How Movies Make Actors Fly

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How do movies make actors fly: wires or a green screen? Mostly wires. Wire rigging is still the main way to fly a performer: the wires lift the actor, and a green screen replaces the background, which is added later. The actor wears a harness hidden under the costume, and thin cables clip to small, strong loops on it called pick points. The cables run to winches that can be computer-controlled, so the speed and direction are programmed and the move is the same on every take. Afterwards, visual-effects artists erase the wires from the footage, often frame by frame ('wire removal'). For some shots in Gravity (2013), the lead actor hung from a '12-wire rig': four attachment points with three wires each, so the crew could place her exactly in 3D without swinging. Did you ever spot a wire in a movie? Comment. Part of our 'How Movies Fake It' series. No film clips or actor images are used: the flyer, rig and city are drawn in code for this video.

Sources:
- Business Insider (2022), 'How Hollywood makes superheroes fly in TV shows and movies' (wire rigging remains the primary method of flying; harness 'pick points' = small but strong loops where the wires attach; wires on computerized winches with programmed speed and direction, the same every time): https://www.businessinsider.com/how-hollywood-makes-superheroes-fly-in-wandavision-and-superman-2022-6
- Wikipedia, 'Wire removal' (wires used for safety or to simulate flying; removed with roto, tracking and paint; editors can erase the wires frame by frame; green-screen plates make it easier): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_removal
- fxguide, 'Gravity: vfx that's anything but down to earth' (Tim Webber: the '12 wire rig', four attachment points with three wires each, puppeteered or computer-controlled, for some shots): https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/gravity/
- The Hollywood Reporter (2013), 'Sandra Bullock, George Clooney in Gravity: 5 Ways VFX Wizards Sent Them Into Space' (a 12-wire rig with a carbon-fiber harness): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sandra-bullock-george-clooney-gravity-644538/
- Checked with search and WebFetch 2026-10-24 (before the script was written).

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