Beams of light...

Jim Malone · May 21, 2006

To make beams of light in an outdoor setting one needs some sort of particulate matter in the air. What is a relatively safe and effective way to do this in an outdoor setting without any kind of fire hazard, and to have enough smoke/haze that a light breeze would not disrupt.

Sorry I just checked the archives and saw that this has been discussed before. If anyone wants to andd anything though, feel free. Thanks

David Mullen ASC · May 21, 2006

You need to disable any smoke detectors first.

Any "party fogger" like those by Rosco can be used, or a more professional Hazemaker. With the party fogger (which uses water mixed with something Glycol-based, I think...) you fill up the space with smoke (heavier than you want) then fan it around until it distributes evenly. Make sure the room is sealed and draft-free because the smoke will always move to fill up the space.

Jim Malone · May 22, 2006

I have a fogger, and that works well for an indoor setting. But for an outdoor setting, not so much. I don't have thousands (or even hundreds to work with) so I need a cheap alternative. I have been told burning beeswax works well. Is that true? Does it smell bad (I am anosmic so I would never know)? Is there anything else that could be used? Please advise.

David Mullen ASC · May 22, 2006

Since outdoors is an open space, it's very hard to control smoke and create an even haze. On my last film, we used a rig nicknamed "the tube of death" for some reason, it was basically a cheap, very long clear plastic sheet tube with holes punched into it, attached to a smoke machine. The tube was run along the ground behind bushes in the woods, creating a haze. Othertimes, we just ran around the background with a little Mole Fogger and just wafted the smoke around before the take.

"1941" used a lot of film cans on the ground burning some charcoal and beeswax. But just remember that it is something of a fire hazard (hot charcoal) and you'll need fire extinguishers. Don't know if this technique is still used nor what the health issues are, (or the laws regarding fire hazard) but since you are outdoors, you have a little more leeway in terms of what is in the air. But I could be wrong -- there may be legal issues. Ulitmately it may be cheaper to rent the large fogger than have to deal with a fire marshall and permits. Or just get two party foggers or Mole foggers at opposite ends of the location and waft it around before the takes.

Burning anything to create smoke indoors is definitely a health & safety hazard.

Chris Cooke · May 22, 2006

pray...

I needed some low smoke for this shoot that only moved when people moved through it. It was about 7:30am when we shot one of these first shots in this teaser for a music video. I brought down a generator and plugged a fogger into it. Then put a cooler in front of that with ice in it and a pvc pipe going through (this is what we pushed the smoke through). It ended up sitting perfectly but that was mostly due to the weather man.

http://www.sierraventures.ab.ca/2005caf/2005_screenings.html

Sourabh Mahato · May 22, 2006

hi,

u can use dry coconut "cover". it's like tuff grass knitted very tightly. it's very smoky , dosent finish out quickly, and u can fan it out even and the best is that the smoke it poduces takes time to dissolve.... u can have 3 to 4 peels burning in different places and have the smoke blown to an even thickness..... i hope i could help you. all the best.

Jessica Bennett · May 22, 2006

Gas Powered Foggers are perfect for huge outdoor settings. Its worth the rental because it will never fail you, and you get it smoked up very fast. If you want low settling fog, dry ice in scattered little containers of course will do it. Its a pain though, it never lasts. And burning stuff to make smoke really kills the atmosphere for actors, if they will be out there huffing it in. Otherwise, I agree that its a cheap alternative, but very tedious.

Chris Cooke · May 22, 2006

Sorry, I forgot... click on Huron Carol. It's only part of the video but I hope that it helps.

http://www.sierraventures.ab.ca/2005caf/2005_screenings.html

Luke Prendergast · May 22, 2006

What's known as Ag Pipe (Agricultural Pipe) in this part of the world is perfect for distributing the output of a party fogger. It's intended purpose is as a leaky duct for water distribution; a flexible plastic hose full of perforations. Only about $1AUD a metre.

You need a reasonably high powered fogger to get very far down the tube. Just shoot it in one end and the tube fills and leaks smoke from the holes. Behind the scenes on 'The Crimson Rivers 2' has some good shots of this sort of thing in action.

Hal Smith · May 22, 2006

and waft it around before the takes.

Burning anything to create smoke indoors is definitely a health & safety hazard.

I don't know about SAG and AFTRA but Actor's Equity has some very tight rules about the use of foggers and hazers. You can only use Equity approved manufacturer's models with approved fog fluid. Use anything else and the actors are free to walk off the stage until you get rid of the smoke. Frankly, IMHO, given the insane health hazard of some aerosols that were used in the past for fogging - if SAG and AFTRA don't have that rule - they should.

By Equity contract, you have to apply to Stage Management in advance if you intend to use foggers and hazers and state what foggers/hazers and fluid you intend to use. If what you propose is on the list, its use will be approved, if it's not on the list, and the Stage Manager's knowledgeable about the rule you won't get approval. Yes, this is a BTDT.