Quickly dropping a drop and pulling offstage

[SalvatoreDelorean]

I'm TDing a college show, and the director wants to quickly drop a fabric drop (18' x 33.5') and have it move offstage as quickly as possible. I've this effect in a few shows, where a drop or cyc falls to the ground and is immediately and extremely quickly pulled into a wing, almost before it hits the ground. (I'm sure there's threads about this but I have no idea what to call it). Any idea how this is accomplished? It's perfect for our show, and if it's not prohibitively difficult or expensive (I have maybe $150 to throw at it) I'd love to do it.
Thanks!

 

[chausman]

See the wiki for kabuki drop.

 

[kicknargel]

We do this frequently in cirque-style theme park shows. We have a very lightweight and thin curtain made of poly-silk hung from a solenoid-based kabuki release system. A line runs from the bottom of the curtain to a purpose-built motorized winch in a frame with a large spool drum, guide rollers, etc. Release the drop, let it fall half way, then it's rolled onto the winch drum in about 4 seconds. It can go through a trap or into the wings.

The winch is fast and fairly low-torque, so if there's a snag it's going to stall or maybe rip the silk, but not be particularly dangerous.

But for this setup, your in the $thousands.

You could probably make a manual kabuki for $150 in parts, and grab and pull from the wing.

 

[Mutton]

You could probably make a manual kabuki for $150 in parts, and grab and pull from the wing.

I think you can do a Buffabuki for about $25. I learned this from the guys at University at Buffalo.

You use a piece of jute webbing in a spring clamp sandwiching the drop. One end of the jute is tied to the clamp, the other end to a line. Pull the line and the jute pops out of the clamp and takes the drop with it.

Good luck.

 

[derekleffew]

No good way to do the effect on the cheap. http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/special-effects/27653-kabuki-drop-retracts-into-rig.html


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