Descender rig
A pneumatically-actuated telescoping pole used to launch a performer or stunt dummy through a window, off a rooftop, or into a fall in a controllable arc.
Mechanism
A pole-cat is a multi-stage telescoping pole driven by a high-pressure air cannon at its base. On firing, compressed air drives the inner stages of the pole upward and outward in a tuned arc, carrying the performer (or articulated dummy) through a precisely-calibrated trajectory before the harness release point. The pole's firing-pressure curve and stroke length determine peak velocity and exit angle; coordinators tune both before the take using ballistic-spreadsheet calculations against the performer's mass. The pole is typically rigged behind a practical wall, vehicle, or set element so it remains off-camera; only the exiting performer is seen.
Safety
Air-cannon pole-cats are pressure vessels and require the same daily certifications as any rated pneumatic. The launch cone — the vertical arc the performer exits — must be cleared of crew, lighting stands, and camera tracks. A pole-cat firing imparts a 4-to-6-G axial load to the performer; back and neck-injury history disqualifies talent from this rig. Misfires (partial pressurisation) produce a low-velocity launch that drops the performer into the firing zone; a redundant catch crew is positioned regardless of expected trajectory.
Variants
Slower, more repeatable variant for narrative falls where the launch is on-camera and the air-cannon report would be heard.
Mounted horizontally to launch a performer or vehicle component sideways — used for window breaches and side-impact car gags.
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.