Open Forum

I am producing Hadestown High School edition. I have two fog effects that I am trying to create and have read lots and lots of posts... and am hoping for some guidance. We are in an old and quaint 1920s theater with 500 seats. The stage is about 30' x 30'. The theater is approximately 50 feet wide with seats that go back 50 feet and include balcony seating with a ceiling about 30 feet high. 

I plan on buying the CHAUVET DJ Hurricane 1600 and constructing my own chiller to use with it. I am contemplating using Froggy's Fog QuikBlast Fog Juice.

The first effect is in two scenes where actors are going to Hadestown. This involves a quick blast of fog piped vertically straight up through the platform they are standing on. The goal is for the fog to quickly obscure them long enough for them to step backwards and disappear through an opening in a black tarp / cloth.

The second effect is in two scenes where the actors are walking in Hades and the fog is low lying. I would have this fog piped to a separate horizontal outlet and run through a chiller with hopes this would keep it low for a bit.

I plan on having a "Wye" pipe splitter with gates to be able to direct the fog to each of the desired outlets.

I have never run a fog machine and have lots of concerns in pulling this off. However, I do have the benefit of about a month to practice technique once I receive the machine.

Questions / concerns:

• Is my proposed fog machine appropriate for the task?
• Can you help me pick the right fog juice, forgetting warranty. 
  
  • My main concern is that I don't want fog to rise and obscure the actors, except when that is exactly what I want. This isn't Halloween or a light show, but most of these units and their juice seem to be formulated for these effects. The second concern is that the fog not stick around too long.
  • For the first effect (going to Hadestown), I need fog juice which is dense, hides the actors for a few seconds, and then quickly dissipates. From what I've read, Froggy's Fog QuikBlast Fog Juice seems the best fit.
  • For the second effect (low lying fog), I don't want to obscure actors at all. So a quickly dissipating juice also seems promising. But I want the fog stick around long enough to move across and cover the stage while it stays low. If I continue to pump out chilled QuikBlast Fog, will it accomplish this?

I know that nothing replaces testing, but was hoping to get some guidance before purchasing either the unit or the juice.

I'll call the venue on Monday to check out the fire alarm situation and whether we can disable them for the shows.

Fog seems risky, but it could add a really nice touch. I want to make sure success is possible with these tools to make it worth the risk and expense. I know my title could have been worded better, since I need more than low lying fog - but alas, titles can't be edited.

Thanks for your input!

UPDATE

I found a youtube demo of someone using a chiller and Quikblast. This gives me hope that this is indeed a good possible solution. It appear a chiller will create the low lying fog effect I am looking for with effect #2. And other videos show that this juice will be initially dense enough to possibly work for effect #1 as well.

------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

Hi Michael,

  I've used dry ice dropped in a bucket of hot water to create a low lying fog effect for a graveyard scene. The dry ice cannot be touched directly on skin, so it should be kept in a small container first to be dumped into the water, or handled with gloves. And you'll need to make sure you are in a well ventilated place because carbon dioxide is released. 

  The fog effect with dry ice does look really cool, and it will not set off any smoke detectors. Fog machines, however, will set off smoke detectors, which I found out the hard way during a school performance. If you can find a nearby store that sells dry ice, it might be worth a try?

I am producing Hadestown High School edition. I have two fog effects that I am trying to create and have read lots and lots of posts... and am hoping for some guidance. We are in an old and quaint 1920s theater with 500 seats. The stage is about 30' x 30'. The theater is approximately 50 feet wide with seats that go back 50 feet and include balcony seating with a ceiling about 30 feet high. 

I plan on buying the CHAUVET DJ Hurricane 1600 and constructing my own chiller to use with it. I am contemplating using Froggy's Fog QuikBlast Fog Juice.

The first effect is in two scenes where actors are going to Hadestown. This involves a quick blast of fog piped vertically straight up through the platform they are standing on. The goal is for the fog to quickly obscure them long enough for them to step backwards and disappear through an opening in a black tarp / cloth.

The second effect is in two scenes where the actors are walking in Hades and the fog is low lying. I would have this fog piped to a separate horizontal outlet and run through a chiller with hopes this would keep it low for a bit.

I plan on having a "Wye" pipe splitter with gates to be able to direct the fog to each of the desired outlets.

I have never run a fog machine and have lots of concerns in pulling this off. However, I do have the benefit of about a month to practice technique once I receive the machine.

Questions / concerns:

• Is my proposed fog machine appropriate for the task?
• Can you help me pick the right fog juice, forgetting warranty. 
  
