Fans

[matt-hayes]

Hallo,

 

In a couple of months we have the annual student dance show. The theme for the show is the seasons and as such for autumn we have been asked to simulate wind. The immediate thought is to use a fan or 2, but I was wondering if anyone who has done this before would be able to enlighten me as to any potential problems to expect and any other ways to produce the wind effect.

 

The different types of fan I have been contemplating are either a standard desk fan, a Jem Air Force 1 or a set of the fans that fit into the inflatable men that are going 2nd hand on the net.

 

The stage in the venue is about 11m wide, 8m deep and 6m to the LX bars.

 

Thanks for any help you can give

 

Matt

[gingertom]

The biggest problem I have found with fans in a "theatre" setting is the noise of the fins / motors. Obviously I don't know what level you will be running your program music at and whether it will cover the background noise.

 

I have used the "Jetstreams" effectively, and like them a lot because they appear, from my experience, to be incredibly directional. However this may not be suited to your purposes.

 

HTH

[gareth]

Don't bother with desktop fans - they won't shift nearly enough air to be effective.

 

Jem AF1s are a possibility (you'll get DMX control as a bonus), or perhaps something like the big Cinefex 24" blowers. An important factor is how you want the wind effect to manifest itself on stage - i.e. what is on there that will be blowing about in the breeze? Bits of costumes? Flags? Hair?

[Ike]

As an alternative you may want to look at film/tv sfx companies. Any decent company should have a large range of fans in stock. I know Special Effects UK based at Pinewood do but I'm sure there must be closer places.

 

Most places will dry hire small (by there standard) fans and so the cost shouldn't be too high.

[Roderick]

One thing I remember from another dance show I did with huge fans is dust. It is quite amazing how much dust, confetti and other crap all of a sudden becomes airborne when you use 'serious' fans. There is nothing you can do about it, you have to allow some time in your schedule to run the fans on stage, preferably when there is no-one there, and then sweep / vacuum the floor, legs, backdrop.....

[Simon Lyall]

http://www.hawthorns.uk.com/hire/index.asp?search=fan

 

There are some different fans you can hire

 

(no I don't work for them... and haven't hired from them, but I did watch a production of the wizard of oz where they did use fans hired from them...)

[johnhuson]

We have AF-1's and the output from them is quite powerful on full speed, but also very noisy! JEM also now make an AF-2 Fan which looks like a beast and the spec reckons it's shifts a little over 4 times the air of an AF-1. Not sure who has them for hire though.

[GreatBigHippy]

Quite interested by this, would like to know how you do it in the end. Just following on from Gareths

 

An important factor is how you want the wind effect to manifest itself on stage

 

Do you really need stuff moving about freely on stage for it to be effective? Especialy if the dancers are in tight clothes, hair pinned back etc. My thought on using fans big enough to move stuff like this at distance (how wide is the stage?)

1: Actually dancing in front of them may be an issue... Balancing on point is hard enough without a stiff breeze coming in.

2: Again dust/debris. Even a little getting in peoples eyes could be an issue.

3: staging and scenery, especially large flats would need more attention to keep them stable.

4: space, you may have to make sure a wide berth is kept around the fan.

 

I'm afraid I haven't used em myself, hence the interest, but those are things that would jump out at me.

 

In my case, due to the fact that I have never had a budget, I would use lighting, maybe a projection... shawdow screen possibly. How about large prop trees with ties to the top. That way you can use lights to colour them for the season changes and bend them for a wind effect, with a good windy sound it may work... and be cheaper!