Rod Woodruff Clockwork Mouse

Well where do I begin, I guess at the beginning.

My name is Garrick Nicholas Woodruff and I am the older brother and soul mate of the late

Rod Woodruff. I so hate that expression "late", Rod was never late for anything in his life.

Rod was born on the 10th of February 1958 in what was the then family home on

Borrowash Road, Spondon, Derby. I was 3 and half years old when my new baby brother

arrived. From what I was told by Mum and Dad it was a tricky birth in the early hours and

Rod was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. When I was introduced to

him the next morning as Mum stayed at home and did not have to go into hospital,

apparently I walked over and kicked my potty, which sums up our relationship for the next

53 years. We shared a love between us that can only exist between two brothers. He was

my true and only soul mate and I would have laid my life down for him and looking back

now I wish I had.

To say we were competitive is an understatement. My earliest memory of our competitive

nature is running against Rod in a steeplechase event at Allestree Woodlands athletic club.

I was leading with one barrier left to jump and as Rod was smaller at the time and he was

having to climb over the barriers. He realised that if he had to climb over the last barrier I

would beat him, so he did no more than run off the track and beat me to the finish line.

He was of course disqualified but always said he beat me.

The next memory of our competitive nature is doing jigsaw puzzles and we would both

have to be the last one to fit the last piece. It got to the stage where we would hide

pieces and on one occasion there must have been 30 pieces of jigsaw missing. An

argument broke out and I went to hit him in the face with my fist, as I did so he turned his

head and I hit a blow on to the back of his head. The result was it broke the small knuckle

on my right hand and every time I look at it I think of Rod.

Then there was the basketball incident. We had a ring on the garage at the house at

Alderwasley and we use to play first to score 10 baskets. The score had reached 9 each

and it was my turn. Again Rod realised I was going to win and as I went up on a lay-up to

score what would have been the winning basket, he went up with me and ripped the ring

off the wall. We both ended up in a heap on the floor, laughing hysterically.

I could go on with these stories as I have 53 years of them but this is about Rod the

stunt coordinator.

As this article will go on to tell you Rod became a Film and TV stunt coordinator of

outstanding reputation and well respected within the industry. His list of credits is

amazing and I had the privilege to work with him on many occasions and his speciality was

fire jobs and he even set me on fire twice and I am here to tell the tale so I guess he did

love me.

My outstanding memory of working with Rod was at Somerset House in London on a set for

the French film Vigo. The shot was to take place on a small balcony, only 9 foot square at

night. For the story line Rod was doubling the lead actor and had to be on fire playing an

accordion. There was only the 2 of us there to do the job and 3 cameras rolling. I had got

Rod prepared and was just about to light him when the Director said "hang on a second is

there any chance we can have the accordion on fire as well." Rod looked at me and said”

what do you think mate", my reply was” it’s you on fire not me".

Rod just said " let’s go for it, gel the accordion up", this meant covering the accordion

with Evo Stick glue which you then set on fire. I went ahead, the Director shouted "Action"

and I lit Rod up. Within seconds he was totally engulfed in flame and in such a small area

had no means of escaping it. After 30 seconds with Rod engulfed and turning in circles I

realised the adrenalin had kicked in and Rod was lost in the moment. I looked at my watch

and was waiting for the Director to say cut, but the call did not come. At 40 seconds I

stepped in and kicked Rod to the floor and extinguished him. Fortunately he was

OK............very hot but, OK. I helped him remove his gear as all the crew rushed to the

monitor to see the result played back. The footage was astounding as you will see if you

ever watch the film and the crew burst into applause. Rod in his true laid back style just

held his thumb up to the Director and said "was that OK?", the reply came back " amazing

Rod".

Rod turned to me and said “let’s do what one Sheppard said to another, get the flock out

of here", stolen from Lethal Weapon. We then jumped in his car and shared the driving all

the way up to Robin Hoods Bay, where we were meeting our families for a short holiday.

That stunt got Rod into the American Stunt Hall of Fame for the longest full fire burn

without using breathing apparatus.

