Vehicle rig
The pyrotechnic-driven barrel roll that sends a picture-car flipping end-over-end. The signature shot of the Bond and Mission: Impossible chase tradition.
Mechanism
A cannon-roll uses a vertical air-cannon (or smaller pyrotechnic charge) mounted in the floor of the picture-car, firing downward through a steel ram-plate pre-positioned on the road surface. On firing, the cannon's reaction force lifts and rotates the vehicle around its longitudinal axis. The roll's geometry is determined by the cannon's mounting position relative to the centre of mass — offset slightly toward the rear lifts the back end into rotation, while a centred cannon produces a flatter spin. The ram-plate is buried just below the road surface so the impact is invisible to camera; the cannon itself fires through a hole cut in the vehicle's floor and is camouflaged. The picture-car is heavily reinforced — full roll cage, six-point belts on the precision driver, fuel cell rather than tank — and stripped of glass on the camera-side windows.
Safety
The precision driver wears a HANS device, full fire suit, and uses a fuel cell with a quick-disconnect fitting. The vehicle's roll cage is engineered to maintain occupant survival space through three full rotations even if the roof crumples. Pyrotechnic and pneumatic cannon rolls use different debrief protocols; the pyrotechnic charge requires a 30-second clearance after misfire before approach. Every cannon-roll is preceded by a non-firing dry run with the precision driver and the firing crew rehearsing abort signalling.
Variants
Uses compressed air rather than a pyrotechnic charge — quieter, no pyro-operator licensing, more repeatable but less violent in the visual.
Uses a buried steel ramp rather than a cannon — cheaper but less controllable, the roll geometry depends on the impact angle and speed.
On screen
Sequences in the archive whose discipline tags overlap this technique's category. Click through for the full rigging breakdown of each set-piece.