SFX
SFX
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What are special effects?
What are special effects?
Special effects (SFX) are used to influence the mood and reactions of the audience. It adds a sense of realism into a production, adding emotion and feelings into a piece without using words or speech. SFX can mean either Sound effects or Special effects.
Special effects can be separated into two main sections: Mechanical and optical effects.
Mechanical effects are practical or physical effects. These are usually done during filming and include props, scenery, scale models, animatronics, pyrotechnics, and atmosphere enhancers (such as mist or fog).
Optical effects are added in the postproduction stage. They are usually created photographically and include placing actors and set against different backgrounds.
Mechanical effects:
Mechanical effects:
Mechanical, practical, or physical effects are created or made during the live action shooting of a production. Things like moving props, animatronics, pyrotechnics, prosthetics, and makeup are all examples of practical effects, as they are being created on the day of shooting and require no computer-generated imagery or postproduction techniques to be completed.
These effects could include things like:
Gunfire
Gunfire
Gunfire is created using sound and lighting to imitate the flash and bang of a shooting gun. These effects do not tend to have many restrictions; however, the bang cannot exceed 137Db (at its peak) and people should be aware a flashing lights before the production.
Squibs are used together with sound to create the illusion of a gunshot wound. They are designed to squirt blood directly out to give the impression of a bullet creating the wound. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet_hit_squib#:~:text=A%20bullet%20hit%20squib%20or,person%20being%20shot%20and%20wounded.
Bullet wounds
Bullet wounds
Bullet wounds are created using make-up and fake blood to look like a bullet wound. These are used mainly for close up work but are effective regardless. Patch tests should be done on each actor to ensure they have no reactions to any the products used.
Fire
Fire
Fake fire is created with lighting and smoke machines when using real fire isn't possible. LED lights are shined up through a thin layer of mist to create the illusion of fire. Pair that illusion with fire crackling sound effects and you have a ‘real’ fire! This is a great alternative to fire for theatres and enclosed spaces especially because there are very little risks involved in them, the only risks being that a fire alarm might go off because of the vapour and people may believe they struggle to breathe because of the ‘smoke.’ This is completely psychosomatic (your brain is making you think it is happening) and can actually add to the realism of the piece.
Explosions and Pyrotechnics
Explosions and Pyrotechnics
Explosions/Pyrotechnics usually use some kind of real flame, so are a lot riskier and require more safety procedures than fake fire. Explosions can be made in 2 ways: with a pyro (which is a readymade explosion in a cup but does require specialist equipment and can be expensive very quickly!) or an air cannon filled with baby powder (which is a cheaper and easier to access way of doing it, however it still comes with its risks.) When creating any kind of explosion, you need to assess any risks that could present themselves and determine how likely they are to happen, how they would happen and how to prevent them from happening, and how to proceed if they do happen (otherwise known as a risk assessment). When using Pyrotechnics, even more care needs to be taken. Pyrotechnics can range from small fireballs created using flash paper and flint, to huge flamethrowers created with propane gas and a lot of fire extinguishers on standby! These kind of pyrotechnics require a thorough risk assessment and often also require licences and legal processes to be followed before they can be used, and fire officers are either designated or sent to ensure these procedures are followed and everyone is safe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omn9OXRwTro
https://2pop.calarts.edu/student-handbook/open-flames-on-set/
https://risk.arizona.edu/campus-safety/fire-safety/open-flame-pyrotechnics
Prosthetics and make-up
Prosthetics and make-up
Prosthetics and makeup are used to change the appearance of a character. This can be used to age someone, make them look younger, create new alien lifeforms, or anything that you can imagine and realistically execute. Makeup tends to include graphic makeup, such as cuts or wound as well, they usually are referred to as ‘SFX makeup’. Makeup, prosthetics and SFX Makeup are one of the most crucial parts of a characters look and can also take the longest to do and re-do. Products used for makeup are one of the quickest to see wear and tear and lose their appearance, (think foundation going cakey, or fake blood drying out), so constant application and re-application is needed to maintain the characters look.
Masks and suits
Masks and suits
Masks and creature suits are used to transform an actor into a character in the quickest way possible. Masks and suits can be adapted to fit any kind of character and are very quick for the actor to take on and off, so are perfect for quick changes and multirole playing actors. That being said, creature suits and masks can also be very intricate and require hours to be put on and taken off. A quick example of a suit or mask change are Halloween costumes. Typically they require little effort to slide on and off and are designed to be taken on and off quickly (as the target audience, tends not to stay still for long!). An example of a long process is ‘The Grinch’. The mix of green fur, prosthetics and contacts took hours to apply and had to be re-applied every day throughout filming.
