Creating big flames

[Joe Cage]

Hello,

I want to create a shot similar like this. But I am wondering what would be the best fluid to create such high flames. I was thinking about Diesel fuel/gasoline?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b4/58/42/b45842f466e92eedd80f39c208e70ce5.jpg

Kind regards,

 

[Björn Benckert]

A miniature would do.

Then you test your way foward with gasoline,lighterfluid, oils or what ever you think can do the trick. to make it look right you mix some fast buning and some more slow / smoke stuff.

Good ventilation high celing or being outdoors is a plus.

You could build the miniature in black with part burning parts and then additive key it into your shot of the real house where you burn things but not the actual house to make it look real.

Did this music video like 14 years ago. Where we built a little model for the end shot. The guy incharge for the explosives told me the that we better watch out as most likly some of the windows on the ministure could brake and scatter.... Well he did not do his testings right, The whole building exploded and the table it was standing on broke in half and one of the cameras fell over

So do you testings.

https://vimeo.com/29838189

 

[Marc Wielage]

You should hire an experienced pyro SPFX guy who knows what he or she is doing. This kind of thing can go horribly wrong, and people can get hurt.

And get insurance. And permits. And fire trucks & firemen.

I worked on a fairly high-budget ($10 million) indie a few years ago where the climactic scene involved a motel catching on fire. Only one building was supposed to burn, but the explosion was twice as big as expected and everything caught fire. Luckily, they had five trucks at the scene and they were able to stop it before it got out of hand. So this was a case where even a heavy-duty union crew miscalculated and almost caused a great (and potentially costly) tragedy.

 

[Joe Cage]

I should note, I created a fake wall and floor. That I set up in my yard. So no danger for burning anything down, and I am a one man band. So I am the only one there, and will take precaution to take out the fire when needed. As I will only shoot 30 seconds or so. And then my set will be useless anyway

 

[Chris McKechnie]

I should note, I created a fake wall and floor. That I set up in my yard. So no danger for burning anything down, and I am a one man band. So I am the only one there, and will take precaution to take out the fire when needed. As I will only shoot 30 seconds or so. And then my set will be useless anyway

Just be careful man. If you're one-man-banding it, trying to get the shot, control the fire, etc., it's a big safety concern. I'd strongly suggest shooting it in miniature form, that way the fire is relatively small. I'd also get some sort of fire box, or something that can contain the fire so it won't spread. Things can get out of hand quickly, especially with a large fire source. I'd also probably have a running hose at the ready, or even a fire extinguisher.

Safety first!

 

[Marc Wielage]

I should note, I created a fake wall and floor. That I set up in my yard. So no danger for burning anything down, and I am a one man band. So I am the only one there, and will take precaution to take out the fire when needed. As I will only shoot 30 seconds or so. And then my set will be useless anyway

You might also want to consider augmenting the fire with VFX to make it even bigger. ActionVFX, FX Elements, and Rampant Design Tools all have keyable fire backgrounds that can be placed into shots or added to backgrounds to intensify the scene:

https://www.actionvfx.com/
http://www.fxelements.com/
https://rampantdesigntools.com/introducing-rampant-fire/

It's not unusual in LA to have the actors near only a very small fire and then they add all the additional fire in post. The results can be surprisingly convincing, and the added benefits of speed, low cost, and safety are important.