# Pop open a bottle every night!



## gafftaper (Apr 25, 2009)

The director wants the actors on stage to pop open a bottle of wine every night. Suggestions? I was thinking some sort of carbonated fruit drink, cork the bottle, shake to pressurize. 

It's a big space so the audience will never be able to see the bubbles in the drink. We just want the sound. 

Thoughts?


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## gafftapegreenia (Apr 26, 2009)

Make it a sound cue! Record the sound of an actual bottle popping (or find one - recorded will probably sound better) and then use that.


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## Dionysus (Apr 26, 2009)

Unless you want to go with a sound cue....

A bottle of "Champnaide" (Spelling?) from the grocery store (Sparkling Wine?)... Essentially a non-alchaholic champagne-like beverage. Even comes in the same bottles as the real stuff!!

Often used for dinner when the grown ups want the real thing, so that you have something to give the kids!

There used to be a tradition at Theatre Sheridan of opening champagne after the closing night show for every show. They tried to see how far/high the cork would go indoors sometimes. Anyways they switched to this non-alcoholic substitute, much to the dismay to many.
(and yes, there is a liquor licence in the theatre).

Oh well. This may indeed work... And if your micing the actors/stage you can pickup the cork too.


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## gafftaper (Apr 26, 2009)

Three problems:

They are drinking wine... the cork doesn't need to explode out... just have a decent pop and wine doesn't sound the same recorked. 

Secondly, at least here in the states, non-alcoholic drinks seem to all have bottle caps and I need a cork. 

We are doing this at the big proscenium theater down the street and the sound system can't do a localized sound effects cue. It would have to be over the house speakers which isn't acceptable.


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## cprted (Apr 26, 2009)

No budget for a bottle of cheap wine for every show?


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## Brandofhawk (Apr 26, 2009)

why not try a cd player (a little portable plug in to the wall) offstage the closest side. That way you've got the sound effect on a cd ready to go all you have to do is push play! (and hope your technician doens't forget)


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## Footer (Apr 26, 2009)

Does a corkscrew have to be used to pull the cork? If you do, this could still work, it would just take a bit of prop magic to pull off. 




I have one of these things and they do give the "pop" back to a bottle of wine. Corks never really re-seal all the way.


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## thommyboy (Apr 26, 2009)

I have found that most of the less expensive wines these days come with a synthetic/rubber-plastic cork. You could always replace the wine with the appropriate grape juice and shove the cork back in. The cork will be able to be put back in because it does not expand like an actual cork.


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## jwl868 (Apr 26, 2009)

It might take some trial and error, but if you add some hot water to the bottle before recorking it, it will create a little bit of a vacuum as it cools. If the cork hasn't been pierced through, it should hold the vacuum. 

I also suspect that the speed that the cork is pulled out will make a difference. A cork-screw with the mechanical arms might be too slow, but a traditional "T" shaped corkscrew (plus brute strength) may make for a better effect. I'm not a fan of the bladed type, but I digress.


Joe


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## derekleffew (Apr 26, 2009)

Buy your director a bottle of inexpensive wine. Have him open it and attempt to make to loudest pop possible. Then explain to him that in a large proscenium theatre, the sound will never be heard. Does he want to spend the money to mic the bottle?

Theatre is not film or television, we don't use foley artists (except for gunshots and other cases where the risks in using the actual item to produce the sound outweigh the benefits).


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## seanandkate (Apr 26, 2009)

I second Joe's idea. I would go to a bottle-your-own store to pack the corks in the bottles. Create the vacuum with warm liquid, use a bartenders' corkscrew, leave a half inch of cork in, and pull away. But that's stil no guarantee of a good "pop" every time . . .


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## gafftaper (Apr 27, 2009)

cprted said:


> No budget for a bottle of cheap wine for every show?



