In the tradition of Hollywood’s finest awards presentations, the best stunt performers in the entertainment industry were recognized for their extraordinary performances in feature films of 2015 at the Taurus World Stunt Awards presentation on May 14, 2016 at Paramount Studios.
The Taurus World Stunt Awards 2016 Winners are:
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Andy Armstrong
BEST FIGHT
- Fast and Furious 7
- Kingsman: The Secret Service
- Kingsman: The Secret Service (Church): 3. Kingsman: The Secret Service (Church)
One man fights a church congregation. Multiple shots were blended together using wipes and whip pans to give the impression of long dynamic shots. The main actor did most of his own choreography but took on stunt performers. Fight features a ratchet into organ pipes and multiple ratchets and hand pulls to assist gunshots, explosions, and impaling.
Winners: Rick English, James Harris, Greg Townley, Rudolf Vrba, Damien Walters - Mad Max: Fury Road
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
BEST HIGH WORK
- Jupiter Ascending: A stunt man and woman were suspended 25′ beneath a helicopter. The helicopter pilot flew through the skyscrapers of Chicago at night weaving through the buildings at approximately 60 mph with 10’ of rotor clearance per side. The stunt performers would pendulum up as the helicopter executed its turns, at one point rising to the level of the ship. A helicopter camera ship filmed this by following directly behind the lead ship. The altitude ranged from 600’ to 1500’.
Winners: Mickey Facchinello, Cliff Fleming, Craig Hosking, Antal Kalik - Point Break
- Spectre
- Spy
- Spy
BEST WORK WITH A VEHICLE
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Fast and Furious 7: Two cars slam into each other and go down a mountain side filled with trees and cliffs. They are chased by 2 bad guys, with one car being launched 60’ through the air and impaled on a fallen tree. The other bad guy flips while in pursuit of the two cars that sail off another cliff. The two cars then turn to avoid a larger cliff. A Camero jumps out of the woods, slams into a car, and pushes him off the edge of the cliff. All of the car work was practical with the help of some FX rigs.
Winners: Steve Kelso, Henry Kingi, Jalil Jay Lynch, Rhys Millen, Jimmy N. Roberts - Mad Max: Fury Road
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
- Spectre
BEST SPECIALTY STUNT
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- Mad Max: Fury Road: Stunt men are on top of giant poles made to move like metronomes, with two men on the bottom to assist the movement of the poles. The poles were on moving cars that chased a tanker. All performers were then able to transfer from the top of their pole to the tanker or pull people from cars. Some stunt performers were also holding weapons and props.
Winners: Sebastian Dickins, Pete Hill, Craig Morgan, Chris Patton, Judd Wild - Point Break
- Point Break
- The Revenant
BEST OVERALL STUNT BY A STUNT WOMAN
- Cooties
- Freaks of Nature
- Fast and Furious 7: A woman is thrown from the back of a bus onto the hood of a car. She then rides on the hood during a car chase. During the chase, the driver of the car does a wheelie and the stunt woman is launched up to the roof of the car and pulled inside through the sunroof.
Winner: Linda Jewell - Fast and Furious 7
- Tomorrowland
HARDEST HIT
- Freaks of Nature
- The Gunman
- Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation: Lead character rides a motorcycle under the bike of a stunt man. This causes the stunt man to high side and be thrown from the bike.
Winner: Rick English - Terminator Genisys
- Tomorrowland
BEST STUNT RIGGING
- Ant-man
- Jupiter Ascending
- Mad Max: Fury Road: A stuntman rides a motorcycle towards the War Rig performing a lay down. The bike and rider were attached to safety lines mounted on the War Rig that pulled slack with a ratchet system as he approached the War Rig. The rider was pulled to the final position where he grabbed the stunt woman’s legs, while the motorcycle was quick released.
Winners: Keir Beck, Russell Ingram, Guy Norris, Mick Roughan, Mark Wickham - The Martian
- Point Break
BEST STUNT COORDINATOR AND/OR 2ND UNIT DIRECTOR
- Fast and Furious 7
- Kingsman: The Secret Service
- Mad Max: Fury Road
Winners: Keir Beck, Steve Griffin, Guy Norris, Glenn Suter, Lawrence Woodward - Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
- Point Break
- The Revenant Spectre
BEST FOREIGN FILM:
- The Code of Cain (Belarus)
- Medal (Russia)
Winner: Vladimir Orlov - Paparazzi (Lebanon)
- Sindrome de ti (Spain)
More info below on all nominated scenes for the Taurus World Stunt Awards 2016.
BEST FIGHT
1. Fast and Furious 7
Two men fight each other on top of a parking structure. The fight starts with pipes and wrenches and moves to a fist fight. Most of the fight was done by stunt doubles and face replacement was used for some shots.
Nominees: Jace Jeanes, Troy Robinson
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service (Pub)
One man takes on a gang in a pub. The main actor did most of his own choreography but took on stunt performers. Hand pulls were used in the fight and face replacement was used for one shot.
