Jivemaster

The recent incident involving Alex Baldwin shows how much care and preparation is needed to keep out of the newspapers. Really clever technical preparation AND really good acting are needed to properly perform stunts like this.

You are the technician required to do real things with real things. They are actors, it's usually a surprise to them that they need to ACT, but act they must. If Penn and Teller can perform it follow their advice, That Alec Baldwin .................. should be a warning to you. If it can go wrong it will, just once.

My first call for sub modules would be BKelec.com near Southend. BUT I last dealt with them well before covid. They make and sell modules but may have wisdom to share. At £350 a box(google adverts) what's the real value of a broken sub.

Get your armadillo model from "google" etc and make a vynamould mould from it and then insert clear casting resin carefully into a well supported mould. CAD files seem to be available, but you've little idea what they will look like, would a clear 3d print satisfy the director. All depends on time money and skills available and how big the article is directed to be.

I see two choices. A/ send an isolated DMX to each fitting B/ send DMX and mains from the control position (assuming that you have the power available). It's possible to have leads with DMX and mains correctly built into a single sheath. Remember that DMX outputs on a socket (should be XLR5!!) but audio outputs on pins (look at a mic!) do leads sold for powered speakers and their audio feed will need remaking, Terralec do some cables with XLR3 for DMX and IEC for mains, likewise a powercon/XLR3 lead, likely other suppliers will have them too.

Look for a company who do this sort of thing, then see what they can offer and whether it matches your ideas.

Are you working with one mains supply or several? If power is coming from several places than it's possible that the power ground is at a different potential on each supply and when these are tied together with a XLR lead bad things may happen to digital things (especially with a fault that tripped a breaker somewhere). Perhaps having a DMX isolated splitter between your PC/dongle and everything else and feeding some things from each output will help. Making sure that the digital ground is always separate from the power ground/CPC would be my first choice.

Ask the right questions, in detail, and in writing. 200Kilos wouldn't hang the cable in most shows or venues.

You have a cast of actors, let them act! A laser on fixed mirrors may help

A xenon Strobe for repeated flashes will likely put out 10 - 20 joules per flash but a typical photo flash head may put out 5000joules per flash -but only one flash every 10 seconds. A typical Bowens (etc) studio flash may be found on ebay for little or in the dust in a studio for less since the digital changeover.

Only a xenon flash tube seems to replicate lightning readily.

Look at S+H (starcloth.co.uk) for a fibre optic logo on black cloth. See whether S&H has a hire stock Zoro "Z"

Since when has projection onto a black screen been functional?

I'd be looking at the fake flame items built with blown silk tatters and lots of coloured lights. MUCH less of a fire risk than any pyro item. Used to be made with MR16/35 halogen lamps may be updated to (big) LEDs. What is the duration of the effect, Does it need to be re-lit during the show? Re-imagine this https://www.terralec.co.uk/flame_effects/led_flame_effect_in_flightcase___dmx_rgba/34989_p.html

It may have been, but at the time I was driving an ambulance in London with no phone service and a good friend was coming to London in a van with others all with "the EOD suit" prepared to do the walk and they all lost mobile service.

Sadly unless you have and maintain a satphone you will be accessing a cell tower and network before you get to satellite networks and still rely on ground networks to handle the connection to and emergency call handler who may or not be in your country. When the London tube bombings happened the cellphones in London all went off. Does anyone know what happened to cell phones during the Manchester concert bombing? The emergency message facility on some satphones us very simply a single text message to one number giving your GPS coordinates and a very short message, to someone who will be there and coordinate a rescue.

Some deep rack modules need rear fasteners for which your cabinet may not be built.

If you buy the wrong one you are stuck with it, If you hire one it can go back to the company.

Consider the skill set required to do maintenance beyond lubricate and wipe.. Usually a hire company will have a skilled person with the right tools. Likely you will not.

DMX, Dimmers and motors/fans are a dangerous mix sometimes they work sometimes one or more dies and needs replacing.

Big events cost big money, big effects cost big money. Whatever smoke/haze you put down will gently circulate into the whole room and need clearing when the next scene begins.

Looking at the "Scary Mysterious... " picture you post, I'm tempted to consider a projected background with just a few real props upstage. Go outside, photograph some clouds and trees etc, merge and blend them as CGI then project them. Maybe, perhaps a small or micro fog effect from a small hired fog/smoke machine on hire or from an ultrasonic humidifier hidden behind a prop would satisfy the wish for smoke if well backlit. Remember smoke isn't an instant start instant clear effect.....

You could get a better answer if you tell us the dimensions of your stage and the nature of the effect required. Remember that big stage effects cost LOTS of money both in equipment costs and in consumable costs. As a school you probably don't have big money to throw at effects..

Look at every other way of causing your audience to think fog or mist. Look at how you can light something for maximum effect (typically backlight makes a little fog look like more fog)

Flickering lamps could well be done using a morse key (or a microswitch) and 12v and a 12vDC LED lamp from OnSolar ( http://www.onsolar.co.uk/lightbulbs.shtml ) If you need precision cueing avoid alexa type controllers bell wire could be better