What is the difference between a Production Rigger and a Local Rigger?

A Local Rigger is hired by production either directly through the building or through a labor coordinator. Local Riggers are highly skilled personnel that are generally well trained in the use of Fall Protection, climbing techniques, specialized equipment and best practices. A large part of their job is to pull chains up to the rigging grid and attach them with steel wire rope baskets. Sometimes a motor is required in between rigging points or structural members, in this case the Local Riggers will generally team up and pull bridles made of steel wire rope of various lengths to hang the chain wherever the Production requires it. These bridling or spanner truss techniques offer more flexibility for point locations than would otherwise appear available.

The Local Riggers work under the direction and supervision of a Production Rigger. While they play a large role in making appropriate connections, installing the show safely and executing the plan, they do not generally factor into the overall structural design or load plan development. Most Production Riggers start out as Local Riggers, but this is not always the case.

A Production Rigger is the interface between production design and the venue engineer. It is their job to identify and collect all of the flown Production elements, generally through Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD) programs, and use them to generate a Rigging Plot. The Production Rigger will identify and design necessary structural elements like Super Structures and Cable Trusses. They will also locate hoists throughout the rig that will apply the entire Production load to the venue in a manner that appropriately fits within the Load Capacity of the venue. It is the job of the Production Rigger to identify all of the components throughout the entire load path of each element, from the size of the hoists, type of truss, all the way down to the hardware connecting each of the elements in the chain.

Often times, a Production Rigger will communicate directly with the Head Local Rigger of the upcoming venues they will be working in. This connection and communication is often vital to the success of the show as the Production Rigger can learn a lot about various building anomalies, and trouble spots within the venue, before stepping on-site.