Puppets
Puppets
Puppets are used when people, just aren't an option! Either for creative reasons or logistical reasons, puppets are used when people aren't capable of fulfilling the role. There are many kinds of puppetry however, that range from simple finger puppets (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_puppet#:~:text=A%20finger%20puppet%20is%20a,one%20or%20two%20fingers%20into) up to life-size puppets that are attached to a person that moves and talks on that puppet's behalf (https://winniethepoohshow.com). Puppetry has been used for centuries (first recorded in 5th century BC) as an entertainment source because of how effective, simple, and easy to source it is.
Animatronics
Animatronics
Animatronics are like electronic puppets. Again, they are used when a person is not an option for what is required. Places like Theme parks use animatronics for their rides because it's cheaper, more reliable, and just as realistic as getting a person to do the job. An example of an animatronic is at the Natural history Museum in London UK. In the dinosaur exhibit they have an animatronic of a T-Rex. They have done this to help immerse the visitors in just how this animal might have moved, behaved, and sounded, all adding to the experience at the museum. Theatre makers do this too, just on a smaller scale.
Scale models
Scale models
Scale models are used in the theatre when size is being ‘distorted’ and what I mean by that, is when things are made to seem bigger or smaller than they actually are, whilst still being dimensionally accurate to the real thing. For example, the story ‘Thumbelina’ follows a character who is the size of a thumb and longs for someone her own size (only being surrounded by regular sized people and things). Scale models would have to be made of this production to show that although the actor who plays Thumbelina may be 5ft 6 inchs, the actual character ‘Thumbelina’ is only 2 inches max. This means that mushrooms and other objects would need to be made bigger to give the impression of Thumbelina being small, relative to the objects around her.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumbelina_(1994_film)
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/playing-with-scale-national-theatre/awWhDVSTan5fKQ?hl=en
Aerial rigging
Aerial rigging
Mechanical effects like aerial rigging are used to give the appearance of an object or character flying. If we think of Wicked for example, Elphaba is lifted up and ‘flys’ at the end of Defying Gravity. How does she do that? Its all down to carefully wired harnesses and safety gimbles above the stage to ensure that the actor can be lifted off the ground and safely dangle there until they can be lowered again. These kinds of effects come with risks as you are working at hight and are relying on safety harnesses to keep you there, therefore; practice runs, planning and risk assessments all have to be undertaken before performing using these effects.
Gimbles
Gimbles
Stage mounted gimbles are a super effective tool to make the environment move with the actors. They are used in both film and stage work and require a lot of training before hand to ensure that the actors do not get hurt during the performance. Because the stage/ footing under the actors is literally moving beneath them, risk assessments, trial runs and safety procedures all must be put in place or done to eliminate any potential risk to the actors. For example; During the stage production of ‘Titanic’, when the ship is tilting while its sinking (spoiler alert), the upper deck of the stage actually tilts with it, showing that the ship is sinking. During rehearsals, the actors would have had to practice this for hours, with every possibility of injury being considered and prepped against and every possible risk being discussed, assessed, and accounted for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryp32MFDzEs (watch from 1:57:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4FAg5A4wQk (watch from 1:35)
Weather effects
Weather effects
Weather effects such as sprinkler systems to create rain and fog machines to create smoke are used to enhance the atmosphere of a production piece. They add to the tension and atmosphere of the scene but come with risks and so must be closely monitored when they are being used. Risk assessments, test runs, and safety procedures must be carried out and put in place when using these effects, but they are extremely effective when used. An example is a cemetery at night: it will be much more eerie, spooky, and atmospheric if there is a thin mist on stage, as opposed to a clear stage. Another example is with rain makers or sprinklers. Imagine the classic, romantic kissing in the rain moment. Not so romantic without the rain, is it? Still good but could be better.
Optical effects:
Optical effects:
Optical (or photographic) effects are: “the techniques in which images or film frames are created photographically, either "in-camera" using multiple exposure, mattes or the Schüfftan process or in post-production using an optical printer. An optical effect might be used to place actors or sets against a different background.”- taken from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effect#:~:text=Optical%20effects%20(also%20called%20photographic,production%20using%20an%20optical%20printer.
What this means is that effects are created using the camera or equipment used to film or edit the piece, rather than props, costumes, Actors or set.
