Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[JimH]

How many students that are already in the school are interested in this "Stunt Man" training ?
Are the modules in a specific sequence ?
If you miss a module when is it repeated ?
Is it up to the graduates of the class to take their clip to Agents,producers ,or is some one at the school able to help them with this career ?

Again what is the upside to generate renewable business for the school ?
How many people will sign on ?
Is there an expected Return of interested students ,or after the 10 modules they are done?
Of the people who take the stunt course,how many will already have enough Martial skills to look good on film ?
If they are good enough to look good on film,why would they join the school after the Stunt Modules are over ?

The martial artists that I know who run these schools are not doing it to get people interested in their schools and martial arts classes.
They are interested in getting Good Martial artists to dole out money to try and learn how to use their SKILLS in front of a camera and MAYBE become stunt people in films.
(very few make it)

See the story of the Hot Dog man was perfect.
The Hot Dog Man made his fortune on a commodity that was consumed.
He had developed a Loyal Customer base who returned FREQUENTLY to buy his product.
If the hot dog man charged a few bucks to teach the customers to make their own hot dogs then he would have ,Maybe,made some money ,but not the fortune he made with REPEAT and CONTINUED loyal customers.

To me, try it and see what happens.
Maybe a student will get lucky and go from the course to the movies and that will be the buzz.
If no one makes it to a movie then the buzz will be Negative.

Why not just get students who want to be filmed and on You Tube to demo some of the schools martial art materials ?
That may just generate immediate Buzz,make students happy that they are on You Tube,a small movie screen,and the cost is minimal.

I know I have contacted a good few Instructors because I liked the materials they demonstrated on you tube,not to take their classes but to perhaps buy their DVD's.
(It is amazing how many have nothing to sell but classes)

Just making suggestions,as I know what Michael Depasquale goes through to run his course.
Here is Michael's number as I am sure he can and will be glad to help talk to you as well as answer any questions you might have about running  your classes.
(201) 666-7100

Again all the best of luck.
Please let us know how it goes .

[redcap]

No worries Hock and all, but 12 months from now I will probably get the same mixed response of some people being genuine in their attempts to offer positive opinion and support and others who prefer to tell you why it won't work before you even begin, usually based on their misconception of how you would do it the same way they would. I guess that's the way it is.

I don't see how mentioning a 'show reel' (just the industry term) and the chance to take further classes is claiming a certified course or pathway to stardom etc. Of course I forget how everything is so different in the USA and more competitive, serious and so on. We are a little behind you guys over here and still do things on a small scale.

Yes, it is small scale. It is designed as an in-house activity that the students can take further if they wish but that's up to them. The whole idea is to get them talking and bring in a friend or two. Not take over the world.

JimH, your questions are all valid and worthwhile but most are aimed at an enterprise that is seeking a much larger objective than this. So far we have ten starters for the weekend workshop. That will produce some footage and buzz to hopefully make going ahead with the course in the next school term worth the time slot. If not then we have saved ten weeks of wasted time and effort.

The course does have a specific sequence and it runs every school term (ten week terms), so students sign on for the term or wait for the next term if there is going to be one. We don't offer career assistance, it is purely a course of instruction for entertainment value, for fun. (That still has value here in the Antipodes) We are not promising a pathway to the movies, but we are of course allowing students to dream a little if they wish. We are still not as litigious here as in other countries and people still take some responsibility for their own thoughts and actions rather than suing the world when it isn't all handed to them in exchange for their credit card details.

The course is free to students, so they continue with their regular training at the end of the course or take an advanced course (more detailed instruction and practise in specific areas of expertise such as sword fighting). It is not advertised out of house.

The rest of the questions don't really apply because of the limited scope of the program and who knows the answers at this stage? Maybe a star will be discovered and we help them get an audition through contacts we have, maybe not. That is not the objective.

Posting this has reminded me how many are so quick to jump on something and hammer it down instead of coming up with suggestions to help it work. I appreciate the reminder and will strive not to be so pessimistic myself. This post has contributed to my development as a human being and a martial artist, thank you.
Redcap

[Hock]

I am afraid I can't think/help of any ways to make such a stuntman project work.
If it were me? I'd have to surrender to the hot dog stand!

