CAMELOT Theatrical Special Effects

People are funny. We learn things as kids and for some silly reason they override logic, common sense and incoming information for the rest of our lives. I will always call the apatosaurus a "brontosaurus" because I like the name, even though I've learned that it's no longer taxonomically correct.

So it's no great shock to me every time I get involved in a show that calls for ground fog, boiling cauldrons or goblets of fuming potions to hear somebody say: "We'll just use dry ice." Yeah, I too was impressed when my grade school science teacher brought a piece to class and pulled all sorts of stunts with it before it disappeared. I have, however, a litany of questions for the director who makes that statement.

Q: "What do you mean use dry ice?"
A: "Well, dry ice makes fog."
Q: "How?"
A: "Ummm, you add some water?"
Q: "How? Where? When?"
A: "Uhhhh..."
Q: "Where do you get dry ice around here?"
A: "Uhhhh..."
Q: "How do you get it here? Where do you keep it after it arrives? How long does it last? How do you handle it? How much do you need to buy? Can you get some more in time for the next show?"
A: "Uhhhh..."

That's usually when I say: "Dry ice, my ass!"

Now, I have no scientific argument against dry ice. A cage of dry ice lowered into a tub of hot water goes bananas and produces fog up the gazoo. Lots of it. You can fog an entire football field with the stuff and many have. My point is: the acquisition, transportation, storage, handling, dispersion and basic logistics involved in the use of dry ice usually result in my renting and plugging in a fogger or hazer. Cue fog on, cue fog off, everybody's happy, done deal.

I'm not saying that I never use dry ice. There are occasions when all of the elements I just mentioned come together nicely and make it the ideal solution, such as the production I'm working on right now. You should be familiar with these elements if you're going to be a special effects guru.

What is "dry ice?" It's frozen carbon dioxide gas. Unlike water, which is a gas at +212 degrees (F) and a solid at +32 degrees (F), carbon dioxide, at atmospheric pressure, goes from a gas to a solid and back again at -109.3 degrees (F) (-78.5 degrees (C)) in a process called "sublimation." It never "melts" which is why it's called "dry" ice.

Where do you get it? Aha! That's a definite stopper to any directorial argument. If there isn't a reliable and constant source within a few miles of your theatre, it's all over: you're not using no stinkin' dry ice. Forget all about it. How do you find a supplier? Go to dryicedirectory.com and click the appropriate link. Type in your telephone area code and you'll get a listing of every supplier in your area. Is one of them close enough? Good for you. How much does it cost? My local supplier gets $2.00 per pound for it... it's very expensive stuff.

How do you transport it and store it? Very quickly. You'll need an ice chest, preferably a metal-box Coleman or Thermos, not one of the cheap plastic coolers which won't last long: plastic becomes brittle and shatters at dry ice temperature.
What do you put into the chest with the dry ice to make it last longer? Haha! More dry ice! No, you don't put regular ice in with it: we're talking 109.3 degrees below zero here. Anything warmer than that just makes it sublimate faster: regular ice is actually "hot" compared to dry ice.

Don't use a sealed container like a thermos bottle: the gas pressure of the sublimating dry ice will cause it to explode. Put the container in the trunk of the car, not the passenger compartment, and keep the trip short. If you're running the heater or air conditioner, make sure it's set to "outside vent" and not "recirculate": carbon dioxide at concentrations of higher than 0.5% will cause you to become drowsy and pass out. Then you'll suffocate and die. Did I mention the head-on collision? Are we having fun yet?

How long will it last backstage? 5 to 10 pounds of dry ice in an ice chest will be gone within 24 hours. That's a good indication of how much of it you'll need to start with and how soon before the show to pick it up from the supplier.

How do you handle it? Very carefully. Use long tongs, like barbecue tongs, and/or wear insulated gloves or an oven mitt. Never touch dry ice: -109.3 degrees (F) causes immediate frostbite and kills tissue (like skin) instantly. The resulting injury is often referred to as a "burn" and is just as dangerous. To give you an example: dry ice is the second most popular method of branding cattle. (Ask any cowboy or rustler.)

How do you make fog and disperse it on stage? Go to dryiceinfo.com for great information on "Special Effects Using Dry Ice."

So, what am I using it for in this production? We have a brief, five-minute scene in the wizard's "laboratory" with a steaming cauldron of "something weird" fuming away. The cauldron is free-standing making it impossible to run flex-tubing to it from a fog machine. One of the actors drives right past the dry-ice supplier, fifteen minutes away, and they're open seven days a week: close and reliable. Everything about this scenario made dry ice the best choice.

There is one more option: If you have a long-running show (or a haunted house attraction) you might consider making your own dry ice! You'll need four things:

1. A siphon cylinder of Liquid CO2 from your local compressed industrial gas supplier.
2. A Frost-stick dry ice machine.
3. A Frost-Stick Catch/Storage Bag.
4. A Frost-Stick Dry Ice Press.

All of this equipment (except the CO2) is available from frost-stick.com and, including the CO2 tank, will cost you around $200 total. Not bad, considering that you will now have your own dry ice factory and can make as much as you want, when you need it. You can even sell it to other theatres or folks around town and make it pay for itself or even turn a profit.

Cool, huh? (I crack myself up!)

posted by C. J. # 4:03 PM