Multiple exposure
Multiple exposure
When you use multiple exposure, you effectively merge multiple images into one e.g.
Mattes
Mattes
When you are using mattes, you are combining elements of images to create your piece. Usually, they are used to put an actor or scene Infront of a specific background, but they have many uses across the entertainment and gaming industry.
The Schufftan Process
The Schufftan Process
The Schufftan process was named after German inventor Eugen Schufftan. It involves placing a piece of glass at a 45-degree angle between the camera and the scene and outlining where the actors are to be positioned. This is then transferred to a mirror and is a similar process to ’peppers ghost,’ a 19th century stage technique, and gives the impression of an object on stage that isn't. An Optical printer is a singular or group of projections that allow re-filming for a scene, without building the scene again.
Sound Effects:
Sound Effects:
Sound effects (SFX) come in many types:
Background or soft effects, are used to create ambiance in the scene, e.g. leaves rustling.
Loop group or Walla effects are sounds that are murmured or unclear, e.g. crowd mumbles.
Off screen sounds are when a sound effect is used off screen, e.g. police sirens.
Foley effects are used to compliment a character's actions and are often created by a Foley artist (audio engineer) e.g. footsteps
Design effects are made up of sounds that would not usually exist and are often merged with other sounds to create something new e.g. alien noises or technology.
Who is out there?
Who is out there?
Because of the health and safety risks, costs and management that comes with SFX and SFX equipment, there are companies out there who specialise in taking care of all that for a production. Companies like:
https://www.stage-electrics.co.uk/Category/947/stage-special-effects
https://www.sfxsupplies.co.uk/collections/indoor-pyrotechnics
https://www.treasurehouseofmakeup.co.uk/performance-sfx.html
cover a wide range of special effects, including pyrotechnics, prosthetics, smoke, fire, and other weather effects and so are perfect for companies who do not specialise in, but need SFX for the production.
Health and safety laws
Health and safety laws
Health and safety rules and regulations constantly change as the industry develops. The health and safety of filming 50 years ago is much different to todays regulations, so it is good to keep as up to date as possible with current regulations and standards.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/special-effect.htm
https://naomidlynch.com/2012/08/02/sfx-makeup-artists-and-duty-of-care/
https://www.artsonthemove.co.uk/education/health-and-safety.php
Gloucester welcomes refugees raises money for refugees in Gloucester and one of their team contacted the higher education PA department at Gloucester college to help them raise money at Halloween.
They commissioned us to put on a mix of an escape room and Halloween walkthrough type experience, and were incredibly open to any ideas we had, so we all started brainstorming and Misty started writing a script so we would have a starting point. Once the script was written we had a production meeting and discussed who would undertake which backstage role. I wanted to do SFX and so was left in charge of creating SFX props and applying SFX makeup for the performance.
The Script
The Script
This script was written with the intention of scaring or surprising people. Due to the nature of the commission (Halloween escape room), the atmosphere needs to be creepy, eerie, and put people on edge, so that when the characters are acting, the audience's reaction to their scares, stories or actions are amplified and give them more of an experience. So, we need to choose SFX that amplify and add to the tension even more. Things like sound effects, moving props, fireballs and lighting effects are the usual go-to's for creating tension, but not all of them are practical for the venue or type of performance that we were working on. Sound and lighting effects were very easy for us to incorporate into our piece, as we had a fully rigged theatre as our venue. The lights and speakers were already set up, so all we needed to do was programme the commands and create the cue lists. Using any type of pyrotechnic was not possible for this production. Not only did we not have the equipment needed for pyrotechnics, but because of how closely we were interacting with the audience, it would not be safe for us to use any kind of fire or flash paper. It also would not be possible because of the enclosed space we were working in. Even small flames should be done outside if possible but, in the theatre, the fire hazard risks are increased a lot because of the curtains, confined space, and electrical systems in the theatre, so it was better just to leave fire out of the production. Moving props was an option but it would have to be a simulated moving prop. If we used lighting and sound carefully, we might be able to give the impression of one of the props (i.e. The Heart) ‘beating’ to make it seem fresh.
