"mirage" effect

[Thomas Cousin]

hello,

i need advices and tips, please, to do the kind of effect you see in very long focal length, during excessive heat outside.

the kind of deformation of the pictures due to the heat.

i have to mimic that effect for a film.

thanks for help.

poor man process are the most welcome !

 

thanks

 

thomas

[David Mullen ASC]

A couple of lit cans of Sterno on a board in front of the lens (not too close to melt anything, just below the frame) is the most common trick, although you get big waves of heat blurring the frame in and out of focus, not those tiny ripples like with real heat wave.

 

On a hot day, I once tried putting a pan of evaporating (no flames!) gasoline in front of the lens, based on seeing the effect as people pumped gas. It sort of worked briefly...

 

People have used other heating items like propane burners, etc. in front of the lens.

 

In real life, heatwaves are generally captured with telephoto lenses and in frontal sunlight, so try and stick to that.

 

There are more effective digital post efx simulations these days to create that watery heat effect.

[Guest robtags]

I think for raging bull they used several propane torches to achieve this effect

[Sam Wells]

I can tell you from experience with the Sterno gag less is more, it's so tempting to heat it up looking through the viewfinder.

 

Then on a large screen ... :blink:

 

-Sam

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

I don't think there's anything close to the real thing that you can fake up without digital post. The great rolling waves of heat in Lawrence of Arabia are created only by a lot of very hot plain.

 

Phil