SFX 2
Embedded Files
Welcome back to SFX! With me, Charlotte Rich!!
Last year I learnt about SFX and created a fake heart plus injuries on actors for our Halloween spooktacular, and I really enjoyed it...unfortunately, due to the nature of the production (small enclosed space with members of the public interacting with the actors), I couldn't get to play with any pyrotechnics....until now!
Pyrotechnics and other visual effects have always fascinated me and I have found them epic-ly cool since I first saw fireworks when I was 3, so I have decided to do some SFX work with pyrotechnics this term, because, why not? But lets refresh ourselves on what SFX are and the policies, procedures and trends that go with them.
What are SFX?
What are SFX?
Special effects (SFX) are used to add to the atmosphere of the production, and sway the moods and reactions of audience members. It also can add a realistic atmosphere to a piece, helping immerse the audience into the show, while adding emotion and feelings into a piece without the use of speech. SFX covers a wide range of effects including; makeup, lighting, prosthetics, puppetry, CGI, pyrotechnics, Sound, Optical and Mechanical effects (all covered in more detail in SFX 1). Here are some to remind us though:
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 and Squibs
Gunfire and Squibs
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XSrzTBHL58
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.
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.
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 to create the effect.
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.
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.
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.
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 kept 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
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
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.
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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVFasUmGztw
Off screen sounds are when a sound effect is used off screen, e.g. police sirens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKieGUH9pzg
Foley effects are used to compliment a character's actions and are often created by a Foley artist (audio engineer) e.g. footsteps
Choreographed stunts
Choreographed stunts may not seem like a type of special effect, but the result upon the audience is the same as an explosion, lighting sequence or sound effect. It wows them and adds to the ambiance of the scene. Stunts (in film, television or stage) are ALWAYS choreographed. If they are not choreographed they are fights or accidents, not stunts. The difference between a fight/accident and a stunt is simple, the safety of it. A fight or accident is; random, unchoreographed and dangerous, whereas a stunt is; choreographed, practiced/rehearsed, supervised by trained professionals and created to be as safe as possible for the actors involved. A great example of a choreographed fight is from 'Kill Bill'. The kicks, throws, punches and knife work must be choreographed and executed perfectly, else the actors risk getting seriously hurt. An example of a choreographed stunt is from 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'. At the end of the film, Dwayne Johnson is tasked to ride a motorcycle up a stature of a jaguar, throw a rope around the jaguars nose, ride the motorcycle off the jaguar, swing around in an arc and land on the jaguars head. All of this needed to be very carefully planned out, practiced and assessed in order to make sure that: a) there was no risk of the motorcycle flying off and hurting someone, and b)there was no risk to the actor while the rest of the scene was being done.
Computer generated Backgrounds
Computer Generated backgrounds are basicly what they say on the box. Backgrounds that have been generated (created) by a computer. These backgrounds can be used in photos, videos or games and allow for either realistic or fantastical scenes to be created when its not possible to be done live.
Motion capture
Motion capture is similar to CGI, however it uses an actors real movements and translates them onto a Generated character on screen. A good way to think of it is "full-body digital makeup" (quoted from the source website). The process involves an actor (or actors) getting into tight-fitting (so as to get as accurate translations as possible) suit and then having digital markers placed in key areas over their body such as joints and the face. These digital markers then record the actors movements, as they do them, into the motion-capture cameras which saves the data ready to be translated into the character.
CGI
CGI is a broad term used for any imagery that's computer made. CGI stands for Computer Generated Imagery and Its self explanatory. Images (either still or moving) that are created by a computer. CGI is used for all sorts of things; Film, television, video games, Virtual reality, Art and advertising are just a few examples where CGI is used commonly because of how versatile it is.
LED screens
LED screens are the next level up from Green screens. They use computers to cast pre-set or designed backgrounds onto a huge LED screen that then shows that background in real time for the actors and cameras.
Camera Lenses
SFX Camera lenses are used to add dynamics and artistic flare to a project directly from the camera, and without the use of computers or post production editing. These lenses distort, blur, alter colours, and control how much light is let into the cameras nodal point (where the picture is taken at) which then alters how the image or video comes out.
https://crkphotoimaging.com.au/lenses/special-effects-lenses
AI
Artificial intelligence has had a huge increase in popularity since 2023 because it can do so many things. Its mostly used to help create complex simulations/backgrounds that include natural occurrences such as fire, smoke and water in the Performance industry, and to help sort through the pre-production and post-production elements, including; audition tapes, schedules, sound editing, advertisement material and administration tasks.
