Gangs of London
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Stunt co-ordinator ude Poyer is responsible for the high-octane action sequences and bone-crunching but balletic fights of Sky Atlantic’s hit crime thriller Gangs of London.
What does the job involve? There are two sides to the job: safety and creativity. We identify scenes that are potentially hazardous and, where possible, remove those risks, or reduce them to an acceptable level. That may involve using a stunt double instead of an actor or using safety equipment, such as elbow pads under costumes, out-of-shot crash mats or complex wire-rigging. Creatively, we could be
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Sky
WORKING LIVES
choreographing fight sequences or staging shoot-outs. How did you become a stunt co-ordinator? Growing up, my passions were film, drama and martial arts. In 1996, when I was 18, I moved to Hong Kong, where a lot of martial arts action movies were made, to pursue a career in film and TV. I stayed for eight years, working as a stunt performer and then taking my first steps in co-ordinating stunts and action directing. What was your first major TV job in the UK? The BBC children’s series Spirit Warriors.
I read that the BBC was making a fantasy martial arts show, heavily influenced by Hong Kong films and Chinese folklore. I wanted to be involved, emailed the producers and got the job. I was credited as the show’s choreographer because there was no contact in the fight scenes as they involved children. What makes a good stunt co-ordinator? You have to have performed a variety of stunts and observed other performers and co-ordinators on set. There’s very little that hasn’t been done before, so you need to draw on a full range of experience. A creative and visual mind helps. And you need humility. You
