Good fog machines for exteriors?

[Bradley Credit]

Hello all,

I have a music video coming up where we plan to shoot outside in a wooded area, and we want to get the affect of fog blowing through the background. Our budget is tight and crew is small so we can't get anything too expensive or heavy to lug around. I was wondering if you all might have some recommendations for fog machines that are relatively affordable to rent, as well as any tips you might have for making the most of the effect! I use haze machines often however only on interior shoots so this will be my first time trying to create atmosphere in an exterior so any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Aapo Lettinen]

multiple small smoke machines and foggers is often a better choice than one big unit. You need to spread them around to get multiple layers of fog to get it look nice. Sometimes you just need the big machine if it is for example windy... but I would go with the smallest units which can produce continuous smoke / fog and then get one bigger one just in case you may need it for one shot

[Phil Rhodes]

There are types that use butane gas for heat, which are probably the most portable because they don't need lots of mains power. One such type is made by Artem here in the UK but there are presumably others.

Otherwise, a good portable option is the diminutive Le Maitre Mini Mist, which uses aerosol canisters for the fluid so it doesn't need power to run a pump. As a result, once it's heated up, you can wander around with it, placing smoke where you want it, for quite a while until the heater block cools down again.

P