Differences between smoke machines, hazers & low foggers

[monkeh]

Hi everyone

 

Potentially stupid question, but can someone clarify the differences between a smoke machine, a hazer and a low fogger? Info on how they're different in terms of effect gained, where they're typically used and why you'd use one over the other would be great!

 

Thanks

 

S

 

PS I've searched for previous threads on this but can't find anything that covers all 3 - any replies much appreciated!

[GridGirl]

A smoke machine will give you a burst of dense white smoke; as an example of where you'd use one, we're using one at the moment for a scene where an actor appears from the "kitchen" door holding a roasting dish with a very burnt chicken in it; just before he opens the door, there's a blast of smoke so that when he opens the door, it looks like the "kitchen" is full of smoke. Smoke will disperse fairly quickly. A hazer will give you a much finer "mist" of smoke which will spread through the space fairly evenly; often it's not particularly visible to the eye, but what it does is shows up light beams in the air. It makes the lighting look pretty! A low fogger will give you a similar effect to a dry ice machine; the smoke hugs the ground rather than rising like normal smoke does. I've used it on a production where two characters were in a boat on a lake, so we used the low smoke to simulate the lake.

[Simon Lewis]

The December edition of Lighting & Sound International carried an article on smoke effects and how they were generated in the "Technical Focus" section. Click here and sign up if you do not have the free subscription.