Simulating flying in an airplane

[richak]

I'm designing Sky Girls by Jenny Laird and there are many scenes where the girls are flying in airplanes. My design is a single unit set to look like an Avenger Field barracks. To help communicate the flying scenes, we so far have a cyc behind the stage walls for the lighting designer to play with and the "airplanes" the girls sit in are simply two chairs in isolated light with the front seat/pilot having a control stick to "steer" the plane.

I want to go further with these scenes and I wonder if anyone out there can think of any other ways we can simulate these flying sequences. Our space is a black box type theatre with a grid above that COULD have a fly system of sorts (our TD is a very capable rigger).

Any ideas? Thanks!!

 

[jtweigandt]

I did exactly that for the 39 steps. I created a movie sequence by taking a movie of the computer monitor while I flew a mission in microsoft flight simulator. Screen capture software was too jerky, but using just my regular digital camera on a small desktop tripod, phtographing a nice led monitor looked fantastic. Used the over the tail view of the biplane.

projected the movie controlled as a cue in showcuesystems software, which was running our sound as well. I had a short throw distance available to the scrim that we were rear projecting to, so I put the projector behind a ground row at the scrim and bounced off a nice mirror on the back wall to double the throw distance and get the size I needed.

 

[Amiers]

I would go with a flintstone idea for the main plane having the actor/ress flying the plane around on the stage while projections of clouds on the cyc. I think flying multiple people around would be very difficult.

 

[venuetech]

Ninja wings, two guys(or more) in black provide the lift and flight dynamics. the real trick would be the first moments of the first flight, if you can keep the ninjas totally dark for even a few seconds, it will work.

another thought would be a gimbal platform so the ninjas or rigging does not lift but only tilts the platform.

 

[2mojo2]

I would not move the actors around the stage (too distracting) but a simple see-saw platform. preferably without any obvious source of control, would add a great deal to the audience members sense of flying. Flintstones car plus some rocking side to side.
Option 2: add a bit more plane (a bit of nose cone, a suggestion of overhead structure with switches for the actors to manipulate....

 

[lwinters630]

use moving lights with cloud gobos. Pre programmed sweeping motions to reflect the action of the plane turning or tipping as it flies through the air.

 

[len]

Make sure you include the drone of piston engines, like they did in Airplane! ;-)

 

[gafftaper]

I think the more you add the cheesier it will get. You are in a black box, it's not a Broadway theater, give the audience a few cues that they are flying and then let them imagine. What are Black Box theaters for? To strip away the need for elaborate tech and focus on the acting. Just use some simple moving images of clouds in the background and sound effects is all you need.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I did a show called Censored On Final Approach about female WWII pilots and some unreported deaths that occurred at training camps. The show had plenty of flying scenes.

We had two Colorblast 12s recessed in the show deck, which itself looked like an airplane wing. We didn't actually try to build any literal locations as the show shifted between present day and the past several times. Anyway, in the flying scenes, the girls sat on 4 tall backless stools. Draped over these stools was a large white nylon parachute that took the light from the recessed LEDs beautifully. I realize you might not be able to recess lights in a black box, but there are many slim LED options out there. Along with this we had a cyc and smaller white nylon parachute that was hung artistically from a midstage batten. With all the possibilities provided by all these surfaces to light, all it took was a little background engine noise and some well choreographed flying action between the four girls to really sell the idea that they were in the clouds flying. A very different approach from sitting in isolated pools of light.


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