The Project idea
The Project idea
This Project idea came about in around May 2024. I had sent Josh (a classmate) an Instagram video of a man who had made a dinosaur Halloween costume (the video has since been deleted so I cant show it). He had inspired it from those wooden dinosaur models you can make, made it big enough for him to fit and walk in, attached some electric Blue LED strip lights and VIOLA! A dinosaur costume! I though it looked amazing and (half jokingly) said that I wish I had done it for SFX 1. Having an engineer as a mum made me think that I had the brain power to figure this puzzle out and the costume looked absolutely wicked! Josh agreed, It was cool. So cool that we showed Sonia and I explained my ingenious idea to her. Sonia said the idea sounded amazing and this half-joke was slowly turning into project proposal. After more thinking and informal chats, I decided that I actually wanted to give this a go, really push myself (because I've only ever done basic carpentry) and create something that was completely new and unique to me. So... here we are... Sonia named this unit, "Don't trilobite off more than you can chew"... I was too busy rolling my eyes at the pun to listen...
(From 4:08 to 4:20 is the section I'm taking inspiration from)
I started by having a look at the supplies college already has that I could use to create the Dinosaur body. They had lots of small bits and pieces but none that I thought looked strong enough to be weight bearing, and any bits that were strong enough, weren't long enough. Any bits of long and strong wood were too heavy for a person to wear, so none of the wood could be used for this project as I need multiple long, strong and light bits of wood to create a weight bearing cage around a person that can be worn for extended periods of time (up to 10 minutes).
I then arranged to have a chat with one of the art teachers to get some inspiration for how to assemble the dinosaur. They didn't know too much but suggested willow or paper as a 'skin' or covering for the dinosaurs body. The original idea was a dinosaur skeleton but having an option of skin on-top could prove really effective to get multiple uses and experiences out of this one object. He suggested Willow which makes perfect sense as its relatively easy to use, cheap and moulds to whatever project you are doing.
SFX that will be used
SFX that will be used
For this project I'm planning to use multiple different SFX types: Explosions and pyrotechnics, Puppets, Scale models, Weather effects, Sound effects and possibly fire (depending on the logistics).
The primary SFX element of this project will be Puppetry. I am aiming to design a Dinosaur suit that can be worn and walked in by a person (myself to make life easier!) and so will be spending a lot of time making the actual Dinosaur suit/puppet
The secondary SFX element I'd like to use are pyrotechnics and fire. Ever seen the film Jurassic park 3? If you haven't, spoiler alert... At the end of the film there is a water explosion where the dinosaur is lit up from behind by flames and fireballs. I want to try and re-create something like that, only with smaller explosions and less fire.
I'm going to try to create a scale model of the dinosaur puppet before I make the actual thing. Not only will it give me an idea of how to assemble the project, but if I make a mistake on a small version, A) its quicker to re-start, and B) its a lot cheaper to restart and replace materials as necessary.
The inspiration video for this piece is set in water, but I think that having the dinosaur walk through floor mist/fog would be equally cool!
Having the room be silent apart from the explosions and footsteps of the dinosaur would be weird, so I will probably incorporate some background effects and possibly a foley effect into the mix to make it feel more natural.
The Health and safety bits
The Health and safety bits
Explosions/Pyros: Explosions and pyrotechnics kinda shout danger just from the name... The kind of explosions/pyrotechnics I am looking at are designed for use indoors and so have a risk assessment tied into the product itself. Stage Electrics is a company that Gloucester College have been using to service and buy equipment for the Taylor theatre for years, so they are a good and reliable source. Looking through the website I found a few options of special effects that I could use: a Prostage cascade (sparks shoot down from a bar above to create a waterfall effects), Various Pyroflash mini Gerbs (sparks shoot up vertically from a cylinder on the floor) and a Pyroflash projector flame (shoots a flame vertically up from a cylinder on the floor). The Prostage cascade looked good but it was not the look I wanted for the piece. The Pyroflash projector flames were almost exactly what I wanted for the piece, but looking closer at the specs, they would only last 2 seconds and could only be used once per holding pod (one holding pod holds 1 fire before it has to be reset, and each holding pod is a lot of money!) so wouldn't last long enough for the entire piece (30-45 seconds ish). That left the variety of Gerbs. These looked close enough to what I had in mind and varied on height, colour and length of running time, so made the most sense.
