Cinematography technique · used in 3 films
Hanging performers on wires so they can fly, float and move in ways no body can, then erasing the wires digitally. The gravity-defying fights also express character and power.
Examples
John Carpenter · 1986
The fights have warriors who leap, glide and float, with swords flashing in the air. The wire-assisted movement lets the film borrow the feel of Hong Kong action movies. It also tells you at once who is magical and who is just a trucker.
Where to see it: Lo Pan's lair: Wang fights the weather-themed warriors, including a sword duel with Rain. Jack and the others fight their way through the lair.
Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski · 1999
Yuen Woo-ping choreographed the action using Hong Kong wire-fu, where performers are lifted on wires, adapted to a Western context. Keanu Reeves and the cast trained for months so they could perform the moves believably. Alongside that, the wires combined with bullet time to create a way of showing people bending reality with superhuman power.
Where to see it: The lobby shootout. Neo and Trinity move through a marble hall with wire-assisted precision.
Ang Lee · 2000
Yuen Woo-ping's wire work, where hidden cables let the actors leap and glide, makes flight a form of self-expression. Jen fights in the air differently from Li Mu Bai, who fights differently again from Yu Shu Lien. The wire work is character more than spectacle. Each fighter's style in the air shows you their mind and how they relate to freedom.
Where to see it: The rooftop chase sequence. Jen flees and Yu Shu Lien pursues, and the chase shows how differently the 2 women relate to freedom and restraint. The wire work lets you see desire as movement.
Questions