Thread: simulated breathing prop (moving chest)

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I tried searching and didn't find anything. Basically I am looking for an inexpensive way to have a monsters chest move and look like it is breathing. Thanks!

A thought is to use a air bladder with a hole and fill it up fairly fast and let the air escape through the hole then refill.

how about a slow rpm electric motor and a cam?

The cam idea is the most reliable and the method I'd use. Get a slow electric motor, or put a fast one on a pot to dail it in. Then put a cam on the shaft to push against a lever that will "inflate" the chest. Might have to play with the shape of the cam to get a realistic "breath" out of the beast.

The advantage of using a pot on the device is that you will be able to speed up and slow down the breathing once you get a cam designed that works well. If you want a "set up and forget" prop, then you set it where the breathing looks best. If you want a prop that someone can control and all, you can have an actor "speed up" and "slow down" the pot. Or get all high tech and use an electronic pot that you can have triggered by some sort of sensor. From a distance it breaths slowly, then when the trigger is activated, the electronic pot ramps up to a more rapid breath.

Just some random ideas.