Scripts Stunts & Scars

“Sometimes the answer is right there already in you; it is just a matter of noticing it, not holding it back, and following through with what you truly believe in no matter what others say or think about you.” This is what someone once told me when I was just about ready to give up all hopes of doing what I really wanted to pursue in life. So here I am, sitting in my trailer at 5am, cold as heck, preparing for the big day of filming that awaits. I am a stuntman. Why out of all professions in this world did I choose to be a stuntman you ask? Uhh… well, I have always been on the daring side. Ever since I can remember I would attempt to do things that normally would be considered highly dangerous and maybe even stupid. I have many scars to prove it to. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed every minute of my crazy, injury prone life. Though of course I have not had any major or life threatening injuries. hehe. Anyways, long story short, all of this has led me to believe that stunt work is what I do best in life.

Today we are shooting a reenactment of the famous scene from the Tiananmen Square protest where in 1989, a student single-handedly attempted to halt a line of military tanks by throwing himself directly in front of them. More specifically we are shooting the scene where the student, also known as “tank man,” after many failed attempts to get the tank driver and his men to fall back, decides to climb on top of the tank thinking that will for sure get the military’s attention. Well…it ends up that he was right.

I take out the script to review what exactly I will be doing in the shoot:

[FADE IN]
Tank Man: [face the tank and stand directly in front of it while waving your arms around to get the tank driver to halt] Hey! *whoosh whoosh* (frantically waving arms around) What do you think you’re doing bringing your men in like this?! You think that you big weaponry and machinery scares me huh?!

[*vroom* the tank moves to the right, trying to get around the protestor.]

Tank Man: [keep your focus on the tank the entire time and follow it wherever it goes. If there is any movement by the tank, swiftly follow the tank and reposition yourself to be directly in front of it again.] *Ehem!* Are you even listening to me!? [while climbing onto the tank(from the front)…] Take your minions and your little toys and get the heck out of here! [bang repeatedly on the hatch of the tank.]

Commander: [from inside the tank] get off the tank son! This is your first and final warning!
[a squad of police gather around the parameter of the street]

Tank Man: [pretending not to listen or care]*Lalalalalala*…
[*bang bang bang* The surrounding police fire a round of warning shots which catches the Tank Man off guard.]

Tank Man: [startled by the gunshots, rolls backwards off of the tank onto the street] *ughhh*

[Police quickly gather around the Tank Man and take him into their custody]

Tank Man: [unwillingly surrendering to the police] Doh!
[FADE OUT]

“Hm…” I think to myself. Yep, rolling off of a military tank in the middle of Tiananmen Square in China definitely beats getting rolled over by a kid on his bicycle in some park. I might actually go home this time with a legitimate scar rather than one caused by my own stupidity.