Black water that doesn't stain?

[AyCee]

I'm currently working on a production whereby my director wants to have a pool of black water in the center of the black box. While the pool has been settled, how to have black water that doesn't stain the actors' costumes remains a question. Does anyone have any tips on making black (or dark-coloured) water that doesn't stain much?

 

[headcrab]

Why don't you just ensure that the inside of your pool/tank is black? I think that in most cases, the color of the water doesn't matter as much as the color of whatever it is in.

 

[seanandkate]

So long as you are using a black liner for the pool, the water should appear black--the same way swimming pool water isn't really blue. Limit the amount you light the pool directly from the top. As the lighting angles get steeper, the light stops punching through the surface (lighting the liner) and starts reflecting off the surface keeping things nice and dark. If it needs to look black outside the pool (pouring a bucket of black water from the pool) I'm not sure you would be happy with the result of trying to tint the water and NOT stain. It you don't care about the staining, some pond supply stores sell a powered form of squid ink to keep the water dark to inhibit algae growth. You could experiment with that.

 

[StNic54]

I'd add to that toplighting it with a very heavy magenta, just to let it shimmer a bit, and that might be pretty convincing. As for black water itself, you can fill it with cola, but I'd think anything in the water that makes it black can and will stain.

 

[Van]

Anything you put in that water will cause it to stain. Use an EDPM pond liner and once it's filled with water it will be as black as it's going to get. Now, That is not the answer the Director is going to want. They are going to say, " But I will still be able to see the actors when they are under water!" The answer is, "Then film the underwater sequences and CGI the 'Black water' this is Theatre not Film." It won't work, but it will feel really satisfying.

 

[Okugi]

You could testing with kids paint. Crayola Artista II Tempera Paint 16 Oz Black by Office Depot

 

[FatherMurphy]

What's the purpose of the 'black' water? Does the director want the actors to not be visible while under water, or does the water itself need to be black when it's picked up and poured?

If you just need to hide underwater actors, would a layer of small black plastic balls floating at the surface work?

 

[headcrab]

This is naturally black water (meaning no ingredients are artificial; they all come from the earth). It's "fulvic acid trace mineral complex" is what makes it so dark. It tastes just like any other drinking water. : pics

Impractical and unlikely, but still.

 

[MNicolai]

My family has a cabin in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. The Black River as well as most of the lakes, streams, groundwater are blackwater.

Their color comes from tannins leached into the water as water flows through marshes, swamps, and areas with root systems of plants containing tannins.

It's safe to drink and swim in, and doesn't stain, but it also isn't purely black. Much like tea, put it in a clear cup and it'll appear to be tinted brown. Put it in a cup a black coffee mug and it'll appear as black as night.

On a clear day, you can usually see a few feet deep into the river and stream-beds. More than that and you'll only see black. Less than that and it may deceptively appear crystal clear.

When I say it doesn't stain, what I mean is that in the concentration it is in in blackwater, tannic acid won't stain a swimsuit. Used in higher concentrations, it's used to stain wood -- it gives wood finishes their dark, rich color.

The summary of all of this is that blackwater sources do exist, but short of getting your water directly from a blackwater lake or stream, you may not want to try using it unless you are dead certain you can achieve the correct concentration. Even then, you may not get the desired results in a shallow depth -- your first line of defense will always be having a black liner in your pool and using side-lights instead of down-lights.

 

[Sayen]

You could testing with kids paint. Crayola Artista II Tempera Paint 16 Oz Black by Office Depot

I was thinking along these lines - any kids materials that are marked non-staining, perhaps. My daughter plays with crayons in the tub, special made. They wipe right off, don't stain, but the water takes on the color. Even if you couldn't get black, a dark mix of colors under stage lights, offset by a black liner, might do what you need.

 

[erichart]

Along those same lines, I've seen a recipe for washable blood that involves squeezing the ink out of Crayola washable markers. The same idea might work to get black water.

It is important when dealing with any colored liquid on stage, even if it is "non-staining" to get the costume department involved as early as possible. They may wish to make the costumes which are exposed to the liquid with a fabric that is easier to clean, or treat it so it is more stain-resistant, or just plan to have wardrobe soak the costume as soon as it gets off stage so the stains won't set.

 

[ruinexplorer]

Whenever you have water on stage, you will need to ensure electrical safety. Since you will likely have to have the water above the floor (I don't know many black box spaces with traps), then you have to anticipate that the water could release. So, if you have any floor pockets or any ground fixtures, these should have some sort of Ground Fault Circuit Interupter.

There are times where you have to be creative with other options if you cannot guarantee the original way will be safe.