Creating Haze Outside

[Pete Wallington]

How would one go about creating haze on an exterior shoot? Are there hazers big enough to create enough that it doesn't get instantly blow away/dispersed?

[David Ghast]

Have phish play at your shoot?

[Chris Pritzlaff]

Have phish play at your shoot?

 

 

Thats the best solution I have ever heard

[Pete Wallington]

Any more practical solutions?

[Shane Bartlett]

There was a brief mention in a recent AC article about using a hazer outside, but I can't remember which model or for which picture. Sorry. The image displayed was of a grove or meadow with a row of trees...something like that.

 

I imagine it would necessitate the rigging of some very large rags overhead and just out of frame to prevent the haze from dissipating too quickly, although I seem to recall (or perhaps I'm making it up) that wetting the ground/grass will also help--but perhaps that only helps to sell the effect. It's early and I haven't had my coffee yet, forgive me.

 

I'd check with your local supply house(s), if you haven't already. All too often people just go in to pick up/drop off orders. From my experience, rental houses are staffed with knowledgeable people who really like to be involved in helping you solve production problems like this, and it's a great way to get to know the hardworking people on the staff. Show them a picture of the location and explain the effect you want. While they may not have what you need in house, they can probably help you locate it elsewhere.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Shane Bartlett

[A. Whitehouse]

There was a brief mention in a recent AC article about using a hazer outside, but I can't remember which model or for which picture. Sorry. The image displayed was of a grove or meadow with a row of trees...something like that.

 

Was it "The Village" issue? Was there a village issue I can't remember? But it did have a large long single take hazer scene. The effect was of fog coming out of a grove of trees which was lit from either side. I can't remember what they did to achieve this so I'm not much help I'm afraid...

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Could try some Fog/Mist filters see if the effect works for you. You probably won't get the shafts of light as you would normally with sun breaking through.. but might sell it enough..

[Paul Bruening]

You could build smolder pots. I built one out of a 55 gallon drum that worked great. I left it outside after using it and it rotted through within two years. But, it stank too much to put it inside the shop. Memphis is a big enough city that there was a drum recycle guy. I got the drum with the lid and locking band for $5. I welded an expanded steel floor inside it about 12 inches up. I drilled some draft holes in the side below the floor. I just propped the lid slightly open. Pine needles worked the best and are easy picken's in my part of the world.

 

Now, here's the thing. IT GETS HOTTER'N HELL!!!!!!. It is not necessarily dangerous. But, it ain't real safe, either. Lots of people burn stuff in 55 gallon drums. I do not endorse the practice. But, it worked great for me. Those pine needles smolder and make a lovely, smelly smoke in great, whopping volumes. Put it way up-wind for haze. Five of these can fill an entire, wide-open background. Let the county fire guys know about it if you don't dig sirens.

[David Mullen ASC]

There's two methods I've seen on shoots -- one is the big IGEBA fogger that looks like a flame thrower, hung by a strap off the shoulder of the user, and is as loud as a lawn mower but spits out a huge amount of fog.

http://www.specialefxunltd.com/igeba_fogger.htm

 

The other method is nicknamed the "tube of death" -- a cheap plastic tube, like a garbage bag plastic, but very long, run through the woods, with holes punched into it. You attach this to a fog machine and pump fog through the tube, which leaks out all around.

[Travis Cline]

I've shot films with both methods David described and I found the tube method worked much better, if you can hide the tube. The film I shot where they used the "flame thrower" method proved that it actually is a flame thrower. A few sparks shot out of it and started a forest fire within seconds. We had to evacuate the crew and all our gear. Sets burned to the ground, but fortunately no one was hurt. I would recommend not using that type of fogger in tall dry grass. Also, it doesn't fog a large area for any decent duration of time. Any fog will dissipate rather quickly outside when its warm.

 

 

Travis Cline

Edited April 2, 2009 by Travis Cline

[Bob Hayes]

The tubes work great. I used the "Flame Thrower" system and it works well away from dry brush for sure. I've seen the same machine spraying DDT in mosquito prone areas and I suspect that is its real purpose. I heard of a large film using a WWII navel smoke screen machine mounted on a truck. There are lots of ways to skin this cat. Just don't start fires.

[Adam Frisch FSF]

There is a third system from Artem. It's commonly used in the UK. It's a small portable vegetable oil fogger that puts out some serious smoke and is easy and cheap to use. It's a bit like the Igeba - quite concentrated, but much more portable and less noisy. You can run through your sets quickly with these just before a take and get a nice fog or pipe it through a fan or tube.

 

Artem fogger.

[Colin Malone]

I've shot films with both methods David described and I found the tube method worked much better, if you can hide the tube. The film I shot where they used the "flame thrower" method proved that it actually is a flame thrower. A few sparks shot out of it and started a forest fire within seconds. We had to evacuate the crew and all our gear. Sets burned to the ground, but fortunately no one was hurt. I would recommend not using that type of fogger in tall dry grass. Also, it doesn't fog a large area for any decent duration of time. Any fog will dissipate rather quickly outside when its warm.

 

 

Travis Cline

 

 

I've used and done something fairly similar. $40 at a hardware store can net you one of those hand held bug foggers that takes propane to fuel and juice to kill the bugs. Where you would put the bug juice we rather put mineral oil. Turn it on. Let it heat up. Bam! Industrial Handheld portable fogger for under $50. Of course after playing around with it for about an hour the oil instead of turning into fog, turned into fire and became a fairly controlled flame thrower. Then the end melted and the thing stopped working. I am not advising that you do this. I am sharing experience. Flame throwers are dangerous, the propane tank might have exploded had we kept playing.

 

This is all pending on the fact that your exterior environment is still enough to allow for the fog to dissipate into a haze. Wind is bad.