CFHS grad soaring on movie sets

SANDPOINT — Locals heading out to see the latest Superman flick or Stephenie Meyer adaptation might be surprised to see a familiar name in the credits.

Bonner County native Brian Reynolds is in both, as well as a few older movies available on DVD, through his work as a helicopter stunt pilot.

The 1980 Clark Fork High School graduate, who currently resides in Olympia, Wash., has enjoyed a long career as a pilot for contract doing work like fire fighting. Just over five years ago, however, he branched into a professional realm he’d never anticipated a friend working for the comedy film “Reno 911!: Miami” suggested the filmmakers hire him. Since then, he’s had an ready-made opening into the world of stunt piloting.

“Once you’re in, you’re pretty much in,” he said.

Before he knew what was happening, Reynolds was flying a military-grade helicopter through downtown Miami.

“I was thinking, ‘Man, someone’s probably going to start shooting back at me,” he said.

Since his debut in the “Reno 911!” movie, Reynolds has appeared in a total of four movies. He followed up his first industry job by providing stunt work for the John Cena action movie “12 Rounds,” released in 2009. Currently in theaters is the movie “The Host,” an adaptation of “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer’s latest book. And superhero fans will no doubt be eager to see his work in the upcoming Superman film, “Man of Steel,” scheduled to be released on June 14.

His latest adventures on the set of the Superman film provided unprecedented experiences for Reynolds. While he can’t discuss the film openly until its release, he said the logistics and pyrotechnics of his scene were something to behold.

“There were so many explosions and so much gunfire — shells were just raining down,” he said. “It was insane.”  

While some might be momentarily dazzled by the glamor of the entertainment industry, Reynolds said there’s no time for anything other than professionalism on a movie set.

“Some of these movies are going through a quarter million dollars a day,” Reynolds said.

That means if a director isn’t getting what he wants out of an extra or stuntman, it’s preferable to find somebody else instead of wasting time. Working for a movie means following instructions to the letter, Reynolds said.

“They’re basically like a god on the set,” he added.

However, not all directors wield their power like dictators. Reynolds said that the top brass tend to be collaborators. They share their vision for what they want to see on the screen, and their hired professionals advise them on what can be accomplished.

“I might tell them, ‘Well, we probably can’t fly the helicopter upside down, but here’s what we could do,’” Reynolds said.

According to Reynolds, the toughest thing about helicopter stunt work isn’t the various maneuvers requested by the director. It’s simply making sure you remain flying within the frame. Cinematographers often have a very precise vision for their shot compositions, and botching the shot means lost time and money.

“It can get intense,” he said. “A lot of times, you have to fly close to something without actually hitting it.”

Not that retakes don’t happen frequently anyway. Reynolds usually spends about two weeks on set shooting hundreds of hours of footage for a final product that might result in five minutes of screen time.

While on the job, Reynolds typically stays at the same hotel as the rest of the cast. He’s had the opportunity to chat with some of the films’ stars, but their interactions tend to be very professional.

“You see them around and talk to them, but you don’t do anything like ask for autographs,” he said. “They usually just want to be treated like normal people.”

While Reynolds fills out his professional activities with more conventional contract piloting, his interest is always piqued when a new offer to work on a film arrives. For him, the excitement, energy and opportunity to meet new and interesting people is incomparable.

“When a job is as close and fast and tight as this, it fits right in for an adrenaline junkie like me,” he said.