Pippin Finale
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1983
Printed Date: 4/29/24 at 1:17pm
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Topic: Pippin Finale
Posted By: Act_1
Subject: Pippin Finale
Date Posted: 8/22/06 at 5:11pm
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My friend is the Technical director for PIPPIN. She Is having trouble with the finale when the person is suposed to be burned alive. She can't use fir because its in a middle school. she was thinking about using fog but she is worried that it will set off the fire alarms. So she was gonna use fog but keep it comtained in a glass box and then release the fog after the show outside. her deadline is soon and any ideas are helpful, Thanks |
Replies:
Posted By: dboris
Date Posted: 8/23/06 at 12:19pm
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A fog machine may be the best option, along with some lighting effects. You can get a special type of fluid (Rosco calls it Stage and Studio fluid) that will create more of a low hanging fog that will stay away from you smoke detectors. Even normal fog fluid usually isn't a problem with smoke alarms unless you are pumping out a lot of it. The glass box idea probably isn't a good one, since to keep the fog in the box would have to be nearly air tight and this wouldn't be too healthy for the actor inside. |
Posted By: EddyZ
Date Posted: 8/23/06 at 6:00pm
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(I've not seen Pippin, so I don't know if the accompanying sketch looks
anything like what this scene in Pippin should look like, but hopefully
it's still enough to get the drift.) You can accomplish a pretty impressive burning at the stake with a backdrop, a nice flame gobo/projection and a couple of lights within the pyre (whats a good stake-burning without a nice pyre, right?) itself, something like this:  Best thing is, it's smoke machine optional. In fact, it'd probably look better without the smoke. Let us know how it turns out! ------------- EddyZ http://webpages.atlanticbb.net/~ezahurak/ - http://webpages.atlanticbb.net/~ezahurak/ http://www.nailsouptheatre.com - www.nailsouptheatre.com/ |
Posted By: Act_1
Date Posted: 8/23/06 at 11:42pm
| Thanks for all the Great Ideas!!! I will present these ideas to my friend and see what she thinks. |
Posted By: Joan54
Date Posted: 8/24/06 at 7:45am
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I only ever tried fog once and it set off the smoke detectors. A low tech way maybe to get some of the fake candles and torches that they sell ( lots online...try fake candles) they are lights with little fans that blow red streamers around to simulate flames.....a little corny but a lot less technical. ------------- "behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede" |
Posted By: KenW
Date Posted: 8/24/06 at 4:00pm
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When we did "Pippin", we staged it somewhat '70's style and used a dummy with fake flames to suggest the burning at the stake. We called it Flame Boy. |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 8/25/06 at 2:45am
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I like EddyZ idea of using the black gauze/scrim to give the lighting
transposition effect using the gobo?s [BOGO?s - which I believe is a
more theatrically descriptive of the original effect acronym - but
that?s another story!} You can do a very simple fire effect using fluorescent starters with colored globes, connected in series in the active &/or negative circuit of the lamps. However in all cases it is advisable to have this done by a qualified electrician. You can use the flouro/starter with the fire gobo?s on a dimmer patch circuit. However it?s normal practice with fire alarm systems when using smoke on stage, to isolate first any of the alarm zones that could be effected. Remembering that smoke has a mind of it?s own & will be effected by the slightest draught o&/or air movement, therefore smoke has the ability to permiate into other & adjacent zones very easily, which can cause a false alarm & become embarrassing when the firemen front up during the performance . It is the best policy & practice to have someone who is competent, to be in attendance at the Fire indicator Panel [FIP], to reset the alarm zone after use & when the alarm zone area clears of smoke. Normally if there is a Direct Brigade Alarm [DBA] fitted & monitoring the FIP. it is also a preferred practice to inform the local Fire Brigade. That the DBA is being isolated & for the length of time it will be in that state. In all cases It is a simple procedure to accomplish this, as all FIP?s have under the standard fire code, operational instructions inside the panel. ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: EddyZ
Date Posted: 8/25/06 at 6:53am
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[Hmmmm. Actually, I hadn't thought to use a scrim in there, I was
just showing the different "layers" to the effect, but I _really_ do
like the idea of using a scrim in there -- that's a great idea!] I found a rather cheap lighting instrument that projects flames that might work well off-the-shelf for such an effect: http://www.starmgc.com/fireburst.html There's a quicktime movie of the instrument in action, too. I kinda like it. I'm half considering buying this thing just to run in full-time on one of the walls of my home office. :) ------------- EddyZ http://webpages.atlanticbb.net/~ezahurak/ - http://webpages.atlanticbb.net/~ezahurak/ http://www.nailsouptheatre.com - www.nailsouptheatre.com/ |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 8/25/06 at 7:46pm
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For anybody in the New York, CT, MA, NJ areas, the production of "Pippin" at
Goodspeed Opera (with Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees as Charlemagne, no less LOL) is FABULOUS. All the special effects were awesome....better, even, than I remember of the Broadway production. The finale was accomplished totally with lights, fog, firepots and mirrors ... gorgeous. Well, almost totally, LOL - the entire metal set revolved AND rotated during the number. If you can make a performance, it's well worth the drive. I think it's running through September. |
Posted By: bmiller025
Date Posted: 8/25/06 at 10:32pm
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A high school production that I did a few years back did it with a specially designed wagon that had both a fog machine and several lighting instruments in it. Pippin climbed on the wagon, they held up a red cloth in front of him, and the fog and lights went. Quite exciting. There are photos of the production, as well as one of the moment in question at: http://members.aol.com/bmiller025/Pippin.htm - http://members.aol.com/bmiller025/Pippin.htm I can't imagine having to water down the show enough to be done at a middle school! My hat is off to you! ------------- http://www.brianmiller.biz/BrianDesign.htm |
Posted By: castMe
Date Posted: 8/27/06 at 11:14am
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Eddy, can you please tell us how you insert those great "sketches" in
your post. It sure would cut down on long narratives (exposition
[laying pipe in the movie vernacular], as important as it is, sucks)
Being a visual person, I get along better when I can see it. Thanks Chris ------------- Investigate. Imagine. Choose. |
Posted By: EddyZ
Date Posted: 8/27/06 at 7:36pm
Sure thing -- There's a button on the "post reply" form that has a little tree on it. ( 
). Click there, and up will pop a box asking for the URL of the
image you want to display. Enter the URL to the image, and click
the "OK" button.This requires that you have the image you want to add to the page somewhere on the internet -- I use my personal web space at my ISP, but there are photo sharing sites out there or free web space providers that you could use as well. Just save your doodle in a web-compatible format (gif, jpg, png), upload it to your web space, and then use the "Add Image" button there to include it in a post. ------------- EddyZ http://webpages.atlanticbb.net/~ezahurak/ - http://webpages.atlanticbb.net/~ezahurak/ http://www.nailsouptheatre.com - www.nailsouptheatre.com/ |