Ducts’ Supporting Role in the Movies
An Academy Award should be given to ducts for their supporting role in impossible architectural feats in the movies.
Usually films seem pretty realistic, but once in a while we have to suspend disbelief to enjoy the movie. One of our “favorite” impossible architectural feats from the movies is when an adventurous or desperate actor crawls through the ducts.
I would bet there are over a hundred Hollywood examples of this impossible feat. Duct crawling is featured in movies as diverse as Inception, The Breakfast Club, Die Hard, Alien, and Mission Impossible.
Here’s why duct crawling is impossible:
- Most ducts are too small to hold a person.
- Ducts are dark places. It would be tough to find your way out.
- Most ducts are made of thin sheet metal. A crawling person would make lots of noise.
- The support straps for ducts are designed to support the weight of ducts – not people!
- Duct access covers are inconvenient. They are usually found up high near the ceiling. The cover is small, made of sharp sheet metal, and has to be unscrewed to open.
In spite of these many, obvious reasons to avoid duct crawling, some still think duct crawling is a great way to escape notice. I recently read of an enterprising criminal who followed the example of movie actors. The duct proved to be too small and the foolish criminal was caught – stuck in a duct!
Ducts do a great job of conveying heated and cooled air throughout buildings. But we have to use our imagination to believe they can convey people. The improbable role ducts have played in movies has resulted in countless award-winning performances.
