Marina View students practise stunts

Stunt men  Practising their stunts are from left: Filip Lalovich, Coen Ambrose, Samuel Matijevich and Chris Wilkinson.   

By Leanne WarrFilip Lalovich, 11, never contemplated being a stuntman - until he got a role on the TV show Power Rangers.

Now the Marina View School pupil is considering it as a future career.Filip and three classmates started learning about stunts through an option at school.

Falls, rolls and faking punches or kicks were just some of the things they were taught by professional stuntman Sam Hayden.

Then the four got the chance to audition for Power Rangers in front of director Mark Harris.

"We had to do rolls and falls," Filip says.

"Mark showed us what we would do if we got in the show, and how to act when we fell."

Filip was chosen for a role on the basis of his martial arts experience.

"I was happy but sad for the others who didn't get in," he says.

Filming was at McLaren Park last week.

Filip had to play one of a group of children bullying the new guy in school.

"We get beaten up," he says.

Classmates Samuel Matijevich, Chris Wilkinson and Coen Ambrose, all 11, felt nervous auditioning.

"We thought we were going to mess up," Samuel says.

Performing stunts isn't easy and the boys say it requires a lot of trust.

"You have to rely on your partner especially when trying to fake a hit," Samuel says.

"They have to have the right reaction."

Falling is not as simple as it looks either.

"You have to land a certain way or you could end up hurting yourself," Samuel says.

Each student is hoping their efforts will lead to something bigger in the future.