Pyroflash Flame Projector
Pyrostage cascade
This set of Gerbs will fire 3.6 metres (11ft 10inch) up for 10 seconds. The Theatres maximum safe firing height is 6 Metres so I have plenty of spare room on top. The only one who will be on-stage during this is me, so I need to be aware of how close I am to the Gerbs (but I shouldn't be anywhere near them when they are on). They are on an Electric firing system so I will need someone to activate them while I am on-stage. Once the Gerbs have finished they will likely still be hot, so I'll leave them at least 10 minutes to cool off before removing or replacing them.
Fire (Flame bar): This will be an added extra to the Gerbs but will require very similar safety procedures because its still fire/flame orientated. This flame bar is 1 metre long and can be raised off the floor if needed, but is powered using gas cannisters, which will pose one of if not the biggest health and safety risks. Because of this, I am half tempted to perform outside in the ruins, rather than inside the theatre. Doing this would reduce the risk of damage IF a fire were to get out, but introduces a whole world of other issues into the performance e.g. weather constraints and electricity supply.
Updated SFX:
Updated SFX:
So, as predicted...the Flame bar is causing issues. I didn't understand those issues fully so asked College to clarify and received the following reply:
LPG requires a specially trained person
Pressure Regulations' compliance
Next up was the Pressure system safety regulations 2000. Hiring out equipment from a company places all the maintenance, upkeep and regular inspections of that equipment onto the company, not onto the client, so none of these responsibilities would fall to gloscol or its members, and one would assume that anyone hired to sell or hire out Explosive equipment (or should I say equipment to trigger or control an explosion) would be adequately competent? So Hiring out a qualified technician from SFX Supplies would completely solve this issue.
Reading more about it (and asking mum for help!) I completely understand and agree that a specially trained person should be available when dealing with Hazardous materials, but wasnt sure where LPG came into it regarding my project. LPG stands for Liquid Petroleum Gas and I was intending on using propane not petrol...after researching however the two are very confusingly linked. Propane is considered an LPG, but not all LPG's are Propane.
When you buy a gas canister labelled "Propane", It has to be filled with Propane gas and only propane gas...LPG gas canisters are a combination of hydrocarbon gases (propane, n-butane and isobutane mainly but also propylene, butylene and isobutylene). Propane gas is a by product (secondary product) of Petroleum refining and I'm guessing that's why it falls into the 'Liquid Petroleum Gas' category (as google is very unhelpful on that basis..)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_petroleum_gas
So now I knew where LPG played a part.
I was surprised there was no one to work with me at college as I hadn't been quiet about my desire to include open flames in this project. I had assumed that the silence on the matter during conversations was a positive sign, unfortunately I was mistaken, so going forward I will be making sure I check qualifications of everyone I work with before starting up on a project. Lesson learned!
NOT TO WORRY THOUGH (and holy heck was I worrying!). SFX Supplies (the company I am intending to hire the flame bar from), rents a technician to do it for you! Fully qualified to handle the safe set up, operation, pack down and Health and safety of the entire rig, which will include the safe operation of LPG gas cannisters and propane gas in commercial sites (which I assume Gloscol is?).
I wanted to be sure though.
The DSEAR (The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations) 2002 requires employers to control the risks of fire, explosions and corrosive substances to metal. It basically requires employers or self employed individuals to protect people from fire, explosion or corrosion risks posed when under their care (either through employment, visiting or members of the public. Once on a business' property, that business is responsible for your safety). The dangerous substance in this case is Propane (or LPG) gas.
DSEAR (Propane/LPG Gas)
Propane gas- Risks are: leaking, accidental combustion,
Have gas onsite ONLY during using periods, specially trained personelle to connect and disconnect plumbing, have it under supervision/on person at ALL TIMES
limit persons in surrounding area, fire-proof curtains, large and open area, fire extingishers,
Fire extinguishers, designated fire officers, college fire procedure, well ventilated area that can be shut off in emergency
external Technician is trained on safe operation, limited persons in area, safety brief and de-brief of project on the day
Back room (ventilation shafts?), plug sockets in theatre, exposed or loose wires in rigging, technician box
Pressure regulations for Gas
When gas is put under pressure (i.e. a gas cannister), it can be very dangerous if improperly stored. The gas doesnt like being under pressure (I mean...who would?) and so all it wants to do is escape. When done in a controlled way (using valves and pipes), compressed gas is really useful (camping stoves, blowtorches, BBQ's and welding torches etc), but when it gets out of control it becomes very unpredictable and, if given the chance, will escape all at once in one big BANG!
Every year, around 150 cases are reported to the Health and safety executive involving a pressurised gas, and around 6 prove serious or fatal.