Again I could go on and tell more film stories.

Rod was talented beyond belief, he could sing, play keyboards, draw, paint and write

songs as well as being a Great Britain pole vaulter, but his passion was writing movie

scripts and in 1996 wrote the script and stunt coordinated the movie Clockwork Mice. He

went on to write other scripts but unfortunately they did not transfer to the big screen.

I will not go in to detail, but Rod tragically took his own life on June 2nd 2011. His funeral

was attended by hundreds of friends, family and work colleagues on July 1st 2011. On July

10th I held a life tribute to him in Derbyshire where I screened a documentary about his

life at the local cinema, which was attended again by many family, friends and stunt guys

and girls.

I cannot begin to explain how much I miss my soul mate every day and I only hope these

few words I have written and the following article give you an insight into the life of an

amazing brother, friend and remarkably talented man.

Garrick Woodruff April 2012

EARLY DAYS

Sport played a big part of Rod’s early life. Enjoying the thrill of staying fit, but deep down

a competitive edge was to his benefit when taking up Pole Vaulting. When I was at school

Pole Vaulting wasn’t even a consideration, but Rod had wanted to emulate the heroes of

the day in this challenging sport. In the year that Dick Fosbury gave us his ‘flop’ and Bob

Beaman was considered super-human Bob Seagren won Olympic gold in the Pole Vault.

The pole vault is the most technical of athletic events; therefore a considerable amount of

time should be spent on understanding and perfecting the technique. The vault can be

broken up into different sections, which can be worked on individually. The Grip: Holding

the pole parallel to the ground, grasp the pole with the left hand palm down and the right

hand palm upwards. Right hand should be approximately 12" from the top of the pole and

the hands should be approximately shoulder width apart. The Run Up and Carry: The run

up should begin from a standing start with no preliminary 'run on steps' as this leads to

possible inconsistency. The pole should initially be held vertically, right hand at the hip

and left hand 10 centimetres in front of the left side of the chest. The pole should be

lowered gradually throughout the run up using the left hand as a pivot and by controlling

the rate of fall with the right hand that moves from the hip to a point halfway between

In this Olympic year it is indeed appropriate to look at Rod’s

extraordinary body of work. A champion Pole Vaulter who made

the transition to the entertainment industry. Stuntman, Stunt

Co-ordinator, 2nd Unit Director, Writer and Musician who prided

himself of being able to satisfy everyone’s needs. His

professional skills included fencing, fight choreography

specialising in bare knuckle and boxing and fire work.

Continually improving and expanding his abilities Rod also

picked up experience in Bull riding, ice speedway and camel

racing. A screenwriter on nine feature films and 2 music albums

to his credit proved that Rod was much more than just a

stuntman.

waist and arm pit. The left hand remains static and must not drop. The Transfer: The

transfer takes place over the last two strides and the key is that the arms lead the legs.

On the penultimate left foot contact both arms move to forehead height, the left arm

must not lag. Before the right foot hits the ground, the right arm should be at a 90 degree

angle with the hand, just above and in front of the head. As the take-off leg (left) comes

through and drops for the final contact both arms straighten at the same time and the

right knee is driven forcibly upwards. The Take-Off: You must take off with as much

forward speed as possible but your body must be as extended as possible so that the pole

is as near to vertical as can be. Both arms should be straight, the right directly above the

head. As the take-off foot extends, just before leaving the ground, the pole should hit the

back and bottom of the box.

With all of this to consider it’s easy to see why the Pole Vaulter is a special breed of

individual. So much to take in and that’s before you’ve even taken off.

The Flight Phase: This is an important phase of the

vault particularly for those using a high grip. The

drive should be though the chest, as in the long

jump. Consequently, the chest should lead with the

left leg held back. To allow this position, the top

arm will trail deliberately and the shoulder joint

must be mobile enough to accommodate this action.

Both arms must be very strong but not rigid with the

left elbow turned out slightly to allow the chest

through.

