burning fire / flames effect via piped fog?

[jheliker]

I've seen a few people talking about creating flames via piping fog along the floor, and letting it escape in "wisps", with uplighting, like this YouTube video:

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My question, is have you successfully pulled this sort of effect off? What did you use? I've had mixed results when trying to get an F100 piped anywhere, because of the distance required for interacting with the air before going into the pipe.

Also, I have a 42' wide stage, and the show calls for flames basically across the entire front to simulate a building burning down. I can't have a ton of equipment strewn across the front to pull this off...

Thanks!

 

[ThomasL]

One and only time I've done this ('burn' a building down, on stage) was with projection.
I created 3 fire video files with After Effects 7 -
1. The initial start of the fire (when the actor threw a candle onto the stage floor where some boxes, old clothes had been stacked up) - this was created with a plug-in to After Effects;
2. The fire spread across the stage - with the playback software I used (AvStumpfl Wings Platinum 3 Multidisplay version), I could stretch this video image's xy axis to fill the stage as the fire spreads (just keyframing the xy axis from start to almost end of file);
3. The big burn as the fire rises up the walls accompanied by a 'whoosh' sound effect.

If you have the projection distance and the lens to cover the entire stage with a single projector, stacking 2 projectors gives a more impressive and brighter fire (we used 3,200 ANSI lumens projectors). Alignment of the stack is not critical since it is fire!

If you want, I can dig up the files, and dropbox it for you. The After Effects 7 project files as well f you want, though you will need the plug-in (can't recall the name; an old one; but can dig the name up). Think the 2nd and 3rd fire files were done without 3rd party plug-ins, just using the After Effects 7 Production version effects. Let me know. Windows versions, not Mac.

As a variation to your piping-along-the-floor idea, I've seen (here in the tropics) most outdoor coffee-shops using fine mist (think it is a water spray, not fog) to cool the outside corridors where their patrons sit and enjoy their food and drinks. Being a fine visible mist, the multiple outlets give off a wispy effect. So instead of fog, water might be a substitute as long it sprays into a very fine mist.

 

[JD]

4 inch perforated black drainage pipe (home depot.) Have to plug the second set of holes in the back, buffer fan on either end, and two foggers (left and right.) Generally, whisper fans. Start the fans running before using the fog so that the air flow stabilizes in the pipe. Add fog on cue. At that point you may have to vary or switch off the fans.

We used this just to get good even flow of general fog. The pipes push together and can be set up or struck in about 30 seconds.

 

[SHCP]

I also used 4 inch perforated drainage pipe when I did this effect, but I cut the pipe in two lengthwise and closed the bottom with Thermo-Ply.
It made a stable, lower profile and was easier to fill with fog (from both sides). I ran both red Rope lights and multi LEDs to get a flicker. I did not have to move it onstage though. Watch for moisture and leaking on the stage after the effect.