First, I went through the script to see what SFX would be needed in each room. In the first room (the Bear room in the back room), there needs to be lighting but otherwise there is no SFX needed in that room. Then in room two (the Train room), there again is no SFX needed except lighting. The mannequin room is where more SFX are required. This room is the final room in the escape room experience and so this is the room people will be left with a final memory of. In this room, we decided to include a ‘heart,’ in a jar that the audience must put their hand in with to find one of the keys, to escape the room, as well as lighting and sound effects throughout. The heart will be the main SFX prop that needs to be made, the other SFX will be done on the day of performing (like makeup and face paints). The walkways were clear, apart from the walkways from room 2 into room 3. This walkway was designed to have glowsticks hanging down from the ceiling, so that audience have more things to avoid or potentially brush up against. This will be done by draping and securing netting over the walkway and onto the boards surrounding the walkway. We will then drape some ‘cobwebs’ over the top and tie the glowsticks around the squares.
Then I analysed the script to find out which characters would need SFX makeup. There are 8 characters in total: The Crocodile, The Train Conductor, Laurie, The Little Girl, Jack, The Mannequin man, The CEO and the Tour guide. The Crocodile and Mannequin man were in full body suits or creature suits, so no SFX makeup was required for their characters. The Train conductor and the CEO only required minimal SFX makeup. The Train conductor required red eyes to show that his eyes became bloodshot during his death and coal marks to show he was dirty from work. The CEO required eye bags to show malnourishment and a small cut on his cheek to add to the characters mystery. Laurie and the Little Girl required a little more SFX makeup because they had to show pale skin, meaning the whole face needed to be covered in a light foundation. Then the Little Girl was due to have a ripped mouth (think stretched smile style) but, due to reactions to the latex, we changed our plans, so the Little Girl would have eye bags and pale skin. Laurie needed pale skin, doll like cheeks, cracks and holes across her forehead and cheeks, and blood drips coming from her eyes. Jack and the Tour Guide required the most SFX. Jack needed a white face, blindfolded eyes and red and blue triangles above and below his eyes, whilst the Tour Guide needed to have her mouth 'sewn' shut. I then asked Hollyann and Basia to draw out what each character needed to look like, so I would have a visual guide to go by when applying the SFX makeup to the actors.
The Train Conductor
The CEO
The Little Girl
Laurie
Jack
Crocodile- No drawing needed
Mannequin man- No drawing needed
The Tour Guide- Applying herself
Once all the effects were decided, I created a shopping list of things I needed to create the SFX I was in charge of. For the SFX Makeup, I would need:
liquid Latex
cotton pads
foundation
red, white, blue and black face paint
red, brown, purple and blue eyeshadows
Black eyeliner
Micellar water or makeup remover
Eyebrow razors
Fake blood
And for the Heart I would need:
air drying clay
red acrylic paint
fake blood
black paint
blue paint
paintbrushes
small LED lights
One they were delivered...I could start!
What I did and How?
What I did and How?
First I started off testing out all the products I needed to use, finding out roughly how long it would take to do each effect, practicing what I was supposed to do for each effect and figuring out what effects work and what dont.
Here is the practice I did for Jacks makeup. I started with freshly shaven legs and put on a thick coat of white face paint with a black face paint line for the blindfold. Next, I painted the first coat of diamonds on. Because of the white face paint underneath, it took a while to get the right colour (as the white lightened the colour each time I applied it) and required roughly 3 coats to reach the intensity that we needed. Then, I added in pink dots for cheeks and went over the red triangles with fake blood to give the impression of bleeding eyes. Overall it took about 20 minutes to complete but when applying next, i'll avoid using the white face paint where the triangles are supposed to be to avoid the colour lightening.
Here is the practice for the Train Conductors makeup. I started with freshly shaven legs and used an eyeshadow to roughly colour in where the eyes are supposed to be. Once I'd done that, I used a combination of red and purple eyeshadow to outline the black eye shape, to give the impression of bloodshot and black eyes. Finally, I used a face sponge and black face paint to add on 'coal' marks across the leg. Overall, this went well but I need to be careful how much red eyeshadow I use, as it is very easy to go overboard with it.
Here is the practice done for the CEOs makeup. I started with freshly shaven legs* and applied black eyeshadow to roughly where the eyes are. Then I used a mix of brown and purple eyeshadow to give the impression of sunken in eyes. Next, I used a pair of scissors to cut a cotton pad into a small rectangle. I then cut the rectangle almost completely in half, with the joins at the edges, not in the centre. I then used liquid latex to cover the bottom of the pad and placed it where it is designed to go in relation to the eyes. I then went around the outside of the cotton pad with liquid latex to secure it down. Next I used a mix of red and black face paint and fake blood inside the hole in the latex, to create the effect of an open wound. After that I blended in the latex cotton pad with my skin and finished with another coat of brown and purple eyeshadow to deepen the eyes. Overall, this design isn't a practical one for the effect we are trying to achieve, in the time frame we have to achieve it in. The cotton pad is too close to the eye for me to safely and effectively (ish) blend it into the skin, and this effect took roughly half an hour to put on and dry fully. We don't have that much time prior to shows, so I needed to come up with a quicker alternative. I've decided that, on the day of performing, I wont use a cotton pad and liquid latex, instead using a combination of red and black face paint and fake blood only to create the wound, but sticking with the brown and purple eyeshadow to make the sunken in eyes.
