Spock Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 I've been asked to provide a couple of fake speaker cabinets for a scene in a musical where a night-club gets trashed. One of them is supposed to collapse when kicked, which is easy enough, but the other has to go up in smoke. The most obvious way is to build a fake shell, with cut-outs and speaker grills, and put a very small pyro cartridge inside. The dimensions of the cab are approx 60x40x40 cm, with the main 'speaker' cut-out 12" dia. Questions are:1. Is this safe re. pressure build up?2. What materials can I safely use?3. Using a Le Maitre Pyroflash 6/24 and a flashpod, what is the smallest cartridge I can use that will produce smoke (white) and a report? Any help would be appreciated. The meeting with the licensee is on Friday morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 1. Is this safe re. pressure build up?2. What materials can I safely use?3. Using a Le Maitre Pyroflash 6/24 and a flashpod, what is the smallest cartridge I can use that will produce smoke (white) and a report? 1. Probably. I'd suggest making it with at least 2 12" cutouts but better would be 4 of them. What you'll end up with is a sideways pointing bomb tank. DO NOT USE MAROONS, they will be too loud. Test it before the show and only use it if you consider it safe. Make sure no-one is standing in front when you fire it. 2. Anything non-flammable so I'd suggest making the box from 18mm ply, painting it inside and out with black emulsion (do not cover it in speaker fabric) and using the metal mesh type speaker grills. By painting it black inside no-one should notice it's empty. 3. Small Theatrical Flash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 You could try using a few "robotics" at the same time, for the "oh my god we just blew up something electrical" effect... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 2. Anything non-flammable so I'd suggest making the box from 18mm ply, painting it inside and out with black emulsionI hope you're not suggesting in a general fashion that 18mm painted ply isn't flammable - try it. Having said that, in this situation you'll probably be OK, but setting off pyros inside a wooden box just makes me wary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 why not put the flash on top of the cabinet? I bet most punters wouldn't realise that it hadn't come from within, especially if you've got a loud report flash in the pod. then you can use that nice D&B stack you've hired... :) perhaps not then... Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 I hope you're not suggesting in a general fashion that 18mm painted ply isn't flammable - try it. In a way I am. If you put a blow-touch going at full tilt onto the face of a sheet of ply you will have a very hard time to get it alight. It chars but this charred layer is very fire-resitant. This is why timber building aren't as big a fire risk as you might think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 http://www.roadie.net/picmonthdec.jpg This the kind of thing you were after?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted September 11, 2003 Author Share Posted September 11, 2003 Tempting. Can I tie some of the herd, sorry cast, to the stack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 You could try using a few "robotics" at the same time, for the "oh my god we just blew up something electrical" effect...somone liked the display at plasa :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelic Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Mmmm, robotics - they've been my favourites for years. It is always a pleasure seeing them in action though - mind you I didn't get much sleep the night before, so Le Maitre's display certainly did wake me up :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 ... if you want to get all theatrical and artistic about it to... You could construct the cabinet out of the said ply but hold it together (inside) with flash-string. then... making sure there is a source of ignition to the string i.e. a robotic or an ignitor, the flash sting will burn, the cabinet will fall apart, the audience will gasp then applaud! (well!! maybe!) Lincoln Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 I've just used some Miniature Theatrical Flashes manufactured and supplied by Theatrical Pyrotechnics Ltd (01843 823 545). (Thanks to Lincoln for the the info).They are like a standard T flash but smaller. I think they would be perfect for this and best of all they will supply them individually - no need to buy a box of 12 only to find they aren't right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 Just a thought... If using pyros was going to cause you some issues, could you not use air pressure to blow your speaker cabinet appart? Just wondering if this could be done somehow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted September 18, 2003 Share Posted September 18, 2003 You could probably do something clever by adapting CO2 Cannons. The lovely Lincoln at Just FX (020 8493 0527) sells (and I seem to remember hires) them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.