Inside the Craft of Action With Emmy-Nominated Stunt Coordinator Victor Paguia
About this episode
Victor Paguia discusses the intricacies of stunt coordination and action sequence design in film and television.
Emmy-nominated stunt coordinator and performer Victor Paguia joins No Film School’s GG Hawkins to explain how action sequences are designed around character, story, safety, and production realities. Drawing on more than two decades of experience—including his work on I Am Legend, Zombieland, and CBS’s FBI—Paguia discusses breaking into the stunt industry, developing distinct fighting styles for characters, creating ambitious television action on an eight-day prep schedule, and using previsualization to make sequences safer and more effective. He also shares practical advice for independent filmmakers staging action with limited time and resources. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Victor Paguia discuss... How competitive diving prepared Paguia to perform under pressure Crashing the callback that led to his first stunt job on I Am Legend Why effective stunt work must serve the story rather than spectacle Finding the line between exciting action and physically unbelievable action Developing a shared movement language for zombies and other creatures Why fast zombies are more intimidating—and more enjoyable to perform Building action around the established…
People in this episode
Host: GG Hawkins
Guest: Victor Paguia
Topics covered
- stunt coordination
- action sequences
- character development
- independent filmmaking
- safety in stunts
- television production
Keywords
- stunt industry
- fighting styles
- previsualization
- action choreography
- independent filmmakers
- character strengths
- zombie action
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: CBS
Books & works: I Am Legend, Zombieland, FBI
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