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Clock Elite user Los Angeles, CA 460 Posts |
Anyone here attempted this type of flight on stage?
We are doing "Peter Pan" at our school, and want to go beyond the "black artish" way of hiding two 1/16th cables on stage. We are shooting for a "completeley invisible method" (ie: floating infront of a set that does not promote to the audience "they're hiding the wires"). Being a magician, I want to bring magic to this production. Any suggestions? John Gaughan's System is a little too high price for our schools budget. Foy does not provide this type of method. Thanks! |
silverking Inner circle 4574 Posts |
With absolutely no intention of offending you, asking how to do this on the Café indicates solidly that you should be hiring a professional rigger or illusion designer, or hiring a Foy rig.
Double check your schools insurance, you'll be making that call to Foy anyway. A fall from 15' can cripple or kill somebody.....A flying rig is nothing you should be designing yourself. |
Clock Elite user Los Angeles, CA 460 Posts |
I apologize, I should have been more clear with my first message.
Insurance is not a problem, and our school has it's own set-up. Michael Walter is our "fly guy" (he knows safety), and has been with out school many years. I explained to him what I wanted to achieve. We are looking to talk to people who have done this before and get their input, and maybe provide some pictures to run off of. I am buy no mean's designing this contraption by myself. I am sorry for my lack of clarity, and thankyou for the concern. |
Shrubsole Inner circle Kent, England 2455 Posts |
Well I'm not sure, but I would imagine that John Gaughan's System would very much be a no go due to performance rights. Even if using it once for a school production isn't in my opinion exactly a major criminal thing, I don't think that they would allow you the performance rights even if you could afford them.
So, the only way to do it would be illegally - As the system is far far far form easy, it would take months of work and research to get even half a second rate system up and running. That's seems a lot of work for a school production. Whilst I can fully understand your wanting to do it (Who doesn't) I think that the work involved for a short production, not to mention the legal angle, make it a bit of a non-starter I'm afraid. Good luck if you can get something working. Chris. P.S. Just thinking off the top of my head, if just floating upwards is all that is required, then maybe if they are close enough to the backdrop, then a levitation device would be far easier to implement. ?!?!
Winner of the Dumbringer Award for total incompetence. (All years)
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silverking Inner circle 4574 Posts |
Quote:
Michael Walter is our "fly guy" (he knows safety), and has been with out school many years. I explained to him what I wanted to achieve. Foy makes a school rig, specially designed for school productions of Pan......it's safe, it's engineered and rigged by professionals, and it's flown hundreds if not thousands of Pan's. Might be worth a second thought when you consider that the life safety of the actors who play Pan and the kids (not hiding the rigging) is really the most important element of flying for any production of Pan. Seeing the rigging on any production of Pan really isn't something a lot of production people lose much sleep over.....it's Pan, and the audience knows there's rigging.....it's part of the show. |
The Drake Inner circle 2274 Posts |
The Magic of Peter Pan has always been in the story and not in the flying rigs. Every version I have seen used a simple " clearly seen" wire ( or two ) and it never distracted from the play. If there were no visible wires I'd be too focused on how the flying was done and miss some of that other magic I spoke of. While concentrating on the method I bet I'd eventually see something as the play would have to be lit well ( as it is a stage play) and sooner or later somethhing would be visible.
Best, Tim |
Clock Elite user Los Angeles, CA 460 Posts |
Great input guys. If anyone has ever took on the challenge let me know...
Thanks! -Grant Carden |
makeupguy Inner circle 1411 Posts |
The "fan method" of flying doesn't belong to johnny Gaughn.. so there will be no performance right's problems.. Blackstone SR used it back in the day.. and it might have been used before that...
There are a number of places you can order piano wire on line.. complete with safty factor ratios listed in the catalog.. the hard part is the rigging.. it's not an easy set up... and really isn't suitable for having 4-5 characters flying at the same time.. I've seen a number of "Peter Pans" crash and hurt themselves wiht actual Foy employees doing teh flying... it's just not a very easy effect to pull off.. |
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