Stunts › Sequences › Gravity (2013) ›
Spacewalk — 12-axis rig suspension performance
Sandra Bullock spent the bulk of principal photography suspended on a 12-axis rig inside the Light Box. The rig's motion-control was timecode-locked to the camera move and the LED panel imagery — when Stone tumbled, all three motion vectors phased together as a single edited motion plate. Bullock performed extreme positional + rotational arcs over 80+ shoot days while wearing the prop NASA EMU suit. Riggers + stunt coordinator Steven Pope supervised every take.
Rigging
Equipment + technique
multi-axis
12-axis robotic rig with timecode-locked motion-control. Engineered by Bot & Dolly + Framestore as a custom-build for Gravity.
motion-control
Independent motion-control track for the camera; the LED Light Box ran a third motion-control track for the rotating-Earth playback. All three locked to a master timecode.
Harness
Custom NASA-EMU-prop reinforced harness with multiple anchor points; Bullock underwent 6 weeks of suspension fitness training before principal photography.
Safety
Officer + bulletins
Bulletins observed
- SAG-AFTRA Bulletin #14 (Stunts)↗
- SAG-AFTRA Bulletin #18 (Aerial / Wire-Work)
Rigging glossary
2 rigs used in this sequence
Each entry explains how the rig works mechanically and the safety bulletin that governs it. Click through for the full glossary detail.
wire
Wire-flying 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.
wire
Descender wire (controlled rappel)
The single-line rig used for sustained vertical descents at narrative speed — the rig under most "elevator shaft" and "skyscraper window" frames.
References
Further reading
- Tim Webber on the Gravity light-boxBelow the Lineinterview
- Lubezki on Gravity virtual cinematographyIndieWireinterview