Special Effects

Smoke / Haze Machines -I'm going to break this down because there is to much confusion when it comes to smoke/fog.

There are two types of juice for smoke/haze: water based and oil based. Most fire alarms do not like oil base, plus most locations will not allow oil based. Water base is the safest way to go. Make sure to always ask your lighting company what type they use.

 

Smoke Machine - A smoke machine (also called a smoker, fogger, or fog machine) is a machine that produces large amounts of smoke. Best used for special effects, however not the best to bring out the beams of light for a dance. The smoke does not last long and most of the time it is too thick. *see Hazer for an alternative*

 

Hazer - A hazer is a machine that produces a very fine layer of smoke, these are the best to bring out the beams of lights. Haze will last a long time and does not smell as much as smoke machines do. Hazers are the way to go, but remember to be sure they are water based.

 

Low Lying Fog (Not called a fogger, but LOW LYING FOG) - I find that most customers get confused on this subject. Customers will ask for a fogger and not a low lying fog, there is a very big difference. The difference between the unit types is explained below.

 

Dry ice - If you called me up and said you wanted low lying dry ice fog, I will bring a 55 gallon tank and fill it with water and have boxes of dry ice. There are some dry ice fog machines out there, but I have never run across one for rent. So for the rest of us a dry ice fog must be done with a 55 gallon tank that has a heater in it with a fan and hose. These are great for special effects and a haunted house effect but will not work for dance events.

 

Low Lying Fogger with A/C unit - These are cute machines, a smoke machine with a built in A/C unit. What happens is that you use a certain juice so after the juice gets heated up into smoke then cooled down by the A/C unit, it comes out as low lying fog. Great for special effects and haunted houses but these machines can not get the fog cold enough to last on the ground. Plus these machine are harder to find for rent. Not good for proms/dances.

 

CO2 low lying fog - One of my favorite units; LSG- A LSG machine uses a liquid CO2 to take the hot smoke and rapidly cool it to about -30 degrees within seconds. Because of this we can produce mass amounts of low lying fog for large areas and keep the fog on the ground for a longer time. One small down side, these units do take up about a 7' x 3' area and use a 400lb CO2 tank. These machines are the best to use but a little bit higher in cost.

Word to the wise- Low lying fog is a great effect but just a little breeze will ruin it. Talk with your special effects company about A/C, open doors, and people movement, all of these will cause problems with the fog.

 

If doing an inside event, always ask right away if any type of smoke/fog can be used, or what their policies are about using it. Most times only a water based hazer can be used, or they must have a fire watch during the event. A fire watch is when either an in house staff or Fire Marshall stays through the event and makes sure nothing goes wrong. Generally you will have to pay extra for the fire watch. Also, most places want at least two weeks notice if smoke/fog is being used.

In order to have a great looking light show, haze must be added. There are places that will not allow smoke/fog. In this case you may want to do less lighting and more video.

Also another note, if you're having your event at your school and it's inside check with the school about their smoke/fog policies. More schools are not allowing it these days, if that is the case and if a great lighting show is wanted, there is always the idea of having it outside.

Horizon Prom 05 - LSG- CO2 low lying fog- can also be used as a water fall effect

 

Xavier Dance 05- LSG- CO2 low lying fog filling a gym floor

 

Desert MT Prom 04 - DF-50 Hazer- see how it brings out the light beams with out being thick like smoke machines.

 

Desert MT Concert 04- Smoke Machine was used- see how much thicker it is then a hazer.

 

 

Strobes - Strobe lights make a dance or concert, but too much of a good thing can be bad. There are different types of strobe effects:

Brief warning on strobes: Strobes can cause seizures at certain flash rates with certain people. A sign needs to be posted at all doors and a brief warning given at time of ticket sales. Don't let this scare you into not using strobes. There are certain things we can do to cut down on the chance of a seizure happening, by slowing down the flash rates and keeping a larger distance from strobe to person, and also by keeping the use of the strobes down.

Please download sign here

 

Real Strobe Lights - From very small to large lightning effects there are real strobes, they flash at a rate that can be controlled and some can be dimmed down by a controller. Use these with caution.

 

Intelligent Light Strobe effects - The rates are not close to the rate that a real strobe can do, plus using the random feature makes some wild effects. These are safe to use as strobes.

 

Strobe Tubes - 5' tubes that can be connected together or outline an object. Each tube has four strobes in it, these strobes act like a race track which can race down the tubes up to 140 MPH. These are a great effect strobe. Use these with caution.

Horzion Prom 05- 55' of strobe tube outlining a 12' x 7' "05"

 

Egg Strobes - Small little strobes, most are just random flashes approximately every 3 seconds, they are great for camera flash effects. These are safe to use.

 

Lasers - Lasers are always the coolest effects, but also cost the most. Yes, you can buy the cheaper lasers for about $99 that can dance and spin. Sorry to say those are throw away lasers, great for house parties and nothing more. A good laser show will eat up your budget very quickly. I would stay away from them unless you have a very good budget. All the lower end laser effects are 4.9mw, meaning that's what it puts out in watts.

The down side is that with the 4.9mw laser (Class 1-3), you need lots of haze to see it plus the beam must be coming toward you to see it, they are just to weak. For a good laser show a 500mw (Class 4) and up should be used, but you must have permits and a license for anything over 4.9mw or (Class 1-3). Laser beams must be about 6' over the tallest person and signs be placed around warning of 'laser in use'. Most of the higher output lasers must be water cooled, meaning they must be hooked up to a water source.

Now the good side, the "star wars" effect lighting, the different color beams, the 3-D effects, the water cloud effects, bounce mirrors, so on and so on.

 

Other Special Effects - Specail effects can be other effects like snow, bubbles, foam, confetti, rain, waterfalls, mirror balls, etc..Using certain effects can enhance your event, like using a snow machine at the winter ball or 4' mirror ball for a very formal dance. Depending on the effect you want and how big will depend once again on the budget. Please talk with your lighting company about what you like and they will let you know more about the effects.

Xavier Dance 05- 4' Mirror Ball