Wire work

GeorgeSelinsky · February 25, 2004

I was wondering where can I learn more about wire work? I want to educate myself on how these stunts are done so if I get the right people to do it I know what to anticipate, as well as how to handle the digital end of it.

I also was interested if anyone had any suggestions for wire stunt people in NY? I am a non union shoot, and I have no production insurance, does that pose a problem?

Thanks in advance,

- G.

Mitch Gross · February 25, 2004

I also was interested if anyone had any suggestions for wire stunt people in NY? I am a non union shoot, and I have no production insurance, does that pose a problem?

In a word, yes. I doubt any pro stunt man would work with you without insurance. Too much can happen and it's just not worth it.

Bob Hayes · February 25, 2004

I am also interested in learning more about wire work. Anyone read any good articles.

Bob

Phil Rhodes · February 25, 2004

Hi,

Did some once. It's very hard to get any feeling of freedom out of it, which is generally what you're after, because at the end of the day the unfortunate subject is trussed up like a well-bound joint of beef and dangling from a wire with paradoxically what feels like very little freedom of movement. "Flying" quickly becomes "dangling" if you don't work very hard at it. The rigging and setup takes awhile and really you're asking the person to learn a completely new form of movement - I'd allow at least a day just to rig and spend time playing around with effects.

Bear in mind also that it is ferociously uncomfortable. Rather like Steadicam operating, you can't do it for very extended periods without fairly undesirable side-effects, particularly if the costume situation doesn't allow for very adequate padding. This may be due to my only experience with it being associated with a very form-fitting lycra (er, spandex) costume, but although our actress was a trooper, there's no getting away from the fact that it can be painful.

And needless to say, there's the safety aspect, which I'm sure I don't need to go into.

Phil

GeorgeSelinsky · February 25, 2004

I found this article that talks about wire work, but this seems to be written by someone getting started in the business. I naturally don't advise anyone to try what is in this link, presented for info purposes only...

- G.

Rob Belics · February 25, 2004

I would presume that those who do best at this are in very good shape and strong?

Phil Rhodes · February 26, 2004

Hi,

The person we worked with was a trained dancer - one of those scary people who can jump and do a backflip on the spot. She was in incredible shape and it still destroyed her.

Phil

Michael Nash · February 26, 2004

I've worked on a couple wire-work shows; the last one about two weeks ago.

Pretty much what Phil says sums it up. It's basically stunt work, and like any stunt it requires the proper setup time to pull it off correctly (and multiple takes to get it right for camera). The shots need to be planned carefully as it takes time to position everything, and the moves need to be choreographed and rehearsed. The director, DP, stunt coordinator and stunt performer all need to be on the same page to know what will work and what to expect. Sometimes a simple adjustment like "go faster" or "swing more to the left" just isn't possible due to physics.

The rigs I've seen are pretty simple, involving a performer in a harness and a single cable, connected to a rope and pulley hung on the bottom of a condor basket. Two or three strong men (trained wire workers) hold the other end of the rope and control the performer's up and down position. That said, DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF based on my description. I'm just relaying what I've seen, and it's a serious safety issue to attempt something like this. Hire professionals.

Also with the single cable rig there is the tendency for the performer to spin. Usually the performer will hold a guide rope to orient their position just before the take, and then let go of the rope just as the camera rolls.

Like all stuntwork, the stunt itself is usually isolated to one particular move with stunt players, covered with two cameras. The rest of the action is then covered in closer shots with the real actors.

Regarding wire removal in post, I've been told it's easier at higher resolutions (simply more information to work with). If it's a lockdown shot, you can shoot a clean background plate to give the compositor something to cover the wire with. If it's a moving shot, sometimes they clone pixels adjacent to the wire or even from adjacent frames to come up with the missing information. But I'm not a post FX person, so I've never had to do it myself!

From a DP's perspective, just remember that you're lighting and focusing on an object that's in midair -- you may have to wait until rehearsal for stand-in ("hang-in"?) for final lighting tweaks and focus marks.