no doubt that it will get marketed. The production crew was young, but very dedicated and professional. I have a lot of confidence in this production team. Keep an eye out for Scream of the Banshee, directed by Steven C. Miller and starring Lauren Holly, soon.

Since the wolf demolishes everything in site, numerous stunts are required. The lead actors are Jason London, Leonor Varela and Griff Furst. Furst, a founder of Activity Films, is also a Producer.

It’s exciting for me to come full circle returning to my home town to make a film. I left Louisiana years ago because my calling was elsewhere. There were no local opportunities in film.

How times have changed.

The wonderfully talented stunt performers I hired on Somnambulist were Danny “Cosmo” Higginbottom, Jessika Brodosi and Raion Hill. Cosmo, the one with the most stunt experience, is a daredevil who broke a world record for “Highest Dive into Shallowest Water” diving 28 feet  into 12.5 inches of water. Jessika, fairly new to stunts, has been doubling Gabrielle Anwar on Burn Notice in Miami. While Raion, a former LSU football star and professional player for the Buffalo Bills, performed his first stunts on camera doubling Gbenga Akinnagbe who plays Alex, one of the leads. No surprise, Raion made it look easy.

In all future shows that I am fortunate enough to coordinate stunts in Louisiana, I will continue to do all I can to use Louisiana-local stunt performers. There is an abundance of talent here that makes Louisiana “Hollywood South.”

Upon moving to Louisiana, I always intended to apply for stunt coordinating jobs. However, I figured that even though I felt qualified they would be harder to get than stunt performing or even acting jobs since the vast amount of my experience is in front of a camera. It appears I might have been wrong.

Last Spring, four majors action films blew through New Orleans. Hundreds of stunt jobs were filled. Only three of those stunt jobs, totaling about fives days of work, were for women. Only one of those days was filled by a local stuntwoman. The Screen Actor’s Guild keeps statistics showing that only 15% of all Guild stunt work goes to women. However, I realize now that outside of Hollywood and New York, it is far less.

Therefore, in spite of my extensive stunt performing experience, my interest in submitting for stunt coordinating jobs got ratcheted up when I realized I may not be able to contribute to the family income through stunt performing the way I had hoped.

My first production meeting and location scout for Somnambulist, the movie I’m coordinating, was last Friday. Turns out, without giving away too much about the script before it’s released, this thriller has a couple of  major stunt scenes featuring five characters. Ironically, three are women. The women are both heroes and villians, an interesting catch since the new young writer/director of Somnambulist is a woman, too.

Kismet.