# Phantom of the Opera



## squigish (Mar 24, 2005)

Anybody know how they do the chandelier effect in the phantom of the opera?


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## DJErik07 (Mar 24, 2005)

Ya if you have lots of $$$ and plenty of time.


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## avkid (Mar 24, 2005)

cheap fixture, block and tackle, rope and frosh!


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## LDSFX (Mar 27, 2005)

Well in laymen's terms: It invloves two main parts. The "track" cable (on which the chandelier slides) and the "traveler" cable (which actually raises and lowers the chandelier up and down the track cable. Theres also a power cable that travles with it to power the lights. Thats about it.


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## squigish (Mar 28, 2005)

LDSFX said:


> Well in laymen's terms: It invloves two main parts. The "track" cable (on which the chandelier slides) and the "traveler" cable (which actually raises and lowers the chandelier up and down the track cable. Theres also a power cable that travles with it to power the lights. Thats about it.



And the traveler cable is just connected to the normal fly system?


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## LDSFX (Mar 30, 2005)

No, if you think about it, the chandelier moves on a completely different axis than a traditional fly system. It is most likely powered by a computerized winch system from Stage Command (the main theatrical mechanical effects engineering corporation.)


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## Peter (Mar 31, 2005)

Completly random comment here, but I just thought I'd share what was probably my first tech crew experience. 

In third or fourth grade me and a friend managed to convince the teacher to let us out of class for a while and go down to the gym. We threw two long lengths of fishingline over the rafters and back down the ground. Our class had made a large colored cutout of santa's sleigh and raindeer out of cardboard. me and my friend went and did some serious tapeing and taped straws to the back of all the cardboard and attached all the cardboard with fishing line. We ran one line of the fishing line throgh the sraws and tied that line off on the opposet side of the gym. We attached the other line to the first piece of cardboard allowing us to pull the whole "train" right up to the rafters across the gym. (it was supposto be pulled by a motor, but that didnt pull it fast enough, so we just did it by hand) During lunch, at some prearranged time we few it up to corrispond with something the teachers were doing. (notice how much i remember about the device and how little i remember about the activity! lol) anyway, i had GREAT fun doing this and i guess it was a kinda distant precursor to all my tech crew work!

anyway, I think that is a smilair (although lowtech) version of what would be required to "fly" in a chandelier in a manner simliar to what is being talked about here

(sorry if that was completly random!)


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## What Rigger? (Aug 26, 2006)

Well, if you're doing the chandelier in Vegas, you have a FTSI automation system to control each piece with a minimum 4 axes of motion. 

And money to BURN!


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## What Rigger? (Jun 6, 2008)

*Phantom*

Somewhere in some other thread, the comment was relayed that the Wicked crew said something about Phantom staying the same since day one. 

Maybe not anymore. At least not the star of the show anyway. 
YouTube - Phantom Opera Las Vegas Chandelier Animation

Since when does scenery require collision avoidance software? (no, I'm not kidding)


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## gafftaper (Jun 6, 2008)

*Re: Phantom*

Here's the best bootleg I've found of the real thing.

Check this out. We have to get this guy to join CB. He would definitely fit right in around here.


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## What Rigger? (Jun 7, 2008)

*Re: Phantom*

The guy that did that 2nd video probably has mad skillz with Lego's too.


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## shakenblaken (Aug 11, 2012)

*Phantom Chandalier*

I have always wondered how to make the Chandalier crash in the show, does anyone have any designs or drawings on how they do it?


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## MNicolai (Aug 11, 2012)

They call professional flying effects companies. Be it Hall Associates, ZFX Flying Systems, D2, or Flying by Foy.

They each have packages for Phantom to "crash" the chandelier safely.

Attempts for anyone to try to do it on their own without extensive flying effects and rigging experience could result in actually crashing the chandelier and/or getting someone killed.

I doubt you'll find any designs or drawings for this effect. Nobody wants their design of an effect like that public for someone else to try replicating and possibly get somebody hurt. Also, any professional designing an effect like that would consider their design proprietary as they probably were paid a substantial amount for their engineering of it.


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## derekleffew (Aug 11, 2012)

What MNicolai said.

To learn more about one chandelier (as mentioned above), see Phantom at The Venetian - from FTSI .

Official press reports state that since the venue is being given over to the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill _Soul2Soul_ production beginning in December, "the chandelier will remain fixed in its high position." Which I think odd because one would assume it belongs to the production and would load-out with all of the other _Phantom_ scenery when the production closes on Sept. 2.


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## chausman (Aug 11, 2012)

I know it requires a lot of support structure and has a very large steel cable (like 8" hole in the walls) and very large winch off stage. And requires a lot of work to keep its lines out of site when onstage for the beginning.


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## Grog12 (Aug 11, 2012)

derekleffew said:


> What MNicolai said.
> 
> To learn more about one chandelier (as mentioned above), see Phantom at The Venetian - from FTSI .
> 
> Official press reports state that since the venue is being given over to the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill _Soul2Soul_ production beginning in December, "the chandelier will remain fixed in its high position." Which I think odd because one would assume it belongs to the production and would load-out with all of the other _Phantom_ scenery when the production closes on Sept. 2.



Given that particular chandelier was designed specifically for that space as they built it, and is a much grander effect than any other Phantom chandelier, yeah its not really that surprising.


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## gafftaper (Aug 12, 2012)

I believe part of Derek's point is that this is Vegas. A multi-million dollar show opens and closes there all the time. They don't leave relics of old shows hanging about, just in case. They gut the theater and start over with a new look specifically designed for the new act.


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## tdrga (Aug 16, 2012)

LDSFX said:


> Well in laymen's terms: It invloves two main parts. The "track" cable (on which the chandelier slides) and the "traveler" cable (which actually raises and lowers the chandelier up and down the track cable. Theres also a power cable that travles with it to power the lights. Thats about it.



Having some familiarity with the last national tour- the description above is correct except that there was no power cable- all chandelier lighting was wireless and battery powered.

The brake on the lifting cable motor was a train wheel air brake- so that gives you an idea of some of the forces involved.

-Todd


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## AndrewDavid (Jun 3, 2013)

I wondered that myself and found out that there are two major sets of lines. One, in the theatre ceiling that actually lifts the chandelier, and two, held in the flys above the stage. To raise it, the second set of lines lift the chandelier of the ground then give slack as the first set pull it out over the audience and up to the ceiling. The falling is just the reverse of that, the first set of lines lower the chandelier to a point where the second set is taught and pulls the chandelier from hitting the audience onto the stage, it then quickly, but carefully, lowers the chandelier to the stage floor.


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