Wire rig
The harness-and-pulley system that lifts a performer through prolonged airborne action — the workhorse rig of the post-Crouching Tiger martial-arts era.
Mechanism
A wire-flying rig consists of a load-bearing harness (typically a sit-harness with thigh and chest reinforcement), one or more 1/8"–3/16" aircraft cables, and a multi-axis pulley system anchored to set or to a portable A-frame above the action. Two-axis rigs use a horizontal track plus a vertical cable to give planar motion; three-axis rigs add a second horizontal cable for full 3D positioning. A team of riggers — usually two to four — hauls or releases cable to control the performer's trajectory in real time, coordinating through hand signals or a single rigger calling timing. Cable visibility is the post-production concern: cables are matched in colour to the background and removed in compositing for any frame where the rig is visible.
Safety
Every wire-flying rig requires a redundant safety line carrying the full performer load; the working line is usually rated to twice the performer's mass plus dynamic load, the redundant line to four times. Riggers wear gloves and operate from a fixed station with a clear sightline to the performer; communication is via a single caller who can abort the rig at any point. The performer practices the rigged action at half-speed in a low-load setup before going to full speed. Rotational rigs require a swivel above the harness to prevent twist-up of the cable.
Variants
Single-cable rig where the performer swings through an arc — used for the classic "fall through a window" frame.
Horizontal monorail with motorised trolley, used for sustained flying motion across long distances (Spider-Man swing work).
Vertical-only rig for repeated up/down motion — used for hovering and impact-rebound frames.
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.
References
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2010