Now, I'm a bit confused about how this all works so lets have a look.
A Gas cylinder and Pressure system work together to deliver the gas to the ignition source. The gas cylinder is what physically holds the gas (or liquid gas at this point). A pressure system is simply an area that contains a different pressure reading to other areas, either naturally or forcibly. You often see them of weather maps when a change in weather is coming. In this case, a pressure system is being used to hold the gas in the cannister. When its time for the gas to be released from the cannister, it goes through a valve, that controls how much of the gas to let out at a time. Pressure is measured using PSI and Bars. PSI stands for 'Pounds per Square Inch' and measures how many pounds of force is being put through a 1-inch squared area. 1 bar is equivalent to 14.5 PSI.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_per_square_inch
The Pressure system safety regulations apply to all containers that contain a relevant fluid. A relevant fluid is any liquid (or gas or steam under pressure) that becomes a gas once released into the atmosphere, at a pressure greater than 0.5 Bar (about 7 psi).
https://wilkinssafety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Pressure-Systems.pdf
Now, Propane gas cannisters are typically range from between 100 and 200 PSI, or 6.9 and 13.8 Bar. This however can increase if the tank is left in the sun or is exposed to heat because (as we know from Year 7 Physics) when atoms are heated they move/vibrate faster and so the pressure increases. A valve (or sometimes called a regulator) brings that pressure down to just 6 ounces when the gas is being released.
Flame bar Risk assessment:
Flame bar Risk assessment:
For the Flame bar assessment I am using the 5 X 5 Matrix method to calculate the overall risk. This method is used loads because its an efficient, fool proof way to calculate the risk of anything you're doing. It Takes the Probability of something happening and times' it by the impact it will have on that person/people. The higher the number the bigger the risk.
https://safetyculture.com/topics/risk-assessment/5x5-risk-matrix/
Budget and costs:
Budget and costs:
So, after sorting out the Health and safety parts of it, that just left the Budget...
I spoke to the head of Arts and Media, and asked about budgets for each students project. The College allocates £200 per student per personal project, which means that the college would only be able to fund part of the project I was envisioning. The project had multiple parts that each had different costs involved:
Dinosaur puppet:
Starred (*) items were part of a "load a trolley up for £XX.00" at Gloucester Resource Centre, and I didn't hear how much that was (as we had gone with another group and paid together), so I'm not sure how much these items came too. For arguments sake I'm going to assume £30.00.
Bamboo- 65p each x8 = £5.20 (based on B&Q price of £6.50 x10 sticks)
*Back Board
Willow (4ft) - 8p each x20 = £1.60
Willow (8ft) - 16p each x20 = £3.20
*Wooden rolls
*Wood boards/sticks
Pipe cleaners - £3.69 pack of 50 (based on amazon equivalent)
String - £2.99 (based on amazon equivalent)
Expanding foam - £5.99 x2 = £11.98
Straight brackets - £5.99
Right angle brackets - £4.99 x2 = £9.98
Nuts, bolts and washers - £6.99
Twine - £4.99
Tape- ~£3.00 (based on amazon equivalent)
Pyrotechnics:
Le Maitre PP033 10SEC Gerbs (x10) = £112.91
Flame bar - £50/m per week, plus shipping = £50 plus shipping
Flame bar Technician - £350 min. 10 hour, plus travel expenses.
Propane Gas cannister - £12.99 (400g)
Atmosphere:
Lighting- free
Fog Machine- free
Fog mist- free (£15.99 for 1.75L)
Totals:
Dinosaur: £89.61
Pyrotechnics: £525.90 (without shipping or expenses)
Atmosphere: Free (£15.99 if we have no fog fluid)
So, as you can see....im a little over budget. The college is willing to put forward £200, that covers the Dinosaur and Gerbs (give or take a pound or two), so once again its the flame bar and technician that are the problem....so what are the options?
ditch the flame bar entirely
swap the flame bar out for an alternative
alternative funding
Number 1 was the easy way out and (to be honest) would completely ruin SFX 2 for me. I wanted to play with fire, I will be playing with fire! (safely of course!)