Hock

[Canuk]

I have been in a few movies (Cinderella man was one) I have also put togther a few fight 's for another movie (blind eye) and i can tell you that many, many extras will pay large sums of cash on a repeat bases to maintain and upgrade thier skills on the ogg chance that they will be the next big name. Also the agency's that deal with extras are always looking for talent that they can push, so teh more skills you have the more moeny they make by sending you to the gig. The amount of adlib done on a movie set is just incredible extras are often asked about "extra skills" they may have. This equals more money for them on the day as they used those special skills. So maybe they wont breal into teh market as a stunt man but they will increase thier face time and become a more marketable product. Even just teaching these guys to move liek SWAT and hold a gun correctly will put dollars in thier pocket.

[Hock]

Sounds like a winner!
Why aren't you doing this full time?

Hock

[Canuk]

1. I hate the movie industry
2. Standing around all day arguing with people who have no clue about tactics but need the shot to "look real" is not my idea of fun.

On the training side/business side of things I have many fingers in many pies. My approach these days is to make money while sleeping, many eggs in many basket sort of thing. I make "sleeping money" from drawing income from multiple ventures and the best bit is that I don't even have to be there! In other words I have people making money for me!

[Kelly Knight]

Redcap,

I have great appreciation for your last paragraph and applaud your resolve.

Kelly Knight

[redcap]

Kelly, thank you for the kind words.
Canuk, I was thinking about the 'SWAT' thing. My friend was a Military Police Warrant Officer who actually trained the Cambodian Police back in 1993, worked with GSG9, French Foreign Legion, US Special Forces and so on. lots of provable credibility as well as a great deal of skill and experience. I think he could do well teaching actors how to move like soldiers etc. Handle weapons and move around properly.

Thanks for the idea, I'll pass it on to him.
Redcap

[Canuk]

One day workshops do best, remember that the guys only want to look like they know what they are doing, thats what sells them, they pay the cash and are in and out with a skill that bumos them up on the "usable" list for their agencies. I should be charging for these ideas

[whitewolf]

Good evening Canuk-any chance you can pass on some marketing ideas for me-this is background-I have small self defense school-not many students yet-just was told that i can give a seminar at the biggest exersise club  in town-not much aerobics-mostly just
street orientated self defesne when approached/attacked-
Also was called today and another exersise club on other side of town wants it-but they want aerobics at start- no problem either way
what i want to have is a couple ideas to tell public that i can do this type of thing- i am not going to spend lots of $$ in the newspapers
appreciate it- WW

[redcap]

An update for the 'Told You So' crowd. Of the ten sign ups for the movie fight workshop, five never showed. Of the other five, all were instructors, which was not the objective. We weren't there to train the instructors, most of whom already know the material but to get the students buzzed up and generating word of mouth. So we had a piss up instead and that was a huge success.

We then put it to the student body, or rather about half of them (80). Nobody wanted to do it now. This week everybody wanted to do more kickboxing or MMA. YET, when we had asked the question before.... Ah how fickle students (and their parents) can be. So we've lined up a top boxer, a top kickboxer and a major MMA figure from my mate's bag of mates who owe favours. I am running some stick stuff classes for those who prefer weapons to wrestling and we'll see how it goes.

just thought I'd let you know.
Redcap

[Canuk]

Good evening Canuk-any chance you can pass on some marketing ideas for me-this is background-I have small self defense school-not many students yet-just was told that i can give a seminar at the biggest exersise club  in town-not much aerobics-mostly just
street orientated self defesne when approached/attacked-
Also was called today and another exersise club on other side of town wants it-but they want aerobics at start- no problem either way
what i want to have is a couple ideas to tell public that i can do this type of thing- i am not going to spend lots of $$ in the newspapers
appreciate it- WW

Hey WW just saw the this post now, so i wasnt ignoring you. If the seminars workout at the fitness clubs see if you can slip a poster or info pacakge in with thier regular mrketing package

[JimH]

Redcap,
Thanks for the update.

Quote Redcap
"So we've lined up a top boxer, a top kickboxer and a major MMA figure from my mate's bag of mates who owe favours. I am running some stick stuff classes for those who prefer weapons to wrestling and we'll see how it goes."

I think this method will get a nice response from students,pull in other interested potential students and create the Buzz/word of mouth .

Good Luck with it and let us know how that turns out.

[whitewolf]

Canuk-thanks-i was told today that they have posted the class on the board and all ready close to 20 have signed up=if this goes ok and i get hired as a trainer it will go on the daily schedule so all members will see it.  WW