Jeff Pruitt verzorgde de stunts van het tweede tot het vierde seizoen in Buffy. Omdat af en toe de situatie vereiste dat Jeff zelf meespeelde is het een paar keer voorgekomen dat hij als vampier heen en weer werd gemept door zijn (toenmalig) aanstaande Sophia Crawford (Buffy's Stunt-double van seizoen 1 tot 4), zoals bijvoorbeeld te zien is in de aflevering "Ted". Maar, zo zei Jeff ook wel in een interview, "I hit her around 23 mph with the car."
Een paar citaten van Jeff Pruitt over het werk als stuntcoördinator:
Over regisseurs:
"They are much more choosey now though since the show has become a hit. Now
all the top dogs want to do it. I'm sure the best of the best will be with us
again next season and the worst will not. Joss had the least experience and yet
was one of the best directors. I just wish I could put talent in a bottle and
sell it sometimes. A degree has nothing to do with it really. Some of the worst
have come from some of the schools. It is amazing to me."
Over het coördineren van de stunts in het
tweede seizoen:
"I think the only thing that was hard on me was the early ones like School
Hard because I couldn't get anything that I wanted on screen. Similar to KBD.
I hate it when I can't get anything good up there. It's embarrassing to me when
I know from experience what could have been versus what was allowed sometimes.
Often it is because we have directors who are very good with drama and have not
a clue when it comes to action. Although you wouldn't know it to listen to them.
I mean of all the XENA directors we have had, not one of them has really
shot the really good action of XENA. That is done by the stunt unit.
People don't know this though."
Over vechtscenes in Buffy:
"I did get a request from one of the XENA producers to stop making
the best fights on TV. That made me feel good. He said that the only show that
he worried about stealing his thunder was BUFFY. I'm sure that he's
watching ANGEL very closely."
Plannen voor de toekomst:
"I plan on doing good and not evil. Look what happened to Xander when he
fooled with the forces of darkness. It's too dangerous. (even though dangerous
IS my middle name)"
Over stunts en stank voor dank:
"If you only knew how many times I've watched TV and Movies and seen long
opening sequences that I've planned and directed that some other guys name and
some other DP's name splashed across the screen. It is really weird to be me. I
once even saw a director being interviewed about scenes that I shot. He wasn't
involved in any way in the planning or the execution of any of it. Yet there he
was on TV talking about how "he came up with the concept and why HE did
certain shots". Oh yeah. Try being in stunts some day. It's a hoot alright.
That's why I identify more with writers and I get such a kick over the fact that
Joss actually gets to control his own product. You have no idea how much I love
that."
Over het opnemen van vechtscenes:
"It is by far easier for me to do good work if I am also directing and
editing. Other directors usually are great at drama and have little or no
experience at the kind of fights I do. We have to shoot the fights in long
master takes and try to make everything work for them so they can see it. I
prefer to shoot the Hong Kong method. It involves shooting up to a point and
going in for a special set-up that relates only to a piece that will edited into
the sequence later. You have to be a stunt coordinator, and to do this, to know
how to do it and exactly which frames to cut on. It is very different from what
you learn at filmschool."
Over de laatste vechtscene in "Bad Eggs":
"Close-up -grab Sarah/Reverse Angle of flip on Sophia/C.U.- Sarah reacts/
shot of MOM attacking with ax/ shot of Sophia rolling away as Jeff swings
ax at her head/ Action reversed as "tentacle" is unwrapped from
Sophia's legs (*play backwards) / shot of Sophia being dragged into pit by Jeff
onto pad / sound fx & Sophia tosses up the ax / shot of Sarah standing up
with black goo all over her. Whew!"
Over zijn cameo-optreden in "Anne" (hij
speelde een soort bouncer in het gebouw waar alle weggelopen jongeren
verdwijnen):
"I couldn't keep a straight face- so I looked down at her shoes. Opening
the door and having Sarah tell me what a "bad girl" she was, was
tougher to take than I thought. She tried to mess me up, but I hung in there.
hehe"
Over Seth Green die zijn eigen stunts echt
deed:
"Seth did roll on the grass and jump over the banister. That kind of thing
is not really too dangerous. Later on I brought in his stunt double and at first
he was disappointed. He really wanted to just go for it. Then when he saw what I
put the stunt double (Lee Whitaker) through he was glad it was not him. He was
really happy about the stunts, but a little worried when one time Lee almost
didn't get back up."
Over Nicholas Brendon die zijn eigen stunts
doet:
"Nick does his own punching because he doesn't have to be any kind of
martial arts expert- just nuts. Everyone is doubled for most of the falls,
unless it is really an easy one- just flopping onto a pad- although they still
get hurt just doing that."