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Hazer tips / questions


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For various reasons (SAG compliance, residue etc.) I'm using a water based hazer.

 

Initial impressions are that the haze seems to swirl around more in bright sources (sunlight, flashlight). I don't remember this being so much of an issue with oil based hazers. Any tips to mitigate this issue? Is it just a case of serious wafting or running the hazer through a box fan?

 

I assume that major movies and TV shows have to use water based haze for SAG compliance, so they must all be using a Rosco V Hazer or similar?

 

 

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Check this out:

https://www.sagaftra.org/files/safety_bulletins_amptp_part_1_9_3_11.pdf

Page 51

states that 'mineral oils should not be used...'

 

I always used to use DF50 but was wary given that I mess around at home from time to time...

Rosco V Hazer is pretty nice but not as bullet proof as the DF50. I'm wary of the oil residue. I've only noticed it on my viewfinder. Never anywhere else. But if I mess up the couch at home over time I'm a dead man....

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Interesting. The DF50 MSDS states that it is non-carcinogenic and requires no respiratory protection at normal concentration. It's also FDA approved. If I had to take a guess, I'd say the SAG guidelines are referring to the older 'Cracked Oil' hazers, which used a much heavier oil, and were definitely not good for you.

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I assumed (incorrectly) that all water-based fluids are more or less the same. I was using Froggy's Beamsplitter in a Blizzard Arena Hazer for the majority of a show and found it to perform similarly to DF50 using DF50 Fluid. The hazer itself has significantly more output than the DF50 but the overall effect is about the same density and minimal movement with noticeably less hang time. Production replaced that fluid with Froggy's Faze Haze when our barrel ran out and didn't let me know they swapped types. So we ran the hazer exactly the same time (about 5 minutes on full power) but ended up completely fogging-out the stage. Running the hazer much lower and through big fans helped distribute more evenly but the Faze Haze juice was just way too dense and showed far too much movement. I haven't tested other fluids from their line but having seen that big of a difference between two of their haze products I'd definitely reach out to Froggys and ask which they recommend for the effect you're after, as they have so many juices tailored specifically for so many machines.

 

If you're looking into machines, it's worth demoing the Blizzard Arena Hazer btw - the specs look inflated but they aren't - it's a tiny little beast of a hazer. It's so inexpensive, I got it to use alongside a pair of DF50's and ended up using only that and sending the DF's back.

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  • 1 month later...

 

Initial impressions are that the haze seems to swirl around more in bright sources (sunlight, flashlight). I don't remember this being so much of an issue with oil based hazers. Any tips to mitigate this issue? Is it just a case of serious wafting or running the hazer through a box fan?

 

 

 

 

I would always use a box fan placed in front of the hazer. Is oil based juice even available anymore?

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I've managed to make cheaper disco type foggers work. Lots of wafting with polys is needed and if you overfill the room with Haze and then wait for it settle and thin - it looks a bit more even. Its possilbe to get it too a point where it doesn't swirl too much - if you make sure you've isolated any drafts and really really taken the time to waft.

 

Other tips would be to make sure you keep doors and windows closed.

 

Any schedule more time to shoot - it takes time to build up the haze and waft it about. You can get excellent results with water based fog, its just time consuming to get nice. Taking reference stills or looking a playback is a good idea to make sure your density is consistant shot to shot.

 

If your changing focal lengths you might need to tweak the fog density as well.

 

The oil based smoke machine I've used is the gas powered Artem - it was great for density - but you really don't want to be breathing any amount of it in. Good for EXT's and nice you don't need power to run it. But I thought for interiors most venues will only allow water based

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