Nominees: Rick English, James Harris, Rory Mulroe, Cali Nelle, Sebastian Zaniesienko
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service (Church)
One man fights a church congregation. Multiple shots were blended together using wipes and whip pans to give the impression of long dynamic shots. The main actor did most of his own choreography but took on stunt performers. Fight features a ratchet into organ pipes and multiple ratchets and hand pulls to assist gunshots, explosions, and impaling.
Winners: Rick English, James Harris, Greg Townley, Rudolf Vrba, Damien Walters
4. Mad Max: Fury Road
Fight between Mad Max, Furiosa and Nux while Max and Nux are chained together. The weapons, hits, and effects were practical. The actors performed their own work for close-up shots and stunt performers did the fight in all wide shots and close ups that did not feature actors.
Nominees: Dayna Grant, Daniel Himschoot, Jacob Tomuri
5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
The lead character and a woman take on bad guys in a dungeon. The man is handcuffed for most of the fight. Wire rigs were used for parts of the scene to assist with some moves.
Nominees: Lucy Cork, Christopher Gordon
BEST HIGH WORK
1. Jupiter Ascending
A stunt man and woman were suspended 25′ beneath a helicopter. The helicopter pilot flew through the skyscrapers of Chicago at night weaving through the buildings at approximately 60 mph with 10’ of rotor clearance per side. The stunt performers would pendulum up as the helicopter executed its turns, at one point rising to the level of the ship. A helicopter camera ship filmed this by following directly behind the lead ship. The altitude ranged from 600’ to 1500’.
Winners: Mickey Facchinello, Cliff Fleming, Craig Hosking, Antal Kalik
2. Point Break
Two stuntmen use a 150’ descender to fall over Angel Falls in Venezuela.
Nominees: Clay Cullen, JJ Dashnaw
3. Spectre
James Bond fights a bad guy in a helicopter. The helicopter flew 45’ above a crowded square and does a variety of acrobatic maneuvers trying to throw them off. CGI was used to add people to the square and remove safety cables.
Nominees: Chuck P. Aaron, Rob Cooper, Andy Lister
4. Spy
A man falls 65’ backwards off a balcony. The stunt performer fell backwards with no wires into a box catcher.
Nominees: Zoltan Hodi
5. Spy
A stunt woman hangs from a helicopter while a stunt man holds onto her legs. The man slips and falls into a lake.
Nominees: Jace Jeanes, Luci Romberg
BEST STUNT RIGGING
1. Ant-Man
Falcon fights Ant-Man. A 3D winch, ratchets, and vehicles fly the Falcon during the entire fight. At one point, the performer was 50′ in the air, and manipulated back and forth in multiple directions over a 1000 square foot area.
Nominees: James M. Churchman, Richard Epper, Michael Hugghins, Billy Morts, Brian Simpson
2. Jupiter Ascending
The lead male character flies out of a doorway and across an alley. He rebounds off the far wall and leaps back across the alley, landing on the 3rd-floor fire escape. Executing a backflip to dodge gunfire, he lands back on the fire escape, leaps, and flies down the alley and around the corner. This sequence was done in three parts utilizing multiple computer-fired ratchets and a winch.
Nominees: David Hugghins
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
A stuntman rides a motorcycle towards the War Rig performing a lay down. The bike and rider were attached to safety lines mounted on the War Rig that pulled slack with a ratchet system as he approached the War Rig. The rider was pulled to the final position where he grabbed the stunt woman’s legs, while the motorcycle was quick released.
Winners: Keir Beck, Russell Ingram, Guy Norris, Mick Roughan, Mark Wickham
4. The Martian
Two astronauts spin wildly around in zero gravity. A 3D winch and 2D traveler system were used, in conjunction with a rotating helicopter truss system to execute this sequence.
Nominees: Daryl Andrews, Giedrius ‘Gee’ Nagys, Leonard Woodcock
5. Point Break
A snowboarder falls off the edge of a steep cliff. A truss system was secured at the ridge line and high lines were run across the gorge and secured to the opposite cliff wall. The stuntman fell 35 meters and was decelerated utilizing the overhead lines and a brake line. The stunt was performed at an altitude of 4000 meters.
Nominees: Werner Bernstadt, Gunter Franze, Matthias Guenther, Ralf Haeger, Florian Hotz
BEST WORK WITH A VEHICLE
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Avengers chase Ultron through the streets of Korea. Chase features work with a motorbike, crashes, a 3 car cannon, and a pipe ramp by a big truck.
Nominees: Evangelos Grecos, Rob Hunt, Lee Millham, Sarah Vignot
2. Fast and Furious 7
Two cars slam into each other and go down a mountain side filled with trees and cliffs. They are chased by 2 bad guys, with one car being launched 60’ through the air and impaled on a fallen tree. The other bad guy flips while in pursuit of the two cars that sail off another cliff. The two cars then turn to avoid a larger cliff. A Camero jumps out of the woods, slams into a car, and pushes him off the edge of the cliff. All of the car work was practical with the help of some FX rigs.
Winners: Steve Kelso, Henry Kingi, Jalil Jay Lynch, Rhys Millen, Jimmy N. Roberts
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
Buzzard cars attack a war rig. Chase features a hot rod flipping 360 degrees in a pit, a pipe ramp alongside the war rig, cannons, and a t-bone.