Number 2 was the option that others keep encouraging me to go for, offering alternatives like lighting. I don't want to use lighting. In certain cases, lighting would be a great option....This was not one of those cases. I'm planning on using a few lights at the front of the stage to cast colour through the fog that will (hopefully) be coving the theatre floor. If I use more lights in place of a flame bar, it will become overpowering, and turn into a light show, not a SFX demonstration (plus, if I don't get it looking perfect, it will just look tacky). Another alternative was swapping out the Flame bar for Gerbs. This was a better option than the lights but having too many Gerbs could very easy get over powering and the cost would rack up too. College has the capability to fire 2 Gerbs at once: 1x two port control system (and wire), 2x wires, 2x single use firing systems. In order to create the desired effect, college would need to acquire another 5 Firing systems (£108 each) and wires as well as a 6 port control system (£417.88). This would add at least another £950 to the project making it more expensive than the original idea.
That left option 3...find alternative funding. Id learnt about how to fund a theatre production last term so knew the theory of how to do it...just not the practicality of how to do it...
First off I started with Arts council England, as they are the people you hear about most when small productions get funding. I ran into 2 problems though, the first one was, I had missed the application deadline. Not sure when it was, but it was passed... the second one was that I wasnt applying for ENOUGH money. They had a minimum application amount of £1,000 so I wouldn't have fallen into the acceptance criteria anyways.
Next I thought about crowdfunding opportunities: GoFundMe, Crowdsource, JustGiving etc. GoFundMe seemed like the best opportunity for me to raise some funds and allowed me to tailor my fundraising requests to fit the project.
Finally, sponsorships. Businesses will often donate money in exchange for recognition, so asking local businesses for small donations (which they can offset against tax so they don't actually lose money from the business) in exchange for recognition in this project (a credit during the performance) might get some people to donate, and I actually know quite a few small business owners. They can donate through the same GoFundMe as the other donations, they just use a business account.
All of this however will require some time. So, I have decided to re-format the SFX 2 Unit so that I essentially do it twice: the first time with everything except the flame bar, in the theatre, and with a deadline of 10 April, and then the second time with everything including the flame bar, outside in the priory for the Create25 Festival (June 16th-20th?) as part of a SFX showcase.
10 April Performance
10 April Performance
So, For this performance we will be having a Lifesize dinosaur puppet as the main effect, with lighting, sound and weather effects to support. I will also be using scale models in my preparation to get accurate dimensions with the least amount of material waste.
Puppets:
Puppets:
So, this project will involve a wearable dinosaur costume, constructed out of lightweight material with adjustable/moveable parts. I'm planning to create a box shape around the person to create a load bearing and evenly distributing support for them so that they can wear it for an extended period of time without much consequence. This load bearing structure will then be decorated with lightweight materials to add the definitions where they need to be and create the 'dinosaur' look. This will all be held together with angles, screws, nuts and bolts to create the secure but moveable if necessary joins.
Lighting:
Lighting:
The lighting for this will be coming from both the top and bottom of the Theatre. I would like a strip of red lighting coming from the top of the theatre shining down, a light shining down at an angle to the centre (ish) from either side at the top of the theatre and two lights shining up slightly from the corners of the stage at the bottom of the theatre.
Sound effects:
Sound effects:
For the sound effects for this piece, I'd like to use some low ominous music and loud animal footsteps (think Jurassic park style) together to create tension and increase the movement effect on the audience.
Weather effects:
Weather effects:
I want the theatre floor to have a thick layer of fog over it, so that the feet of the person wearing the puppet cant be seen and it will add to the overall effect of the piece. By using cold fog fluid it should help the fog stay low to the floor instead of dispersing around the room.
Scale models:
Scale models:
I'm going to use scale models to build a smaller version of the dinosaur so that I can get accurate dimensions, angles and measurements before I use the final materials. Hopefully this will lead to less wasted material and therefore more money spent well and not wasted.
Timeline (starting 27th January):
Timeline (starting 27th January):
Week 1: Finish SFX types and choose which ones to use (31st January)
Week 2: Health and safety for chosen types, tools and materials required for design, design ideas and processes ( 07 February)
Week 3: Gather materials and have talked to relevant people (14 February)
Week 4: Half term
Week 5: Build it, Lighting and pyro set (07 March)
Week 6: Build it and showcase (21 March)
Week 7: Evaluate (28 March)
Week 8: Catch up time (04 April)
Week 9: Catch up time (10th April)
Deadline: 10 April
Preparation
Preparation
Tools/Equipment needed: (what I use to make the Dinosaur)
Ruler
Pencil/Pen
Tape Measure
Saw
Workbench
Drill
Screwdriver
Wood File
Resources needed: (what I make the dinosaur out of)
Tape
Wood glue
Screws
Right Angle Brackets
Straight brackets
String
Bamboo-Rolls
Bamboo
Wooden Rolls
Wooden Sticks
Cardboard Backboard
Shopping list
Shopping list
Nuts, Bolts and washers- £6.99
Polypropylene Twine- £4.99
Right angle bracket- £4.99
Straight line bracket- £5.99
Expanding foam- £5.99
Le Maitre PP033 10sec Gerbs X10- £112.91
Items from Scrap Store
Items from Scrap Store
Dimensions and quantity:
Backboard: 62cm X 47cm X 4.5cm (1)
Bamboo: 8ft (8) . 0p[5
Willow: 4ft (20)
Willow: 8ft (20)
Wooden rolls: Min 102cm (10) 2?
