Hanging an Actor on Stage

[paci5217]

Hey everyone!

I need to realistically hang an actor on stage. He is supposed to have a bag around his head. How should I do this if I can’t hire professional help? Can I use a rock climbing harness? Thanks!

[dbuckley]

Start here.

[Ike]

Firstly read the above link.

 

Secondly read the above link again and think about it. While it seems like a pretty straightforward stunt there are many potential problems that can very easily lead to the actors death.

 

If your still determined to do it yourself (which, in case you haven't realised I'm advising against) there are a few things to think about.

 

The noose, bag and anything else put round the actors neck or over there head (jewelry and the like) must not be able to support any weight. If something went wrong with the primary support or the actor slipped they must break very quickly and easily. If the noose must be supported then use a small elastic band or something similar that would easily snap and make sure its checked every time before the stunt is performed by the appointed stunt coordinator.

 

Suspension trauma is a real problem. The human body isn't designed to be supported by a harness. It isn't too bad if the harness is well fitting, its only for a short period of time and the person is moving about however if the person is playing dead (i.e. not moving) there is real danger. If you went with a harness the actor must not be afraid to stop the show and ruin the illusion if they're feeling even slightly uncomfortable, the duration they are suspended for must be kept to an absolute minimum and there must be at least one (preferably two) watchers who would not hesitate to go and free them if they seem to be in difficulty or give a predetermined code. In my mind a much more practical way would be to give them sturdy stool or box to stand on covered in black tat. With a careful bit of lighting you should be able to make it look very realistic.

 

 

So in summary;

 

1,Don't do it!

 

2,REALLY DON'T DO IT. I'M NOT JOKING!!!

 

3,Make sure the noose and bag cannot support any weight.

 

4,Give them something safe and secure to stand on, don't use a harness.

 

 

Ike

 

Edit:

 

Another good reason not to use a climbing harness that I forgot to mention is that it will probably look cr*p due to the fact the attachment point is far too low down and on the front not the back causing the actor to hang at a very unrealistic angle.

[dunk_1984]

To answer the origional question, a standard Climbing harness would not be suitable for stage use; you would use a full body harness with rear and front bracing points.

 

and then JUST DON'T DO IT, as others have said hire professionals in who know how/what to do it safely.

[GridGirl]

There are three ways to hang someone on stage safely:

 

Flying by Foy

Freedom Flying

Hi-Fli

 

Otherwise, don't do it!

[the kid]

I'm sure there is a Br topic on this somewhere Have a search for it.

[Andrew C]

Yep. If you search for "Hanging an actor on stage" you get this as the first hit.

[Colin]

The way that my school did it which just avoided hanging the person but looked really effective was to get the noose around the neck then a loud bang (or sound like opening of trapdoor) combined with instant blackout the stage is cleared. A few seconds later a single spot on noose (no person attached), we made it swing but that isn't really necessary.

 

The noose is not tightened properly just enough to look more realistic but so that it can be removed in a hurry. The support for the rope was weak and would have given way under any weight.

[the kid]

In the theme of what colin said it does depend on the play, if its powerful enough you can get away with not having a hanging and just a noose, or a styalised death.

[paulears]

As detailed further up the thread - this has been covered in depth before - have a look at this thread.

 

I have closed this thread - please add to the old one.