Stunts (general) · SAG-AFTRA
The umbrella bulletin for any rigged stunt action — high falls, fights, rigged falls onto airbags, wire-flying, ratchets, vehicle gags, and the supporting craft. Bulletin #14 is the procedural baseline that the more specific bulletins (#4 pyro, #15 fire, #2 helicopters, etc.) extend.
Context
Bulletin #14 codifies the role of the stunt coordinator as the single point of authority for any rigged stunt action. Every stunt sequence has a written rig plan reviewed before the take, a designated safety officer separate from the coordinator, and a stop-work authority distributed across the rigging crew so any individual can halt the take if a hazard emerges. The bulletin's working assumption is that no stunt is so visually important that it justifies bypassing the rig-review step; productions that compress the rig-review timeline produce the bulk of working-stunt injuries in the public record.
Requirements
Editorial summary of the bulletin's load-bearing requirements. The canonical PDF is the authoritative source — these are the surface points referenced in production safety briefings.
A named stunt coordinator is the single point of authority. They are not also the precision driver, the pyrotechnician, or the safety officer; those are distinct roles.
Every rigged stunt has a written plan describing rig type, performer assignment, catch arrangement, and abort procedure. The plan is signed off by the coordinator before the take.
Any rigging crew member can call stop-work without escalation. The hierarchy is bypassed for safety calls.
The performer rehearses the rig at half-speed before any full-speed take. First-time-on-the-rig at performance speed is prohibited.
A medic with rated emergency response (typically EMT or paramedic) is on set for any rigged stunt, separate from any general production medical coverage.
Governs
Rigging glossary entries whose work is governed by this bulletin. Click through for the mechanism breakdown.
descender
The standard catch for free-falls above roughly 25 feet. A pneumatic bag whose deflation curve absorbs vertical energy progressively rather than abruptly.
descender
A controlled vertical descent rig where a centrifugal fan brake regulates rope payout. The reference rig for the Burj Khalifa work in Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol.
descender
The hydraulic ratchet rig used to arrest a high-fall in the last 6 to 10 feet, replacing or augmenting an airbag for daylight exterior work where the bag would be visible to camera.
descender
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.
References
Every URL is stored once in the archive and attached to as many entities as cite it. Entries marked +N also cited appear on other detail pages too — click to see every entity that depends on the same source.
wire
The pneumatic-pull rig that yanks a performer backwards or sideways at high speed to sell an explosion, gunshot, or vehicle impact.