Genus Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hello all, I'm working on a show called "Ordinary Day's" that's being produced in Edinburgh in June. Part of the show is the effect of a cast member dropping a pile of leaflets from the top of a building. A kind of rain of leaflets. The director is looking for a stylised representation of this, perhaps with some kind of confetti 'rain' over a period of time (rather than a big drop). Probably with a bigger particle size that normal confetti. I think I've seen machines that do this on a show last year (a rotating drum with slits in). But that was for a snow effect, and I have no idea what the machine is called or where to find one (or even if it would work with bigger pieces of confetti-like paper). He's also potentially interested in a pyro effect for this. So I thought I'd throw out this request to the large number of excellent technicians here to get more ideas. Many thanks, George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I think I've seen machines that do this on a show last year (a rotating drum with slits in). But that was for a snow effect, and I have no idea what the machine is called or where to find one (oany good http://www.thomann.de/gb/st_konfettimaschine.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genus Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 Possibly, though I've used that very device in a show last year, and the output was not as expected. I think it was either a bit anaemic, or was too concentrated on one spot. Thanks though, it's a similar device to what I'm looking for, it's horrible knowing what I'm looking for without the name! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Only other thing I can think of is a "leaf dropper"from http://www.setupscenery.com/ a long tube that sits horizontally with holes in,speed of rotation is controlled by DMX..It is a bit of a bugger to rig if you dont have flying bars,but doable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepSpacePenguin Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Just finished lighting a run of Ordinary Days in Colchester. What sort of size is your stage area? Because we were in a relatively small space and just had the cast members throw them into the air and it looked fantastic.If you are looking for a way to drop them though, you might find it more effective to use a drop box, or rather drop boxes. If I remember correctly, they throw them in bursts. And the full size flyers might look better then confetti. http://www.damsonpublishing.com/stc/img/web_photos/_3224459.jpgI have more pics if you're interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 White Light can supply the rotating drum system usually used with snow. Stage electrics have something that looks similar although I've not encountered one in the flesh so can't say if it's exactly the same (or suitable for your application) Linky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genus Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 The playing space is 6m wide x 3m deep. The show's going into rep before (hopefully) touring. I understand what you mean by just having the cast throw the flyers. I think the directer is seeking something more visual and stylised though. Whilst I would be interested to see more photos, I hope I don't offend you by saying I probably shouldn't? It's just as I'm designing it I'd like to keep my ideas free from the influence of other productions of the same show. I hope you understand. Many thanks, Genus ETA: Thanks Shez, that's very similar to what was in my head! Might be a bit expensive for us though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmoorcroft Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Thought about combining any of the suggestions above with a couple of fans rigged out of view to spread the confetti over a wider distance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genus Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 I have some concerns about noise, being that Ordinary Days is scored for only a piano and 4 singers it is quite quiet in parts. Currently I'm looking at the small 'confetti spinner' halfway down this page. From what I understand from my friendly local hire company is that this unit can be put on a dimmer, which may mitigate my noise concerns. However the price is a bit of a worry at £75/week ex vat. Many thanks for all the suggestions so far, it's good to get a different perspective on these challenges. Genus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 You don't want confetti you want 'flutter fetti'. It hangs in the air much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicktaylor Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I have some concerns about noise, being that Ordinary Days is scored for only a piano and 4 singers it is quite quiet in parts. Currently I'm looking at the small 'confetti spinner' halfway down this page. From what I understand from my friendly local hire company is that this unit can be put on a dimmer, which may mitigate my noise concerns. However the price is a bit of a worry at £75/week ex vat. Many thanks for all the suggestions so far, it's good to get a different perspective on these challenges. GenusThat will because there is not a lot of demand for such equipment. Someone has to pay for it and have it sitting on a shelf so a director once in a blue moon asks for such a device! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wycome5 Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We have swirl fans available that may do the job. You can see a number of our units in use here - - with Adele at the Albert Hall. Drop me an email if you'd like any more details - alex@liveeffects.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Ideally you want a 'snowbag' (manually operated) and flutter fetti for this, but this requires a flying system or the facility to fix pulleys to the ceiling or grid. Cheap to make for yourself and no noisy motors. And the higher you can get it, the better the fall will be. (but don't rig it above your lanterns) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromonkey Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Speak to the guys over at Machine Shop. They will have exactly what you want: Leaflet Dropper Dan Pyrojunkies Ltd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genus Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Brian: Flutter Fetti looks like the perfect stuff Andy_S: We're in a venue with a very low trim on the (fixed) lx bars. Rigging a bag underneath is a bit intrusive on the space, and obviously above is not an option. Dan: A Leaflet dropper actually exists. That is incredible. And it's even DMX controlled, wow! According to the company it's £90/week which is actually pretty good when compared with confetti spinners etc. However it is in London and we're in Edinburgh so carriage would have to be taken into account. It's the perfect product though. People with money bags now have all this information, and we'll see what they decide to go with. Thanks a lot for everyone's responses. Genus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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