aladdin & flying carpet

[anf1y]

Hi,

 

I would like to improve the Aladdin/genie departure on their flying carpet for the panto this year. We are a village amateur group, using the village hall stage, so no facilities/funding for elaborate stuff. In the past, Aladdin & genie would sit on a carpet on the stage apron, the curtains are drawn behind them and night/stars projected onto curtains while they act their socks off pretending they are flying. Given the effort going into scenery, effects, etc, this is a damp squib!!!

 

I am hoping someone out there has a better idea than this! Any bright ideas anyone?

 

Anthea

[mac.calder]

With little budget there is not much you can really do... If you had the facilities and trained staff, you could fly it, but I doubt you have the stuff...

 

If you are doing it as a night time flight, then bring in the MiB... four to eight men in blacked out clothing holding the carpet and flying it.

 

Pantos are major dodges anyway, so you can improvise quite a bit. Suspend belief.

[the kid]

Well you could have something like you already, but have the carpet on a wooden base held up by the crew off stage, like a carrier chair (forgotten what there called)

and a projection behind the actors of a easten city.

 

Or just the projection with some careful choreographing.

[Jambo_UK]

Or use low fog on the stage to simulate clouds and a moving backdrop even projector or have a roundin backdrop like the stampaed (?) in the lion king just on its side,

[dbuckley]

Saw this done nicely on the cheap some years ago (some hall in St. Helens I think) with a small podium type thing (palletes?) with a carpet on and back projection using a 16mm projector showing a black and white movie of a helicopter eye view of dodging through buildings. Everyone on the "carpet" swayed in the same direction at the same time. Suspension of disbelief works :-)

[Jivemaster]

Look at an old ambulance stretcher/trolley paint it black and put a lightweight board on the top. unroll the carpet onto it and tow it across the stage. modify the lift mechanism to fit a motorised jackscrew to make it elevate as it is towed off stage, or allow it to rise up a ramp as it exits l or r

[anf1y]

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions - they've got me thinking of different ways of doing the effect, which was exactly what I asked for!

 

Thanks again,

Anthea

[Just Some Bloke]

I've done this effect a few times, always in a quite different way. Here are my favourites:

 

1) The film effect mentioned above. Our film (which we hired) had them going on a rollercoaster at one point! Very funny.

2) Videotape the cast on their carpet in front of a blue or green screen and overlay the moving images of clouds, scenery etc behind them. This is much cheaper nowadays than it ever used to be and can be done using a PC with the right software and some flats painted blue or green. Project the resultant DVD onto the cyc.

3) Have a UV scene with puppets for the cast, carpet and the birds, scenery etc that they pass. Can be extremely effective if you can get a good enough blackout.

4) Flying lines from Hi-Fli (expensive and you can see the lines, so not my personal favourite)

5) Get the male dancers to lift the relevant principals and move them around as if flying. In other words, choreograph a piece of contemporary dance. Looks fantastic if you've got good enough dancers.

 

Hope one of these is possible.

 

JSB.

[Rich newby]

you could ue a gobo selection to project onto the back cloth, use a low fog for clouds and a low - power smoke machine and a DMX controled fan do give a small abount of rising clouds, that blow the smoke past them, to give the effect there mooving, plus you would get there hair blowing backwards off the fan.you could even use a moving gobo to make the carpet look like it is rustling in the wind.

[Luke]

As previously said in the thread, UV is VERY effective if done right. Total blackout, with some form of trolley with a carpet on it. Make sure it's painted UV-sensitive paint colours and that the costumes are UV-sensitive and it looks amazing.

[anf1y]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have come across this advert and wondered if anyone has any ideas how to make something along these lines? http://www.fundayltd.com/flying_carpet.htm

 

Anf

[Freddie]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have come across this advert and wondered if anyone has any ideas how to make something along these lines? http://www.fundayltd.com/flying_carpet.htm

 

Anf

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To me at least, that seems very like a bucking bronco type thing. So if you can b/b/s one of them from somewhere, remove the bronco, attach a carpet to the bucking bit, possibly after modifying it to make it less violent...

[Jivemaster]

Along the lines of a childrens ride outside a supermarket?

 

What is the thickness or height of your magic carpet in the resting position? To put a mechanism beneath it takes space. How smooth is the stage, little wheels will clatter over rough boards.

 

What about a 5x scale skateboard with the battery and motor from and electric scooter operated by pressure switches or an enectric wheelchair power assembly with reduced size wheels and the joystick to fly it with. Oh and a battery powered smoker to leave trails.

 

Make a Linear motor and drive the carpet with that

 

Float a board on a cushion of air Needs an airline. Like the arcade game(air hockey?)

 

What would Q design for James Bond and woult the techs ever let the cast use it -- Could be a great toy!!!!!!

[the kid]

I like the idea of that carpet. I think its just rams powering it. The toys in supermarkets are super heavy which might be a consideration, but if you can get a second hand one it will look good.

[Jivemaster]

The toys and the broncos are motor driven eccentrics or cranks driven off a slow motor moving a pivoted load.