I want to put on my Devils Advocate hat here for a moment.
I completely agree with the need to get an expert in
house if you are going to fly someone. I am not sure that this qualifies as 'Flying'.
As I understand the
gag, the actor is going to climb up a ladder. He is going to firmly grasp a rope and kick the ladder away. ( I am assuming the rope will have some kind of knot to hold onto ) He will then hold the rope for a short period of time until the ladder is replaced - transfer his weight to the ladder and get down.
If we had a scene in a
play in an old time Gym, and we had someone climbing a rope, ( Putnam County Spelling Bee comes to mind ) would that necessitate getting a flying expert? Or would it simply mean that we needed a rigger to make sure the climbing rope was anchored safely? To my mind this trick seems more like a rope climb than flying.
Now - at some
point if the ladder gets very tall, or the actor will be hanging for a long time - we probably need a flying company around to help us figure out how to clip the actor in safely. If the rope wants to move up, down or sideways we need a flying company. but if the actor is hanging from a rope with his feet six to eight feet off the floor, do we need the flying experts? I'm not sure we do.
Now before folks start yelling, the real question I am trying to explore is what is that
threshold you cross that says 'It is time to get a flying professional involved'
If the actor moves up / down or sideways - YES.
If the actor hangs for any appreciable amount of time - YES
If you what the actor to be wearing a harness to support his weight - YES
If the actor is 'too' high up ( and what do we mean by too high?) YES
I'm interested in others opinions.