How to make someone (but not their clothes) disintegrate

[Bert Coules]

For reason far too boring to go into (but related to a stage play) I have to build a full-sized dummy person which has to disappear on cue. The figure will be wearing a full-face mask and long flowing robes, and they *don't* have to vanish: the effect should be that the man disintegrates and the mask and robes just collapse, empty.

Any thoughts on how to construct the dummy figure? A lightweight head and shoulders which support the robes, suspended and released from above? A collapsible lazy-tongs arrangement rising from a base, again with a dummy head at the top? An inflatable figure punctured with a pin (and presumably patched up each night for the next show)?

Any and all suggestions will be very welcome. Thanks.

[T i m]

I think it may depend on how fast this disintegration needs to happen, if you were to say use the deflation of an inflatable manikin (possibly the easiest)?

If there is no real pressure required (depending on the weight of the mask / robes) you could probably glue some sort of electrically released and resealable flap valve into an inflatable manikin so that it might collapse fairly quickly and be re-useable.

If it needs to happen quickly then any of the suggestions you made could work, depending on the weight of the outfit.

The 'suspend from above' would give the 'empty Jedi cloak' effect pretty easily, depending on how easy it would be to provide such suspension and it's ok for the collapse to be 'random'?

Cheers, T i m

[spuorgelgoog]

Possibly, and if you use an electromagnet inside the head and a small black steel plate suspended on a black wire you can release it from ground level without any strings flailing about (or, indeed, give it a DMX relay and re lease it from the lighting desk).

An inflatable figure with a hose attached, and it can be inflated and defla ted quite rapidly with a pump. Has the advantage the figure only has to be attached to anything with a small hose, and can be placed into position and moved about without having to attach to a suspension. Deflation won't be i nstantaneous though, and there may be some air or pump noise. Deflating inf latable dolls may be too reminiscent of Only Fools and Horses, though.

If you haven't found it already the Blue Room Forum has people knowledgeabl e about such things (and may already have one available for hire or loan).

For some reason I'm thinking car electric aerial mechanisms and bowden cabl es.

Owain

[Bert Coules]

Tim,

Many thanks for your thoughts. The collapse has to be pretty much instant, so any release of pressure on an inflatable dummy would need to take immediate effect or nearly so.

I'd like to avoid electronics if possible, in favour of keeping things simple.

Suspension from above is an attractive thought, though unfortunately it's the hardest of those options to set up, at least as things stand at the moment. It might be possible though to place the figure in an archway or similar, but the supporting wire (or whatever) would need to be undetectable, both when taut (which is fairly easy to achieve) but also when released (which is harder).

I keep coming back to the lazy-tongs, collapsible pole idea, though the former would have to be strong and sturdy enough not only to support the figure but to do so without swaying, and the latter would be pretty tricky to construct and control, unless there's an existing commercial product which could be pressed into use. Is there, I wonder?

[GB]

That means there will be a bang or very loud hiss/whoosh. It may be better to settle or gradual but fast deflation.

[spuorgelgoog]

two lazy-tongs, at right angles, should be sufficient, and buildable in meccano or dexion strip. Or Bilofix if you have any.

Or expandable garden trellis columns.

Owain

[Robin]

More a question than a suggestion: does it need to be a full, 3D figure (for theatre in the round) or might you get away with a flat - or more probably curved - "silhouette"?

[Bert Coules]

Many thanks for the new responses; much appreciated.

GB, a deflationary bang might actually add to the effect. The possibility of an inappropriate slowly-collapsing-balloon sound is a little off-putting (though I appreciate that it would be more likely to be a drawn-out hiss, as you say). Also I do need a near-instant vanish rather than a slow collapse.

Owain, two lazy tongs at ninety degrees is a nice idea. Garden trellis had occurred to me though from memory it's designed for one-off expanding and installation rather than for repeated smooth up and down action. It could be a good budget source for materials though. I'd never heard of Bilofix: looks intriguing.

I'd also never heard of the Blue Room Forum, which seems like a splendid resource. Thanks for that.

Incidentally, is there a source for inflatable figures other than the obvious one?

[Pamela]

This effect is done often in theatre. Aren't there established techniques for it?

[Bert Coules]

We won't be in the round so a half-relief figure might be possible. But would that make the effect any easier to achieve, do you think?

[Bert Coules]

Evidently there is:

[Clive Arthur]

Instead of the dummy being inflated using a pump via the usual small orifice, use a big hole with a blower. Maybe cut a foot off and have a tube going up through a shoe.

Cheers

[Tim+]

If you can give it a weighted base you could aid the collapse with internal elastic twixt head and base and suspend it using fishing line (or perhaps black thread would be less visible?)

Tim

[Bert Coules]

Is it that common? Many illusionists vanish people in cabinets and behind sheets and the like, but an open-stage vanish with no cover and leaving the clothes behind is rare in my experience.

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for the idea, though from what I've seen of such things the collapse tends be slow and potentially comically unfortunate. The need for a running air supply probably complicates things too much, too.

[John Rumm]

There is a very effective technique that projects an image onto a concave shaped plastic screen. It can create a very 3D looking image hanging in free space, which can simply be "turned off". Presumably you image could be clothed, and then separate similar looking clothes dropped into place when the main image is turned off.

[Bert Coules]

John, thanks for that, but I'm after something rather lower-tech, I'm afraid.

[Chris Hogg]

One of these perhaps

:-)

[Bert Coules]

Er... no.

But thanks for the thought.

[Clive Arthur]

Inflate the 'balloon' with ammonia gas. To deflate quickly, squirt some water in - ammonia dissolves in water very well and rapidly.

(Ok, maybe not, a bit dangerous, but it might provoke some other ideas.)

Cheers