*(as we are using liquid latex, if you don't use skin that freshly shaven, you'll essentially give yourself a free wax during the removal process.)
Here is the practice for the Little Girls makeup. I started by using a black eyeshadow to outline roughly where the eyes are, and a black eyeliner to draw out where the mouth would be. Next, I used a combination of purple and brown eyeshadow to create bags under the eyes, and used red face paint to fill in the lips. Then I used a metal spatula to form a little worm out of scar wax (originally going to use latex but a reaction occurred) and carefully blended it into the corners of the lips on both sides. I then used fake blood and red face paint to cover the scar wax and give the stretched smile look. Overall, this look is not a practical one to do on the day. Due to latex reactions, scar wax would need to be used, and scar wax is very difficult to apply. Because of the consistency of scar wax, it is best handled cold and with damp fingers to prevent it sticking to you, however, it is very difficult to get it to stay where its meant to be. You need to push the bottom of the wax down and into the skin to create a 'join' for the wax to use (similarly to joining clay together), but you need to use the spatula to push it in, so what's holding the wax in place? Your fingers, which it easily gets stuck to instead...see the issue? When trying to apply SFX quickly and under pressure, scar wax is not the right way to go. I've decided to just eliminate the stretched smile and focus on her eye bags instead, so on the day, only a foundation base and the eyebags will need to be applied.
Patch Tests
Patch Tests
As SFX artist, I had to consider all the health and safety aspects of SFX and one of the main concerns i had was if any of the SFX products would cause reactions from the actors, (one of the main products is liquid latex. Latex is a known allergen, hence why you get latex free gloves...and other products...) so I had to organise 'Patch tests' to test for that allergen on every* actor. I did my patch tests in 2 stages:
*(the ones I was applying products too)
Stage 1 - applying a small amount of product to an area on the wrist/inner arm area. I started here because its a sensitive part of the body (so will react quickest if there is a reaction), but is not close to the airway so, if there is a reaction, there's no risk of compromised breathing.
Stage 2 (only completed if no reaction was present in stage 1) - applying a small amount of product on the skin behind or just below the ear. This area is the most sensitive and most likely to react if a reaction is going to occur. However, because of how close this test is to the airway, if a reaction does occur, there is a much higher risk of anaphylaxis and compromised breathing. Therefore, a risk assessment of the SFX risk assessment needs to be done (a risk assessment of a risk assessment...omg) to determine the safest way to carry out the patch tests, hence, adding in step 1. Step 1 meant that I could 'test the waters' of the actors, and see if any of them would react in a much more controlled way than leaping straight into the deep end and patch testing on the neck, (call me paranoid, but I grew up with an engineer for a mother, who does very thorough risk assessments daily, its second nature now!)
Stage 1 tests:
Jay- No reaction
Hollyann- No reaction but no reason to progress to Stage 2, as latex unneeded
Basia- Small reaction detected on hand at time. Progressing to stage 2 with caution
Elijah- No reaction but no reason to progress to Stage 2, as latex unneeded
Ryan- No reaction
Stage 2 tests:
Basia- Reaction detected but not visible. Itching, burning and tingling sensations described and so test was discontinued and plans changed for her characters makeup look.
Ryan- No reaction detected but plans changed due to time on day to apply.
Jay- Reaction detected but not visible. Itching and tingling sensation described so test was discontinued. Costume chosen was adapted which meant that no latex was required.