Wooden boards/sticks: 34cm X 2cm (102)
20.5cm X 4.5cm (20) 16
39cm X 8cm (13) 7
67cm X 5.5cm (8) 5
53.5cm X 3.5cm (5) 2
Tests and trials
Tests and trials
This is where I started. The original inspiration was of a man in a dinosaur SKELETON and so I figured the best way to figure out how to make it would be to get one of those wooden 'Build-your-own-dinosaur-kits'. In theory it would be as easy as snap out, build, enlarge the pop-outs and construct with MDF and a laser-cut printer....after making the dinosaur though I couldn't visualise where I would fit and how to make it. Plus, it would be tonnes of MDF and probably end up quite heavy.
After the wooden dinosaur attempt, I decided to go simpler...stick dinosaur main-frame, with added extras. This main-frame needed to be weight bearing (as in strong enough to support its own weight), balanced (so that the wear-er wouldn't have excess strain put on their bodies) and outline the basic body shape we're aiming for. I wanted to use bamboo sticks (as they would be strong and easy to use), but all of my bamboo sticks disappeared, so I improvised with rolled up tubes of paper and tape, which actually worked surprisingly well. I made this one so that the head and neck could be raised and lowered by the wearer....
….SONIA FOUND STICKS!!! Well....they were generously donated from the canteen's coffee stirrer crate! Having these made it much easier to see how the Dinosaur could fit together as I had ACCURATE materials to work with, and LOTS of materials to work with! I even made a little me to see how I would fit in the costume. Having an accurate and to-scale model of what I wanted the dinosaur to look like made the sketches much easier to do, as I could pick up and physically hold what I was trying to draw, as well as measure out the lengths in person to write down on paper. Once the sketches were done and the measurements taken/written, I could then figure out the angles.
(.....the model got crushed in storage)
I found Bamboo sticks at home and wanted to re-make the crushed model, but hopefully make it a bit sturdier this time. I used the same measurements as before and angled the bamboo sticks as accurately as a could, however when the hot glue was being poured over, I noticed that some of the sticks shifted a bit and so may not be accurate anymore. luckily the excess glue made up for any slight differences and this was the finished structure. <<<<------
One of our lessons was in the Henry dean hall, so I used different coloured tapes to map out how big my plans made the dinosaur. This also gave me a chance to double check any angles and see if the size was correct. I used orange tape for main-weight bearing structures and green tape for less-weight bearing structures.
Josh for Size comp
'flat pack' view of to-scale Dinosaur weight bearing cage ^^^^^
Hips
'Coffin' view
Chest
'Coffin' and top
Backboard
Bum
Leg
Arm
Dinosaur risk assessment
Construction
Construction
(Listen to all videos muted, I expected the speed up to automatically mute the recordings!)
SFX 2: 04-06 April Update
SFX 2: 04-06 April Update
So, lets start off with, the Timeline went a bit wonky, but its for good reasons!
First week of March I was due to begin building the actual Dinosaur however, I had been working with the HN-Media department acting as a body so one of their HNC students could prep lighting for his short film. This student then asked if I would be willing to assistant Direct this piece (which is hugely flattering!!) Of course I would have been silly to not take this opportunity, so I was out for this week filming. (The finished piece can be seen in the portfolio section of this website, under 'Directing').
Then, for the next 2 weeks I was dancing.
