Shooting tabletop fire

[Joe Cage]

Hello,

Wondering how these fire shots are created. (is it some gas, any tutorial or idea's where to get it and how to use it safely?)

This is for something that looks like a grill, maybe it is even from an actual grill. I dont know(guess we need a new grill then )

I know this one is created in a huge barrel. with mixing the fire and some oxygen, but not sure what the flames are made of or are coming out of.

Any idea's? Tips? Also how to protect camera/lenses?

Thanks!

 

[Dominik Muench]

the flames in the first shot look like gas to me.


for similar stuff in the past, we used dragons breath or lycopodium powder https://www.dreamlandmagic.com/products/dragons-breath-powder

 

[Joe Cage]

Thanks!
A gas solution might be easier though for continuous exposing though. Not sure how to build one though, anybody got any experience with that?

 

[Marc Wielage]

You may find you get better results by using some small gas fire on the set and then augmenting it with stock footage-sourced fire elements composited in post. This will maximize safety and eliminate any risk while ensuring maximum drama in the final results.

Fire elements are available from:

https://www.actionvfx.com
http://www.fxelements.com/
https://motionarray.com/
http://rampantdesigntools.com/

Here's a pretty convincing demo of how good this can look when the VFX are done by the right people:

 

[Joe Cage]

Thx! any idea how to set up a gas fire like this? Do I just buy a gastank put a hose on it, release the gas and light it? (as I dont want to blow myself up)

 

[Marc Wielage]

Thx! any idea how to set up a gas fire like this? Do I just buy a gastank put a hose on it, release the gas and light it? (as I dont want to blow myself up)

Well, number one, I'd get a permit and make sure there's a fireman nearby in case of a problem.

Number two, I'd get insurance.

Number three, I'd hire a pro (preferably a pyro FX person) to do it and forget trying to do it yourself. This can go horribly wrong very quickly.