The Heart
The Heart
The Heart was my main SFX prop and was going to the the hardest and longest one to make. I started off using the airdrying clay and a pair of gloves (to protect my hands from the clay, and keep the clay from going off in my hands!) and started making a pear shape. Once I had made a pear shape, I squished down the pointy end so that it looked more like a wonky oval (Pic 1). Once that was done I got a new piece of clay and rolled it into 2 sausages. I then attached one sausage at both ends to the fat end of the heart to create an 'artery', and joined the clay together using scores and pushing the top clay into the bottom clay with the back of my nail or the clay tools. I then used the other sausage and attached one end behind the artery, and used my nail and finger to make a hole in the other end, then pinching the rim and expanding it out, making it look like a severed vein (Pic 2). I then made another 4 sausages and fixed them on one side at varying points across the top of the heart, showing more arteries or veins being cut, and pinched out the other ends to show an opening. Once this was done, I found somewhere safe and restricted for it to dry out. I expected it to take 3-ish days to dry so left it over the weekend but it ended up taking close to a week to dry fully and for me to be able to paint it.
Once the Heart was fully dry, I started off with a thin layer of red face paint across the whole Heart ( Pic 3). Once I had finished applying the first coat, I noticed that a lot of the paint had come off onto my hands, or had been absorbed by the clay and was dry, so I went over the entire heart again in red face paint to apply a 2nd coat. I then went over the Heart a third time, but this time with a thin black face paint to darken the red and provide some texture to the heart (as the cracks in the clay made the black stand out more, providing shadow and realism to the prop). I also used black face paint in the 'holes' in the veins/arteries to make them look more 3D and like they are actually going into the heart (Pic 4). I let the black paint dry and then put a thin layer of fake blood across the whole Heart, then going back to add squirts of blood into the veins, cracks, accents and wherever was needed to make the heart look realistic (Pic 5).
I then took the Heart and some extra blood for touch ups, up to the photography studio and did a photoshoot! I tried using lots of different lighting colours, brightness's and types, but found that just 2 medium strength warm lights were the best ones to use. I attempted to use a red light above to give it a creepy red glow, but it overpowered the Heart, even on the lowest level.
Finally, here is the Heart on performance day! I found a large glass container and stuck the LED strip lights inside the container (to light the Heart as effectively as possible) and then used black tape to cover the LED lights from the outside. After that, I found a roll of tape to balance the Heart on and covered that and the surrounding area with cotton pads, to make it appear to float or rest gently on them. Finally, I placed the Heart into the jar and re-applied the fake blood spray to freshen it up. I then wiped off any blood splats from the glass, plugged the light's USB into a portable charger and set it to a low red light.
Risk assessments
Risk assessments
The risk assessments....
Not only was it important to do thorough risk assessments because its part of the course, but also because it makes us really think about the work we're doing and the possible repercussions and scenarios that may take place because our actions.
What are risk assessments?
What are risk assessments?
A risk assessment is an assessment of potential and existing risks in the workplace, how they pose a risk and how big of a risk they impose.
For example:
You've spilt some water on the theatre vinyl floor.
What do you do? - You leave the water.
What could happen? - Someone could slip on it (large risk and high probability), and cause injury to themselves; ranging from a bit of a bruise (low impact or small injury), to head injury and concussion (high impact and life altering injury).
What should you do to eliminate or decrease the risk of someone injuring themselves? - You place a wet floor sign down and then clean up the spill, ensuring the floor is fully dry before removing the wet floor sign.
Unfortunately, in a theatre, there are lots of existing and potential risks already, let alone when you add a Halloween project into the mix.
Things like burning bulbs, genie lift protocols, falling lights and speakers are already risk assessed and have had precautions put in place by the college, as it is a shared area and they have to ensure it is safe for people to be in. We took this existing risk assessment and updated it to fit the theatre as it is now and how we would be setting it up for the production.
The biggest thing we had to consider as a group were trip hazards. As this was an interactive walkthrough, we had partitioning board legs to highlight and expose (to make it obvious its there), lighting wires to tape down (so they wouldn't get tangled around feet) and props to secure so they wouldn't stray and be a potentially unplanned for hazard. We spent time going round and highlighting all the board legs with neon tape, so that even when the lights were limited, there was the best possible chance at seeing the boards legs, and avoiding them. We also made sure that all wiring for birdies and electrics in all three rooms was taped down as well as any in the corridors. We did this so that all the wires will stay firmly secured to the ground and so wont get caught up around the audiences or actors feet during the show. Finally, because of the nature of the production, the set and props are going to get moved and thrown around, so there is a risk of someone moving a piece of set and causing an injury to themselves or others because of it (e.g. moving it into a busy backstage route, or attempting to move scenery or props that are too heavy.) We decided to keep the scenery and props as minimal as possible and secure any heavy or unnecessary set down, so that people would realise its not meant to move, and so will not move it.
Here is the Halloween spooktacular overall risk assessment!
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