Finally, I managed to start construction on the 14th March and everything that could go wrong...went wrong. First off, I had been told that the college workbench was broken, so I didn't bother to look for it (mistake 1). Instead I improvised with a black box. I had all the drawing and sketches for the dinosaur out, brackets marked up and ready and the bamboo/roll/foam was set.....Where was my Protractor? Not in my pencil case! *sighs* So, I went off to the Math department and asked if I could borrow one of theirs, and they very kindly lent me one. But it was a full circle one, which I was completely unfamiliar with, and was very worn. Oh well, we carry on. Getting back to the Theatre, I started on the 'Coffin' part first, as that's the main frame that all the bits attach too. I measured out the rolls again to confirm measurements and the spent a long time trying to figure out how to use the protractor. Once that was figured out, I marked up the angle and made the cuts on all the bamboo roll parts (mistake number 2). At some point during this I decided to try and make the backboard fit properly. In the design, the backboards bottom length is 47cm, but I needed the total length to be 72cm. So, I figured I would add on 2X 12.5cm bits of wood to extend it out and attach it with a straight bracket at a 90 degree angle. I would cut down 2 of the 20.5cm sticks I have to do this. Clearly during construction I didn't look closely at these designs, or looked at the wrong ones (which with all the different bits of paper there are, isn't surprising) and just tried to make it work. You know all those bamboo/Rolls/Foam I had cut? Yeah...majority of the angles were off/un-accurate, and so NOTHING was fitting together nicely... :') ok, a couple of bracket adjustments later, it was fitting....would the brackets attach? No...between the Length of the screw, the thickness (or should I say thin-ness) of the roll and the complete lack of grip from the foam, the screws were just falling out, so just getting the screw to bite each time, took time! Finally though, the the coffin Structure was complete! It may have a bit more tape on that I'd wanted, and it may not be straight, but it was done! So, I moved onto the next structures, the Top, Bottom, arms and legs, with the same thought processes as the coffin and slowly added them together. The backboard bamboo/roll thing refused for a while to stay still while I was attempting to attach it and the front turned out wonkier than a roundabout...The only thing that seemed to work well, was the bamboo triangle at the top. I decided that to get the bamboo to slot in nicely with the roll, I would cut a chunk of the roll out to allow them to slot in. Overall, today I made slow progress. Ideally I wanted the whole structure completed today, so that I would have next session to use the willow to make the 'skin'. Its ok though, I've left myself a few days to catch up.
21st March rolls around and I start work on the neck and head and attaching the arms and legs to the body....however first I had to do some repair work. The wonky chest had fallen and needed straightening up, all the tape hadn't held and the entire frame was incredibly fragile. Working on attaching the neck went relatively smoothly. The bracket was the right size but wasnt 100% straight, so the other piece of wood didn't join flush against the side of this piece of wood. Compared to all the other issues I was facing though, this didn't crack the top 10....the Legs however probably took up 3 of those spots. Not only were the brackets not straight again (so the wood wasnt flush) but the legs ended up too small in proportion to the rest of the body. The biggest issue though, was that the legs just would not be able to support the weight of the structure. In their defence, they were never meant to hold its full weight, but they did need to be able to attach without snapping something else off, and this just wasnt happening. The legs themselves weren't the right material as I couldn't get a screw through the bamboo and didn't have access to an electric drill (no-one knew where one was). So I carefully lifted the structure and tried to just make the best out of what was a slowly sinking (or falling over) ship. First I tried seeing if I could support the structure with bits of bamboo or roll, but nothing was long enough so, I found some cardboard in the backroom and used tape to attach it to the structure to try and form a stable 'skin' and see if it would actually look like a dinosaur if and when it was finished. After half a covering...it was promising?
The next SFX opportunity I had around other projects was the 04 April. Looking at how it held up over the 2 weeks I wasnt working on it, didn't give me confidence at all...Almost all of the cardboard had come loose or was off, the wonky chest had officially fallen over and it was looking more fragile than ever...plus I had to move it into the back room to continue working on because the theatre was in use by other students. Moving in into the backroom was better than I thought. The cardboard came off but the coffin held together ok. The top came loose from its slot and needed re-tying and the chest was almost detached at the bottom, but it was still in one main piece...and I found the college workbench. The only damage to it, is that the adjusting handles have snapped off, it is COMPLETELY useable though and I had access to power tools!!! I moved the dinosaur to a corner so I had a good working space. First things I did were: fix the top, secure the bottom of the chest and clear the loose cardboard from the structure. The next thing I wanted to do was continue with the dinosaur, but I couldn't. After seeing how fragile and heavy it is, I realised that I needed a support box for it to rest on. This meant building one. So I searched through all the bits of wood that college already has to see what I could repurpose. I measured the dinosaur and thought that I needed a 6ft by 3ft box for the structure to rest on that