Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: SFX for The Foreinger

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SamD
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Joined: 6/25/09
Location: United States
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Posts: 39

Topic: SFX for The Foreinger
Posted: 11/02/12 at 8:13pm

I'm thinking of directing The Foreigner and wanted to pick your brain on a good way to make Ellard (the klansman) disappear. We have no trap door on our stage, nor do we have room for a second floor! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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colugino
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Joined: 6/30/09
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Posted: 11/04/12 at 11:44pm

I am not familiar with the show but what about fog? I did Into The Woods a few years ago and for the scene at the end when the witch disappears we took a fog machine, PVC pipe (with holes drilled all the way across in a straight line every two inches or so and painted black that we connected to the fog machine), set the holes facing up. When it was close to the scene we had crew bring out the pipe and fog machine, she walked over it and then we sent a "fog curtain" in front of her and she then just walked off stage.

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directorjm
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Posted: 11/09/12 at 8:10am

Not sure what you mean by "nor do we have room for a second floor" but when we did it we faked a staircase to a "second floor" and used the landing (about five steps up, I think) as the location for the "dissolving" (also used it for the cellar in Act I).

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pdavis69
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Posted: 11/19/12 at 8:40am

I have done this show twice now. Both times I had Ellard standing on the trap door to the cellar. I hinged the wall behind him so when he set off flash paper in his hand the lights went out and he just stepped back through the wall and it closed behind him. As for not having room to do a basement for the trap door, we didnt either. I built a 3 ft high box with a lid aginst the back wall. The actor entered the box from the back and pretended to climb a ladder out of it.

Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse

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fatdogmgk
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Joined: 10/25/12
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Posted: 11/19/12 at 3:39pm

I have directed it before and we used the same solution as directorjm, a short staircase, leading to a landing, and the trap being in the top of the landing.
Peace
Marc

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vickifrank
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Joined: 9/21/07
Location: United States
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Posts: 332

Posted: 11/20/12 at 8:07am

A scrim?

_____________

http://www.studio-productions-inc.com
1-800-359-2964

The theater scrim people

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SamD
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Joined: 6/25/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 39

Posted: 3/21/13 at 8:05pm

Thanks, for your replies, everyone. We've only 10 feet from the stage to the ceiling, so we're pretty limited. I've got a FX guy on it and we'll probably end up doing the platform/stair fake. Thanks again!

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Lights and Sound
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Lights and Sound

Author	Message
SamD Lead Joined: 6/25/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 39	Topic: SFX for The Foreinger Posted: 11/02/12 at 8:13pm
	I'm thinking of directing The Foreigner and wanted to pick your brain on a good way to make Ellard (the klansman) disappear. We have no trap door on our stage, nor do we have room for a second floor! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

	IP Logged

colugino Star Joined: 6/30/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 55	Posted: 11/04/12 at 11:44pm
	I am not familiar with the show but what about fog? I did Into The Woods a few years ago and for the scene at the end when the witch disappears we took a fog machine, PVC pipe (with holes drilled all the way across in a straight line every two inches or so and painted black that we connected to the fog machine), set the holes facing up. When it was close to the scene we had crew bring out the pipe and fog machine, she walked over it and then we sent a "fog curtain" in front of her and she then just walked off stage.
	IP Logged

directorjm Player Joined: 10/09/11 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 10	Posted: 11/09/12 at 8:10am
	Not sure what you mean by "nor do we have room for a second floor" but when we did it we faked a staircase to a "second floor" and used the landing (about five steps up, I think) as the location for the "dissolving" (also used it for the cellar in Act I).
	IP Logged

pdavis69 Celebrity Joined: 3/26/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 437	Posted: 11/19/12 at 8:40am
	I have done this show twice now. Both times I had Ellard standing on the trap door to the cellar. I hinged the wall behind him so when he set off flash paper in his hand the lights went out and he just stepped back through the wall and it closed behind him. As for not having room to do a basement for the trap door, we didnt either. I built a 3 ft high box with a lid aginst the back wall. The actor entered the box from the back and pretended to climb a ladder out of it.
	Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse
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fatdogmgk Walk-On Joined: 10/25/12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Posted: 11/19/12 at 3:39pm
	I have directed it before and we used the same solution as directorjm, a short staircase, leading to a landing, and the trap being in the top of the landing. Peace Marc
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vickifrank Celebrity Joined: 9/21/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 332	Posted: 11/20/12 at 8:07am
	A scrim?
	_____________ http://www.studio-productions-inc.com 1-800-359-2964 The theater scrim people
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SamD Lead Joined: 6/25/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 39	Posted: 3/21/13 at 8:05pm
	Thanks, for your replies, everyone. We've only 10 feet from the stage to the ceiling, so we're pretty limited. I've got a FX guy on it and we'll probably end up doing the platform/stair fake. Thanks again!
	IP Logged