The New Mexico film industry is not only churning out local actors onto the silver screen - it's bringing stunt talent to the Land of Enchantment.
Shelby Swatek and Michael Long, directors of LA Stunts, said they came to Albuquerque to help begin a growing industry.
LA Stunts offers stunt-training classes at their renovated building at 7928 Ranchitos Loop N.E.
The next Stunt Boot Camp runs April 20-25. The classes, which run every four to six weeks, have mostly attracted locals, but Long and Swatek have also seen out-of-town interest in their program.
"In January, we had people come from Hawaii and Chicago, and we had Ron Hamilton, who is an actor," Swatek said. "(For) this next group, we are going to have a guy coming from Boston, a retired police officer coming from New York City and a girl who is a motocross racer from LA."
Long said he has been working as a stunt coordinator for movies and decided that he wanted to train stunt people, too. He said he enjoys seeing how all the stunt people he trains become so close with one another.
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"We'll bring anywhere from four to eight people who have never met each other before, and by the end of the first day, they are like family," Long said.
Willie Weber, a student at the training center, said he did stunts when he was younger but decided to be a snowboard and ski instructor instead.
"That turned into a professional teaching job for the last 15 years," Weber said. "But then later on, I bought a house in Santa Fe, and I thought, 'God, I would love to get back into that.' It was divine intervention that I saw the ad for the Stunt Boot Camp back in November."
Weber has had stunt roles in a movie with Steven Segal and the movie "Doc West."
Long said he was excited to help Weber get into the local movie scene.
"We were able to get him into the union, and we got him his actor card," Long said. "We got him on 'Doc West,' and we got to beat him up."
Swatek said the training center focuses on more than just stunts. It also teaches its pupils how to act on the set.
"It's all about the camera. It's all about getting it on film, (looking) good for film," he said. "When we're running class, we're running it as if we're on set. Our associates in the industry said, 'Well, make sure you teach them set behavior, because it is a problem sometimes.'"
Swatek said the sense of community between stunt people helps them perform better in front of the camera.
"The trainees are enthusiastic, and they need to be a little bit on the edge, but being sane and methodical is what keeps you being able to go to the next job," he said. "You're watching each others' backs, and it's tight-knit. There is a lot of competition, but on the set where there is a possibility of injury, you put all those things aside and you take care of each other."
The next Stunt Boot Camp begins April 20.
Classes run every four to six weeks.
For more information, call LA Stunts at 505-948-2284.