is roughly my hip height (I estimated around 3ft to make the math easy). So, a 6ft x 3ft x 3ft cuboid...shouldn't be too hard? I had no time to draw out a plan so it was all done in my head: I needed 4 pieces of wood that were 6ft or more and 10 pieces of wood that were 3ft or more, so I could create 4 x 6ft beams and 10x 3ft beams. Searching through I couldn't find enough 3ft pieces to make 10 so I settled for 8, but a lot of it had embellishments or additions attached, such as wheels (useful, I could attach them to make it more moveable), brackets (also useful to attach it all together cuz, I had no materials prepared for this), angles and wood bits that all needed to be removed before I could use the wood. Doing all of this took so much time, but I had no choice, I needed those materials to create this support box. Once I had dismantled everything down and cut it down to size, I arranged it out on the floor and began assembling the structure. The first few bits went together ok, but having to support the structure whilst attaching bits to it, with only one person was NOT easy. I also discovered that a lot of the screws had rounded off so there was nothing for the screwdriver to grip onto when trying to tighten or loosen screws. This meant that when a screw went in wrong (at an angle for example) I then couldn't get it out. I also had different types and lengths of screws and brackets as well as different thicknesses of wood to work with. Making the rectangles though was easy compared to attaching the legs...It constantly fell over or would not support itself, and that's without the extra rectangle on top! Once I had secured The 3ft lengths I could carefully balance the rectangle on top, which worked surprisingly well!....but I didn't fully think about how to attach the rectangle to the legs with no- more brackets....So, improvising again! I took a bit of thin calk board (I think that what I was?) and snapped it into 4 pieces. I then took these 4 pieces and put then on top of the 4 corners of the piece. Hopefully, if I screw this in place, it will be strong enough to hold the beams in place with a screw through them too! This meant I needed to drill into the wood though and not only were 90% of the drill bits missing, but the drill bit that was already in was not a wood bit, but was a wall bit (designed for brick drilling, not wood). Again oh well, we use what we have. So I searched for a wood bit that was roughly the right size for the screws I was using. I managed a few holes before the drill bit broke in the wood...and I have no replacement bit or pliers to pull the broken bit out...Guess its there for life now. I found another wood bit (but a much smaller one) and tried again. I could tell that this bit would snap and wasnt going to work, so swapped the wood bit out for a brick bit (because at least it made a guide dent) and made do. I then went round and attached the wheels and attempted to turn it right side up...One of the support beams broke off and so I had to re-do it. The screwhead had gone through the thin wood I used to keep it together, not the end of the world but enough of a problem to need fixing. So I attempted to remove the screw (couldn't) so just screwed another one next to it, with a bigger head as to not break through so easily. Tried flipping it round again and...success! ….but why is it so wobblily? Its more fragile than the dinosaur and this things supposed to hold it? Rummaging through the wood pile again I found a load of triangle supports...too big, would have to be cut down...and would they even work? How would I attach them even if they did work? Maybe a smaller bit of wood?...
….
… I had to face facts...this wasnt working out and I had now basically run out of time to complete this project. It is a week from the deadline/hand in date, and I currently have a wobblily box and a cardboard chicken that can't support its weight. This dinosaur isn't going to happen...maybe the box could be made into a bar for next terms show?
Its not a complete loss though. They say you learn more from your failures than your successes right? Well I've learnt loads from this project!
Materials MATTER! Bamboo and rolls may have been available at the scrap store, but working with them doesnt guarantee accurate cuts or joins to other materials, plus they are very weak!
Even the best laid plans can be wrong, even with practice models done too...
SAFETY GLASSES! Health and safety 101 is eye protection and not only did I have none (which is stupid considering we have so many pairs at home) but college completely missed it too! Every SFX session, I missed the most basic PPE item. I guess you don't think of the Performing arts needing eye protection?
Be realistic with my ideas. I'm an actor, not a carpenter...my skills lie in portraying characters, not creating moving and wearable dinosaur costumes
Don't rely on other peoples knowledge, do your own research! If I had just looked for and checked the workbench myself instead of just believing it was broken, i'd have saved myself a lot of backache (literally!)
Don't rely on yourself alone. DIY stuff generally needs 2 people, even if its just so one can hold while the other screws. I didn't ask for help during this and I should have.
Your tools are more important than you think. Yes, you can theoretically get by with just a handheld screwdriver, but having the full screwdriver set, pliers, backups and other things in your tool bag come in VERY useful!
Learn when to stop. Knowing that you're in over your head isn't a negative thing, it just shows that you know your limitations. I could continue this into next week, but likelihood is I'll hurt myself and still wont get it completed.
Take your previous work and expand on that instead. Yes, my life-sized, wearable dinosaur is gone, but during my prep work I made a small-scale model of what I hoped it would look like, maybe I can still make a dinosaur in time after all?
final product :)
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