State College Production... they have issues with us spending state funds on Alcohol.


derekleffew said:


> Buy your director a bottle of inexpensive wine. Have him open it and attempt to make to loudest pop possible. Then explain to him that in a large proscenium theatre, the sound will never be heard. Does he want to spend the money to mic the bottle?



An excellent point. She doesn't want to use a sound effect because she wants it to be realistic... except realistically you wouldn't be able to hear it.


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## len (Apr 27, 2009)

A few notes from someone who's sampled a few bottles of wine:

1. Still wine (not champagne) shouldn't "pop" at all if it's opened correctly. And if you open champagne properly it won't pop loudly either. To open a bottle of champagne, you should remover the foil and metal basket, cover the top with a towel, grasp the towel around the neck and TWIST THE BOTTLE, NOT THE CORK. The pressure will push the cork out gently.

2. All bottles vinted in the last few years use a synthetic because natural cork is becoming scarce. It's actually a better sealer than natural cork anyway. 

3. Go to Trader Joe's. $3.00 for a bottle of Charles Shaw. But I wouldn't drink it.


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## TimMiller (May 8, 2009)

find a bottle of whatever with a synthetic cork. After the first show, mix up some good ol vinegar and baking soda, or just leave some of the good ol bubbly in it and drop in a LITTLE BIT OF DRY ICE ***LITTLE BIT!!! NOT A LOT!!!*** To repressurize the bottle well.


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## ruinexplorer (May 9, 2009)

Being that you are in Seattle, you should have a plethora of homebrew supply stores available. I would go and buy a bunch of corks so that you don't have to re-use them as well as a corker. Do as the other posters have suggested in pressurizing the bottle (including using soda water) and go for it. If she is so gung-ho on realism, let it sound as it sounds. If that isn't enough, add a PZM to the front of the stage for when you are going to do the pop. Sure, it'll sound like it's coming through the house system, but it will be perfectly timed. I would only reinforce the sound lightly so that it sounds like the pop is carrying through the house (maybe even add a little reverb if you have the processing power).


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## draco17315 (May 9, 2009)

Well, as far as the sound volume problem, if you have decent lapel mics available, make sure this actor has one one when he opens the bottle. 
Work with your sound board operator ahead of time and play around with it, but if you turn the gain up (and probably the highs down) a bit, just for the moment that the "cork is popped", the mic should pick it up nicely. 
Also, there is a newer specialty wine called Verdi, it is an italian, sparkling, spumante available (at least in PA) at most liquer stores. This is about $7.00 a bottle and they use a plastick covered "cork" so to speak but when Opened, you get the same "pop" sound. These are push on lids so it would probably be posable to reseal with a carbonated beverage. But for 4 or 5 shows, the $7.00 a bottle might be worth the sound? Give it a try and good luck


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## NickJones (May 9, 2009)

What about if you wanted real power, instead of vinegar and baking soda, you use coke and mentos? Would be enough pressure to make a louder pop.
Nick


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## avkid (May 9, 2009)

NickJones said:


> What about if you wanted real power, instead of vinegar and baking soda, you use coke and mentos? Would be enough pressure to make a louder pop.


 It would look a bit odd though.


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## seanandkate (May 10, 2009)

Pressurizing a wine bottle would be a bad idea. Remember those air pump wine openers that USED to be on shelves? Yea, pressurized champagne makes a "pop", but those bottles are a LOT heftier. Way safer to use a vacuum in the bottle to make the sound.


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## renegadeblack (May 14, 2009)

seanandkate said:


> Pressurizing a wine bottle would be a bad idea. Remember those air pump wine openers that USED to be on shelves? Yea, pressurized champagne makes a "pop", but those bottles are a LOT heftier. Way safer to use a vacuum in the bottle to make the sound.



Well, maybe use a champagne bottle and put a different label on it? That would take care of the hefty bottle problem.


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## seanandkate (May 14, 2009)

renegadeblack said:


> Well, maybe use a champagne bottle and put a different label on it? That would take care of the hefty bottle problem.



Touché . . . .


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