Wind blowing onstage

030366

Member
Here's the effect she wants:

She's standing in a doorway, wearing a feather boa around her neck, and the wind is blowing her boa in such a way that it is standing up, parallel to the ground. This effect lasts for at least a minute or two.

Here are the considerations:

1) NO BUDGET. I must use what's available in the shop. I'm not entirely certain what that all is, but I'm guessing it's pretty standard theatre shop inventory.
2) She says she's experimented with various fans, and has been able to get the desired effect by standing on a wind source that is blowing upwards. She doesn't remember what it was.
3) The doorway in which she's standing is actually mounted on a platform, so there is some wiggle room for concealment of gadgetry.
4) Unfortunately, the platform is on casters and rolls on and off before and after the number, so it can't be too complicated.

I need to have this designed and built in three days! Would a box fan provide enough air pressure for this to work? Anyone have any ideas?
 
One quick idea I can think of.

1) Have boa ends on invisa-wire (fishing line) and pull them up to get desired effect of that magnatude.
2) Have fan behind her to have it look like the wind is doing it.

The invisa-wires can be attached by two paperclips or something that the actress attaches in place (potentially during blackout or LowBluGlo) and then detaches and the strings are pulled all the way up.

Hopefully this helps, may not be full effect, but I do believe it is doable, practical, and cheap in three days.

Justin Crouch
 
I'm pretty sure she won't be happy with that. She's got her heart set on this one particular time when she did the piece outdoors and it happened entirely coincidentally.

Besides, if nothing else is blowing around it's going to look like a floating feather boa, not like something being blown in the wind.

If the fan's behind her, will it provide enough air pressure? And how will it be concealed?
 
You could try one of those hardcore campsite fans on high. I think you might get enough pressure out of one. A few things to consider - size: They are about a foot thick, and then add air supply room and you've got a foot and a half to two feet right there - and sound - those are darn loud. I am thinking that just about any fan you get that would be large enough to properly do this effect will sound like a tornado coming in. Of course, that may be acceptable. Not sure of the specifics of the show.

EDIT - Oops. I just realized that you said parallel to the ground. I was thinking perpendicular. My apologies. On that note, one thing I would worry about if trying to place the fan behind her would be the fact that her body would block most of the air where you needed it the most. You might need two fans aiming in at 45deg angles?
 
I'm pretty sure she won't be happy with that. She's got her heart set on this one particular time when she did the piece outdoors and it happened entirely coincidentally.

Besides, if nothing else is blowing around it's going to look like a floating feather boa, not like something being blown in the wind.

If the fan's behind her, will it provide enough air pressure? And how will it be concealed?

Sounds like a fun director..........

If you (or her) are going to poo-poo the idea of fishing line, have you tried just a box fan and see what it does to the boa? You can still get the effect by using a box fan with light debris being blown around, but I doubt you will find anything that will lift a feather boa so that it blows out straight.

Just telling you that to keep something in the air like that is going to take a lot of air pressure, and any fan that could do it will be very loud. To do this effect you will have to rely on several tricks, fishing line to hold the boa up, debris to blow around (and her hair) and most likely a sound effect of a good gust of wind.

Ken Pogin
Production / Tour Manager
Minnesota Ballet
 
I was meaning what Ken said...use the two in conjuncture with each other. The fan itself (or a quiet one) won't give you the air pressure...but it will give you the effect of wind. While the fishing line will give you the effect of the pressure itself.

If she is looking to repeat something that happened outside...this is your best bet. Winds outside are much more quiet vs. the pressure supplied and inside it's just not going to happen without the noise of a motor whirling in the background.
 
In most cases I would recommend something on the lines of CITC's Hurricane II fan. Alternately, something on the lines of one of these fans should also do the trick. Unfortunately, none of these fans are cheap. They are all heavy duty, industrial fans and cost in the realm of several hundred dollars. If this effect has to be done by wind power alone, it will require spending some money. Without some kind of budget for purchasing equipment you're probably better off going with the combo solution presented in earlier posts.
 

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