Falling Tree Rig

[JHWelch]

I would like to create an effect for our production of a large tree that falls over on stage as if it were cut down. I want the tree to be sturdy enough to be sat on once it is downed, so it is probably going to be pretty heavy.

I have a tentative plan to install a heavy duty pulley with aircraft cable and hinges at the bottom of the tree, but I don't know how I could mount the pulley other than screwing it into the concrete wall. We have battens which I would love to use in this, but I can't think of a way to convert the up and down motion into a tree which would fall in an arch.

Has anyone done something like this before or could offer any advice?

 

[TheaterEd]

This effect was briefly discussed here http://www.controlbooth.com/threads/falling-tree.34630/

If the tree can fall in a black out, this is super easy, but I'm guessing that isn't the case. Either way, I recommend building it with sonotube.

 

[SHCP]

This is how I did it for Into the woods. Our tree did not fall all the way down to the ground. It stopped at about 45 degrees and then actors walked under it. But the effect worked well, and the audience got to see it actually fall.
Basically, it is a big lever. We built the tree as a number of circular platforms, because an actor has to be inside at some point. The base was a reinforced box that was hinged on the leading SL edge with two huge industrial hinges. Then we ran a box steel support all the way down a platform about 18' to a huge lever. This allowed us to control the tipping and descent. We added gas shocks to slow the lever, and also sandwiched the lever inside two 3/4 ply sheets which created some friction. We added a safety cable above the tree for good measure. I was going to have this cable run through a reduction gear to also slow the tree fall, but it was not necessary. We also put a tire at the "stop" of the lever for extra cushionsupport. Here are some pics. I never took a pic of the actual mechanism (grrrrr, it was pretty cool), but I mocked up a Sketchup to get the idea.
Tim