Note: It is important not to lock or push

deliberately with the left arm during the flight

phase as this pushes the chest backwards. If not,

the resulting drive will be through the hips and the

legs will swing through prematurely.

(Left) Rod Woodruff in competition Birmingham

1978.

This discipline certainly gave Rod an

edge when it came to becoming an

actor and stuntman. Grace,

elegance and poise were strengths

that came very easily to Rod.

Without a doubt his sporting prowess

made him a very focused individual.

The First Olympics: Athens 1896

This movie describes the founding of the modern Olympics and concentrates on the

creation of the American team and their trials in getting to the Olympics in Athens. Rod

was one of the doubles on the picture and his expertise in the athletics field made him an

obvious choice to be included.

Here we see Rod as a member of the Team GB contingency standing alongside actor David

Gilliam. No need to concern themselves with a multi-million pound bid on this occasion.

The budget for the film, which became a mini-series, wasn’t very big so many of the

actors and extras had to buy their own costumes which would be altered according by the

prop department.

Rod also managed to get a chance to be behind the camera…in costume obviously. He had

a hunger for knowledge and enjoyed all aspects of the business we call show.

Before we get ahead of ourselves we must look at Rob the actor and performer. After

attending the Maria Grey Drama school he found work with the English National Opera.

(Left) Rod in make up for a production of

The Cunning Little Vixen (below) on stage

as 2nd squirrel stage left – who says starring

roles aren’t exciting eh?

Rod’s first major television project was London’s Burning and was working very closely

with Stunt Coordinator Alf Joint who became Rod’s close friend. They worked together on

numerous occasions including on The Bill where Rod was set on fire as demonstrated

below.

Rod is hooded up by Alf prior to filming of the sequence. Note that Alf has scratches on his

face. Don’t worry he hasn’t been jumped in the queue for the catering truck; it was part

of the action. Rod is coated with a highly flammable material and has fire resistant gel put

around his face to protect him from the heat. Alf stands aside as the shot is captured with

a handheld camera.

The heat was intense and you only have a short moment to get the shot done. The gel they

place on the body to create the flame and keep the heat from the stuntman will only do

so for a short period. Rod had an extraordinary pain threshold and would stay alight for

longer than normal in order to achieve the desired shot. This sequence goes to show just

how beautiful this extremely dangerous requirement can be.

Rod teamed up with Alf Joint again in 1990 for World War 2 drama Wish Me Luck where he

was to play a soldier who is thrown into a lake and blown up – all in a day’s work you

know.

“A freezing cold day and I was

working with Rod Woodruff on a

number of ‘gags’. He had to be

dunked in a lake, and then later

on we blew him up. I was very

happy with it because all the war

films I’d done I really wanted a

blow up that I could be really

proud of. It was nice to create

one and get a mate to do it”

ALF JOINT OCTOBER 1992

My own experience with Rod was when I met him on the set of the period gangland piece

The Krays. Rod and fellow stuntman Frank Henson were about to indulge in a screen fight

when I arrived.

“Hello Rod, I’m Jon Auty. We spoke on the phone”? Rod looked at me with long and hard.

“Oh yes, sorry you sounded taller on the phone”! We got on very well that day and it was

good to see how a screen fight was created. Frank Henson was going to receive a ‘proper

hiding’ in this confrontation, but he seemed pretty happy about it. “Look, put it this way.

If I’m gonna get a beating I’d be happier if Rod was doing it”. Everybody liked him. He

gave off a certain calming effect when he was on set.

High falls were another part of Rod’s repertoire. He was always looking for new and

inventive ways of hanging onto some structure or other or alternatively throwing himself

off it. Here he is in action.

The high fall is indeed a thing of beauty. Standing on the edge waiting to go, getting

‘action’ from the director and knowing that you have to jump off and land in the airbag or

box rig down below that looks so small and yet will save your life. He really was fearless

but he would never be careless with it and take risks or put his fellow actors and

filmmakers in danger – in fact, he would go over the top the other way and make sure

everyone was absolutely safe.