  • My main concern is that I don't want fog to rise and obscure the actors, except when that is exactly what I want. This isn't Halloween or a light show, but most of these units and their juice seem to be formulated for these effects. The second concern is that the fog not stick around too long.
  • For the first effect (going to Hadestown), I need fog juice which is dense, hides the actors for a few seconds, and then quickly dissipates. From what I've read, Froggy's Fog QuikBlast Fog Juice seems the best fit.
  • For the second effect (low lying fog), I don't want to obscure actors at all. So a quickly dissipating juice also seems promising. But I want the fog stick around long enough to move across and cover the stage while it stays low. If I continue to pump out chilled QuikBlast Fog, will it accomplish this?

I know that nothing replaces testing, but was hoping to get some guidance before purchasing either the unit or the juice.

I'll call the venue on Monday to check out the fire alarm situation and whether we can disable them for the shows.

Fog seems risky, but it could add a really nice touch. I want to make sure success is possible with these tools to make it worth the risk and expense. I know my title could have been worded better, since I need more than low lying fog - but alas, titles can't be edited.

Thanks for your input!

UPDATE

I found a youtube demo of someone using a chiller and Quikblast. This gives me hope that this is indeed a good possible solution. It appear a chiller will create the low lying fog effect I am looking for with effect #2. And other videos show that this juice will be initially dense enough to possibly work for effect #1 as well.

------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------

Dry ice is the ideal, except that I can't easily pump dry ice fog through pipes. I'd have to rig a whole fan system. Hopefully we can turn off the smoke detectors in the theater (checking on this today). If not... then dry ice would be the only solution.

Hi Michael,

  I've used dry ice dropped in a bucket of hot water to create a low lying fog effect for a graveyard scene. The dry ice cannot be touched directly on skin, so it should be kept in a small container first to be dumped into the water, or handled with gloves. And you'll need to make sure you are in a well ventilated place because carbon dioxide is released. 

  The fog effect with dry ice does look really cool, and it will not set off any smoke detectors. Fog machines, however, will set off smoke detectors, which I found out the hard way during a school performance. If you can find a nearby store that sells dry ice, it might be worth a try?

I am producing Hadestown High School edition. I have two fog effects that I am trying to create and have read lots and lots of posts... and am hoping for some guidance. We are in an old and quaint 1920s theater with 500 seats. The stage is about 30' x 30'. The theater is approximately 50 feet wide with seats that go back 50 feet and include balcony seating with a ceiling about 30 feet high. 

I plan on buying the CHAUVET DJ Hurricane 1600 and constructing my own chiller to use with it. I am contemplating using Froggy's Fog QuikBlast Fog Juice.

The first effect is in two scenes where actors are going to Hadestown. This involves a quick blast of fog piped vertically straight up through the platform they are standing on. The goal is for the fog to quickly obscure them long enough for them to step backwards and disappear through an opening in a black tarp / cloth.

The second effect is in two scenes where the actors are walking in Hades and the fog is low lying. I would have this fog piped to a separate horizontal outlet and run through a chiller with hopes this would keep it low for a bit.

I plan on having a "Wye" pipe splitter with gates to be able to direct the fog to each of the desired outlets.

I have never run a fog machine and have lots of concerns in pulling this off. However, I do have the benefit of about a month to practice technique once I receive the machine.

Questions / concerns:

• Is my proposed fog machine appropriate for the task?
• Can you help me pick the right fog juice, forgetting warranty. 
  
  • My main concern is that I don't want fog to rise and obscure the actors, except when that is exactly what I want. This isn't Halloween or a light show, but most of these units and their juice seem to be formulated for these effects. The second concern is that the fog not stick around too long.
  • For the first effect (going to Hadestown), I need fog juice which is dense, hides the actors for a few seconds, and then quickly dissipates. From what I've read, Froggy's Fog QuikBlast Fog Juice seems the best fit.
  • For the second effect (low lying fog), I don't want to obscure actors at all. So a quickly dissipating juice also seems promising. But I want the fog stick around long enough to move across and cover the stage while it stays low. If I continue to pump out chilled QuikBlast Fog, will it accomplish this?

I know that nothing replaces testing, but was hoping to get some guidance before purchasing either the unit or the juice.

I'll call the venue on Monday to check out the fire alarm situation and whether we can disable them for the shows.

Fog seems risky, but it could add a really nice touch. I want to make sure success is possible with these tools to make it worth the risk and expense. I know my title could have been worded better, since I need more than low lying fog - but alas, titles can't be edited.

Thanks for your input!

UPDATE

I found a youtube demo of someone using a chiller and Quikblast. This gives me hope that this is indeed a good possible solution. It appear a chiller will create the low lying fog effect I am looking for with effect #2. And other videos show that this juice will be initially dense enough to possibly work for effect #1 as well.

------------------------------
Michael
------------------------------