Nominees: Lee Adamson, Steve Griffin, Karl Van Moorsel, Mick Van Moorsel, Glenn Suter
4. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Lead character chases multiple bikes in a black BMW M3 and eventually on a bike. The chase starts in city alleyways and continues on highways and mountain roads. Chase features the BMW rear-ending a motorcycle, a 360 spin in an alley, and a motorbike being high sided.
Nominees: Kieran Clarke, Rick English, Christopher Gordon, Jimmy N. Roberts, Jenny Tinmouth
5. Spectre
James Bond fights a bad guy in a helicopter. The helicopter flew 45’ above a crowded square and does a variety of acrobatic maneuvers trying to throw them off. CGI was used to add people to the square and remove safety cables.
Nominees: Chuck P. Aaron, Rob Cooper, Andy Lister
BEST SPECIALTY STUNT
1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Rock riders jump over a moving war rig and drop fire bombs. Riders were positioned at intervals along the side of the road and dropped smoke grenades as they jumped the war rig. Special effects explosions were triggered remotely.
Nominees: Michael Addison, Shaun Ford, Stephen Gall, Cody Mackie, Robbie Marshall
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
Stunt men are on top of giant poles made to move like metronomes, with two men on the bottom to assist the movement of the poles. The poles were on moving cars that chased a tanker. All performers were then able to transfer from the top of their pole to the tanker or pull people from cars. Some stunt performers were also holding weapons and props.
Winners: Sebastian Dickins, Pete Hill, Craig Morgan, Chris Patton, Judd Wild
3. Point Break
Four men in wingsuits base jump and fly through mountains in Switzerland. Flights were made in formation through narrow gaps about 150’ wide. No CGI was used.
Nominees: Noah Bahnson, Julian Robin Boulle, Jon DeVore, Jhonathan Florez, Mike Swanson
4. Point Break
Stunt performers snowboard down a steep slope that is only accessible by helicopter. At the end of the run, one stunt performer slams into the slope and falls off the edge of a cliff into a 500m gorge. He falls 35m before he is stopped by rigging wires.
Nominees: Ralph Backstrom, Mike Basich, Xavier De Le Rue, Jorg Ellmer, Mitch Toelderer
5. The Revenant
A man rides through a freezing river, going over multiple waterfalls in the river. No wires were used and the stunt man went over practically.
Nominees: Alex Krimm
BEST OVERALL STUNT BY A STUNT WOMAN
1. Cooties
Stunt woman does a full body burn while running down a street. No CGI was used to enhance the fire.
Nominees: Emily Brobst
2. Freaks of Nature
A stunt woman is ratcheted back 18’ into the air and lands on a car windshield.
Nominees: Kimberly Shannon Murphy
3. Fast and Furious 7
A woman is thrown from the back of a bus onto the hood of a car. She then rides on the hood during a car chase. During the chase, the driver of the car does a wheelie and the stunt woman is launched up to the roof of the car and pulled inside through the sunroof.
Winners: Linda Jewell
4. Fast and Furious 7
A stunt woman drives a black Barracuda during a car chase. Chase features a canon resulting in the back of the vehicle on fire, sliding around streets in an attempt to escape a drone, and racing through a tunnel.
Nominees: Debbie Evans
5. Tomorrowland
A woman rings a doorbell and is ratcheted back to the ground.
Nominees: Krista Bell
HARDEST HIT
1. Freaks of Nature
A stunt woman is ratcheted back 18’ into the air and lands on a car windshield.
Nominees: Kimberly Shannon Murphy
2. The Gunman
An explosion is triggered and sends a stunt man flying 15’ across a stair landing and crashing into a closed, solid wooden door.
Nominees: Cesar Solar
3. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Lead character rides a motorcycle under the bike of a stunt man. This causes the stunt man to high side and be thrown from the bike.
Winners: Rick English
4. Terminator Genisys
Two men in a parking structure crash through a wall into a hospital.
Nominees: Martin De Boer, Rob Mars, Kevin Reid
5. Tomorrowland
A woman rings a doorbell and is ratcheted back to the ground.
Nominees: Krista Bell
BEST STUNT COORDINATION AND/OR 2ND UNIT DIRECTION
1. Fast and Furious 7
Nominees: Andy Gill, Jack Gill, Joel Kramer, Spiro Razatos
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service
Nominees: Brad Allan, Adam Kirley
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
Winners: Keir Beck, Steve Griffin, Guy Norris, Glenn Suter, Lawrence Woodward
4. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Nominees: Wade Eastwood, Gregg Smrz
5. Point Break
Nominees: Jon DeVore, Ralf Haeger, Brian L. Keaulana, Mic Rodgers
6. The Revenant
Nominees: Scott Ateah, Doug Coleman, Brian Machleit
7. Spectre
Nominees: Gary Powell
BEST ACTION IN A FOREIGN FILM
1. The Code of Cain (Belarus)
Nominees: William De Vital
2. Medal (Russia)
Winners: Vladimir Orlov
3. Paparazzi (Lebanon)
Nominees: Federico Cueva
4. Sindrome de ti (Spain)
Nominees: Joaquin Ortega