These photographs show Rod in action doing what he loved to do. (Top Left) A training

day, testing a new airbag. (Top Right) A publicity photo. Rod decides whilst visiting a

stately home to slip over the balcony and get a shot of him hanging on. His trainers can be

seen at the bottom of the frame. (Bottom Left) Rod falls into the camera lens for Thief

Takers. (Bottom Right) The fireman tries to save the jumper…Rod has other ideas.

His brother Garrick talked about his finest hour at the start of this piece, but we should

look at the action.

The movie was ‘Vigo’ A Passion For Life and was directed by acclaimed British director

Julian Temple. Rod was stunt co-ordinator and primary stuntman on the picture. A scene

called for an accordion player to be engulfed in flames. Rod steps in. Garrick lights him up

and the cameras roll. A stunt like this would last 20 or 30 seconds at most, but Garrick

realised that Rod was ‘lost in the moment’ after 40 seconds he kicked him to the ground.

The result was a very hot Rod, no pun intended, but a remarkable shot. Seen below.

The accordian, his body, his head and back are all a blaze. A truly remarkable sequence

and one that would guarentee Rod his place in the Hollywood Stuntman’s Hall Of Fame.

Fire really was an thrill for Rod. He developed fire sequences and made them very intense

indeed. The camera caught his movements beautifully and he knew how to really sell a

fire ‘gag’.

Two more examples of Rod ablaze. (Left) from

Wire in the Blood and (below) from Rebus

Clockwork Mice

This was a passion of Rod’s and he’d been writing this project for quite a while before

being given the green light. As always his premise for a good story was people and their

relationships. The film centres heavily on Rod’s own father’s experience as a teacher and

many of the moments in the film are very close and personal to Rod.

Steve Drake (Hart) is a fresh-faced trainee assigned to a school for special needs,

handicapped, institutionalised, terminally shy schoolchildren, otherwise known as SHITS.

King of the SHITS is the enigmatic Conrad (Conroy), a doe-eyed hulk given to head-butting

short story writing and jogging. A keep-fit enthusiast himself, Steve uses this love of

running to gain Conrad's trust and discover just what it is about this lad and the number

42. Rod not only wrote the movie but was also the stunt co-ordinator and performed many

of the stunts himself.

Rod leaping from bridge to train and train to platform at the Mid Hants Railway at

Alresford Hampshire during filming on ‘Clockwork Mice’

ROD ON THE SET OF ‘CLOCKWORK MICE’

His work continued on Film and Television and in the mid-eighties was given the task of

doubling Robert Powell in the adaptation of Hannay. He took on much of the fight

arranging and was never happier then with a sword in his hand as we see here. A rehearsal

shot of Rod and actor Anthony Valentine followed by the actual take on set.

Rod Woodruff’s drive and determination to create a magical experience for the viewer and

crew member was indeed a thing of excellence. He strived to be the very best he could

be. Passing on his knowledge to those new up and coming members to the small band of

folk who provide the action on film and TV across the world.

Rod will always be remembered by those who knew him as a creative genius. Someone

who was able to see the words on the page and in his head was able to see the finished

product. But he was human and like you and me had his demons. He has been described as

being too much in this world and perhaps that’s true. His spirituality gave him strength

and a passion for knowledge, but it couldn’t answer all of his questions. Rod sadly took his

own life on June 2nd 2011 and is now at peace. A truly incredible man who will be sadly

missed.

On July 10th 2011 seven of Rod stunt colleagues turned up at The Ritz Cinema in Belper for

a screening of a documentary about Rod’s life by his brother Garrick. It was a celebration

of his life and gave them all an opportunity to remember all the good times they’d had

whilst working with Rod on Film or TV.

Back Row L-R Steve Caswell, Will Willoughby, Stephen Walsh.

Middle Row L-R Lee Bagley, Elaine Ford, Paul Kulik

Front Row Lyndal Smith

© Behind The Stunts 2012 many thanks to Garrick Woodruff and Lyndal Smith