Thread: Help... Fake falling sparks?

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Okay, this may be an impossible idea....I want to make fake falling sparks to help set the mood in the haunt (industrial post-apocalyptic). I've Googled this subject to death and can't find anything helpful. Everything I've found uses an incendiary powder or real sparks. I cannot do that because I use fabric walls (safety). Here's the look I'm going for:



I like the very yellow and large falling sparks. The sparks must have a falling movement. Other than that... I'm all ears for ways to accomplish this.




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What comes to mind is a video projection. If you have lots of layers of set for it to be projected on (like a cluster of pipes and walls and boxes), it could look three dimensional...maybe(?)

I had an idea, it's kind of like Mr. Chicken's idea, what if you put a projector with flying dots that look like sparks and put it behind your fabric walls. Put some fake machinery around it and, most importantly, show us when you're done!

Good luck,
the hallowennie

Hey Mr. Chicken... that's an awesome idea! I could get one of those little cheap projectors....

The wheels are starting to turn on this... THANKS!

The only other idea I can think of would be to use fiber optics. Kind of like a larger version of those Christmas props where a small motor turns a colored disk with blacked out portions to make the specks of light twinkle and flash.
With a yellow light source and a faster motor to turn the disk it might look realistic.
The amount of fiber optic wire you would need might not make this cost effective. I know I've ordered it fairly cheap from surplus stores in the past.

Originally Posted by DaveintheGrave

The only other idea I can think of would be to use fiber optics. Kind of like a larger version of those Christmas props where a small motor turns a colored disk with blacked out portions to make the specks of light twinkle and flash.
With a yellow light source and a faster motor to turn the disk it might look realistic.
The amount of fiber optic wire you would need might not make this cost effective. I know I've ordered it fairly cheap from surplus stores in the past.

You guys ROCK! Now I have two great ideas! I was totally stuck on this.

oh! what if you made a fast-spinning disco ball type thing, and directed it so that the "sparks" seem to come from one place...might take some work to get the mirrors to reflect in spark shapes, but it'd be cheaper than a projector.

Originally Posted by Mr_Chicken

oh! what if you made a fast-spinning disco ball type thing, and directed it so that the "sparks" seem to come from one place...might take some work to get the mirrors to reflect in spark shapes, but it'd be cheaper than a projector.

That was my initial thought. Terra, are you planning on having the sparks projected onto a wall, or have them show up in mid air? Maybe you could project it onto a scrim-type material in a dark area to look like sparks are falling. And, if there's going to be fog in the air, keep in mind that the images being projected will be seen in in the air, not just on the material. Example:

(See how you can see a "cone" of light coming from the projector? This would not show up in clear air, but it would with fog in the air. Let me know if you don't understand. I'm not sure how to explain it.)

Wowzer! Like the mirror ball idea. Plus, if I had some residual fog here and there it could help to add to the chaotic effect. Love the scrim idea!!!

So, what if I black out most of the tiles on the ball? That may help direct where the sparks show?

Oh, wait... Blocking out the tiles wouldn't work but I could add a baffle around the ball so the light only comes out where I want it.