# Wizard of Oz Effects



## slimrocktwo (Jul 20, 2010)

Hey all, first time i have been here in awhile.

This summer our community theater is preforming Oz. Usually I am only in charge of the lighting, but this year I am also in charge of effects. I am wondering if anybody has any Ideas of how we can make the red slippers spark when the witch goes to touch them. My director has an idea that involves a plate contacting a running dremel, but i don't think it would work out very well, or be very safe. We are also wondering of how we can reenact the burning of the scarecrow on stage. I am thinking about having the actor fall out of view, then have a smoke machine go off. Or if we can't have the machine available due to blocking, have the smoke come out of the broom? Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks in advance,
-Steve


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## kendal69 (Jul 20, 2010)

Use RED led rope lights operated on a better stuffed in the show with the two battery running to a PUSH BUTTON switch that will be touched my the actor outside the she ( nearly invisible to the audience ). The actor touches the switch the shoes light up.

You can hot glue the LED to the shoe individually and just poke out the head if you're so inclined Some links

led shoes light products, buy led shoes light products from alibaba.com


led flashing shoes light products, buy led flashing shoes light products from alibaba.com


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## gafftaper (Jul 20, 2010)

When I did Oz I just skipped the visual for the shoes sparking. I figured it was such a tiny thing it wasn't worth it when much the audience is too far away to see it. I did a quick sound effect and had the actress jump back like she had been shocked and moved on to bigger technical issues. I do like the light up LED shoes though. 

For the scarecrow I went to a local magic shop and purchased a hand held flame shooter. The scarecrow didn't burn but there was a great flare of fire that came from the witch's hand followed by a puff of smoke from the fog machine. Consult your fire marshal and local magic shop for more on how to do this safely and if it's even legal in the first place.


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## kiwitechgirl (Jul 21, 2010)

We used a pyro (a robotic, IIRC) for the shoes sparking - however, it was carefully planned and risk assessed, plus we had a competent and qualified pyro operator. Scarecrow burning we did something very similar to Gafftaper - handheld flame shooter and then as the flame went out we fired a goldenstar pyro to simulate sparks - but again, carefully planned, risk assessed and operated by someone competent and qualified! You can also get really, really tiny smoke machines (there's one actually called the TinyFogger - can't remember who makes it though) which can be hidden cleverly in the set, if it'll work for the blocking.


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## erosing (Jul 21, 2010)

If you can find it still, online or in a magic shop, I remember their being a product along the lines of "smoking fingers." I've only seen it once or twice, haven't seen it since I was very young, but it was a little tube of a gel like substance that would produce smoke from you're fingers, don't know that it would work for stage use though, don't remember how powerful/much the smoke was. Could certainly be used if you wanted smaller directed whisos of smoke coming from him - like a few embers on hay, but not enough to give the appearence of a full on rapid flame probably.


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