Robin Hood 'arrow effect'

[Barney]

Hello, hoping that the 'hive mind' can come up with some thoughts!

I have a group that are looking for an effect of Robin Hood shooting an arrow from the auditorium (mid way) down to the stage, to hit a bullseye target. The appearance of the arrow in the target is not an issue, but the director is after a visual representation of the arrow 'flight' from the seating down to the stage, with several changes of direction en route (incl sound effects).

I have considered the use of laser beams, pinspots, etc as a possibility - however, although we can use haze etc, there is a distinct possibility (from experience) that this will disperse by that point in the show due to rooftop vents opening etc. What I don't want to do is build their expectations up in the dress etc, only for this to be thwarted when we have a house in.

Can you think of any way to achieve this, apart from the typical panto 'cast running with prop arrow' (not feasible given the required changes in direction/height etc? We can consider the use of additional haze machines in the auditorium etc but I am wary that this will all disappear when required due to the BMS and other quirks.

No possibility of addressable LED tape etc strung across the auditorium, due to the sightlines for the rest of the show.

Am struggling a bit (apart from the haze solution), so an extra set of eyes/thoughts would be appreciated!

 

KR,
Barney
 

[Don Allen]

We did this many years ago at The Garrick Theatre in Guildford, Western Australia, but to a bat above the audience for a Dracula production. A fishing line was run from the back of the stage to a platform at the back of the auditorium. The bat was attached by a ring to a fishing line that was tied to the rim of a bicycle rear wheel, so an operator could use the pedals to reel the bat onto the platform, so the audience saw the bat flying through the air without seeing the thin fishing line. The bat was tied off to a support at the back of the stage so the reel in fishing line could be pre-tensioned so it started fast. The large diameter rim was chosen to reel in the bat quickly.

Worked well every night until the last night of the season, when the SM forgot to release the bat. The operator started reeling in the bat on cue, the fishing line gave a straining sound, then the bat tore loose from the restraining line, hit an actor on the shoulder, then the shredded bat flapped through the air to much laughter from the audience.

[timsabre]

If you have some cast onstage for this sequence, I would do it as an acting gag with all of the cast looking towards the "bounce" points on the sound effects cues. Pan the sound effects to alternate sides. Think tennis audience following a ball type of thing. Use dafter sound effects as it goes on like cows mooing etc. Then you could use the normal sprung arrow trick for it to appear in the target at the end. I think that would get a better laugh than a possibly cheesy looking arrow on a string or other attempts to physically reproduce it.

Edited October 26, 2022 by timsabre

[kerry davies]

I would fake it. If you have half a dozen open white fairly tight beams on the walls, roof, pros arch etc and sequence them to jerkily lead the eye toward the target and have a tight but hapless followspot try and fail to catch up with the non-existent arrow the FS can come to rest on the target half a second before the arrow appears it might work with the appropriate sound effects. Personally I would ham it up with inappropriate effects and make a feature of timing and pauses.

Combine this post with Tim's to get the idea.

Edited October 26, 2022 by kerry davies

[Dave m]

All I can think off would be a laser like light but bounced off the mist? 
I also see the point about no strings but could a fishing line be used as a guide wire and be pulled onstage by a second wire?

Problem is what to do with the fake arrow if it arrives.

[Barney]

Thanks for the suggestions and replies.

I'm leaning towards the acting gag, which puts it back on the talent! Maybe with some tight beams (as per Kerry's suggestion above) in case the haze cover is adequate, but not solely relying on it (in case it disappears). Fishing line or similar won't work in this case, as the arrow needs to bounce around left-right-up-down etc from the auditorium before hitting the 'target' on stage.

Will keep thinking. Any other comments welcome!

 

Thanks,
Barney
 

[Barney]

16 minutes ago, Dave m said:

snip
All I can think off would be a laser like light but bounced off the mist? 
/snip

Thanks Dave,

I had a similar idea, using several lasers, but can't rely on the haze in auditorium being consistent. From experience, the vents in the roof have a habit of opening automatically to purge heat when you really need the haze!

 

[Jivemaster]

You have a cast of actors, let them act! A laser on fixed mirrors may help

[DavePallant]

I would go with the actor with an arrow on a stick but with an added joke that everyone else in the cast is in slow motion complete with slow motion sound effects while the arrow actor runs down the aisles fast and 'bounces' the arrow off the walls they can reach. The arrow actor could even push their way along rows of seats full of people, apologising as they go. Another thought is to have the arrow actor making the sounds with their voice as they go!

[ImagineerTom]

Professional hat on here-

You /could/ do it with stunt props around the auditorium that the arrow hits and which react (a saucepan, a bottle, etc) but they come with a cost both to make but also to install and maintain show-to-show. I'd be leaning right into the comedy here as others have suggested having the cast act (or rather over-act) to the path of the arrow and instead of someone with an arrow on a stick instead have the arrow dangling from the end of an extra long fishing pole (you can buy surprisingly cheap telescopic ones online) so that one "stage hand" can make it swoop around the auditorium but it wobbles and is slightly uncontrollable in the process; much funnier that way.

[Barney]

Thanks for the comments all, I will discuss with the Director and hopefully move this on.

If they insist on a lighting effect(s), does anyone have any experience of (not too expensive) green lasers that will produce a single beam? I may need about 6 to produce a staggered effect (rather than a single unit with mirrors). Appreciate there are other H&S factors to consider in that case - would much prefer an acting solution!

Thanks,
Barney
 

[ImagineerTom]

Lasers ONLY look like lasers and nothing else (despite what 90’s panto producers think) so shooting beams of laser light over the audience won’t provide any visual clues to the audience that this is an arrow flying overhead and would frankly be confusing rather than supporting of the narrative. 

[boatman]

If you are going with the arrow on a stick carried by a cast member then cover it with LED tape and make some running lights to simulate the forward motion.

Edited October 27, 2022 by boatman

[delicolor]

Way back in the ‘90s when I was an the CCT project office, we had a job come in for a Robin Hood themed attraction. (A farmer had bought the scenery for the movie Prince of thieves and decided to jump on the bandwagon). They wanted the impression of arrows whizzing through a forest. After much discussion of possibilities weighed against price, they settled an six or so Minuette Profiles with arrow Gobos and a box of tricks to one-shot chase them on cue from show control.

It worked fine and they were happy with it, but it was the sound that carried it off, it just looked like a gobo chase to me.

[Mickstup]

The group I work with did a Robin Hood scene a few years and we used silly sound effects with the cast, in an exaggerated manner, watching the flight from side to side. It worked well after we managed to teach them their left from their right.