Black fog

[Just Some Bloke]

In AMSND, the Bard discusses creating a "black fog". The director is keen to do something but it doesn't need to be litteral.

 

I realise, from a previous thread, that black smoke is not a possibility, but we've thought about the following ideas so far:

 

One of those incense burners that you can whizz round your head containing some dark incense

 

A similar sort of thing but with a black powder rather than incense - obviously something that will brush out of hair and costumes quite easily, maybe based around talc.

 

Any ideas where we can progress either of these or fresh ideas would be most welcome.

[andy_s]

how about going really "theatre of the imagination" and wafting some black chiffon / similar wispy fabric around? after all, if shakespeare mentions it in the text, the audience will grasp what it's supposed to be. or is that too "legs akimbo"?

 

(I did a long small scale tour of AMSND years ago, and can't remember any effect to go with these lines, so I guess we must have left it up to the text ....)

[NATH4N1]

I would agree with Andy Black fabric may be the best option with it being a shakespeare the audiance would understand what you are trying to show, but it could be possible to use black powder paint the type they use in schools how you would get it to travel accross the stage I am not sure but its easy to clean of material such as costumes.

 

Nath

[Ynot]

Personally I doubt that you'll find anything in a powder form that's going to be anything but a b1tch to clean up afterwards!

And trying to get black smoke these days (for just the same reasons) is going to be nigh on impossible for indoor use.

 

I'm voting for the surreal effect and black chiffon or similar lightweight FR treated material...

 

EDIT:

Added the thought of using black material tied in strips to decent stage fans blowing the stuff in billowy clouds onto stage.....

[Propsgirl]

Hello.

 

I'm not too technical on the AV side, so someone please someone tell me if I am suggesting something impossible, but I was thinking about this a bit and.....

 

Could you drop a black gauze in and project "smokey swirls" onto it? Maybe in negative so that it remains very dark, but just suggests the movement of fog. And putting the characters behind a gauze could make them appear "hazier" too.

 

For a more modern production design, you could play with smoke coloured frosted acrylic, hazers and lighting. Again, I'm not a technician, but I'm just trying to think around this challenge creatively and here's a couple of ideas.

 

Of course so much depends on your rig, lighting, production design and budget....

 

Hope you find something that works!

 

Becks

[w/robe]

A similar sort of thing but with a black powder rather than incense -

I was going to put 'There are no' but I'll hedge my bets and go for, 'There are very few' powders it is safe to inhale and the finer the powder the worse the effects, both long and short term, may be.

 

but it could be possible to use black powder paint the type they use in schools how you would get it to travel accross the stage I am not sure but its easy to clean of material such as costumes.

Any powder will become damp, from the sweaty actors if from no where else, and then you have paint on the costumes. I don't know how friendly your wardrobe staff are but no one would even suggest powder paint here.

 

I would agree with Propsgirl it sounds like shafts of light through haze or fairys trailing fabric as I THINK it is when the lovers are lost and can not find each other.

 

If MSND is not the show for split-gel leafy-breakup back-light and haze then I don't what is.

[deranged-angel]

Why don't you just rig some black light and put that on? Ha ha ha I'm sorry, I couldn't resist :o

 

I like YNot's idea of the fabric in the fans, you could have them in both wings, staggered but then a gap in the middle of the stage as if for the path? That and some haze would look really nice. The "path" bit might make it easier for the actors to move about without getting tangled in fabric and you could probably put a nice blue on there to really add mood.

Although - if the actors walk in the way of the fabric and therefore the fans, how blown about and dishevelled will they end up looking?! Ive never used the stage fans so wouldn't know - I suppose it depends what height you want the fabric to blow.

 

Emma.

[Just Some Bloke]

I guess I must have forgotten to mention that this is an outdoor production! Oops!

 

Some good idedas so far, but keep 'em coming please. :o

[andy_s]

in that case imagination and exemplary verse-speaking may be your friend - difficult to control wafty fabrics, actors will complain about noisy fans (I speak from experience - we had an inflatable set for a show we did at the Open Air Theatre in regents park and the actors all struggled to be heard over the fans (and made sure we knew it!)although this was a bit different - the fans had to run all the way through the show until just before the end when the set had to collapse, so the noise was ever-present) powders / fog / haze will also be unpredictable and dissipate very quickly. You're on a sticky wicket here, I think, but I look forward to other more optomistic suggestions from cleverer people than me!

[propsman]

you can get black smoke bombs!

[Propsgirl]

Hmmm - now you tell us! Outdoors does make rather a huge difference.

 

Perhaps if you could give a more comprehensive idea about what you are working with, we could come back to you with more suitable ideas?

 

Rigging - is there any? Wings / entrance points - where. Floor type (grass would be tricky for anything trucked on) Budget? Is the design more traditional or contemporary. etc etc.

 

I'm thinking at this point unless you have a large budget, you will have get them to suggest the fog with the acting or just somehow get the audience to squint at that point in the show.

[w/robe]

Another consideration should be what time will it be when you get to this scene, what date do you open and how long is your run as it will get darker earlier the later in the summer you are playing.

[Just Some Bloke]

Rigging - is there any?

Nope.

 

Wings / entrance points - where.

In the round,. 4 voms on diagonals.

 

Floor type (grass would be tricky for anything trucked on)

Grass.

 

Budget?

Er... that ran out ages ago!

 

Is the design more traditional or contemporary. etc etc.

Definitely contemporary. Based around recycling and carbon neutrality on stage (though we won't mention the Mac600s lighting the surroundings!). Set and costumes made out of recycled shopping bags etc (by a real, talented designer I should say: it's fully pro). We're not lighting the cast with any theatre lanterns at all - just LED torches of various types.

 

Another consideration should be what time will it be when you get to this scene, what date do you open and how long is your run as it will get darker earlier the later in the summer you are playing.

Well it will be in the Midsummer (strange that!), but relatively late in the day so not too bright. It runs for a month on tour.

 

Fun this one, isn't it?

[deranged-angel]

I'm not entirely sure if this will work but you say you have some Mac600s on the go. Maybe if you back-lit the actors with a blue swirly gobo (I can't remember if the macs have gobos or not) Anyway, swirly shapes with the actors in semi-silhouette might work???

 

Other than that get some dance students with some black material to dance around.

 

Emma.