special effects

[b-waygirl]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 4:43pm

does anyone know how special effects(particularly those in POTO) work on a broadway stage? me and my friends are extremely curious about this.
a seperate question that i myself have is in 42nd street during the song "there's a sunny side to every situation," how do they do the thing with the windows?
just wondering.

[JakeB]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 4:49pm

Well, each one works differently. The Phantom doesn't disappear in the same way that Michael Crawford shot out of the ground. What specifically are you after?

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 4:54pm

how did crawford shoot out of the ground?

[Elphie]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 5:00pm

The chandelier scared the hell out of me.
I saw Phantom when I was twelve and had no clue it was coming.

[JakeB]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 5:08pm

From where I was sitting, it looked to me like there were two wires the same width of the coffin, and then the coffin was attatched to the wires. To blast it out they either operate it from the fly tower (quickly..) or use some kind of pressure launch. I don't know, that's just a guess! I love special effects in theatre.. they're very clever.

[localonecrew]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 6:12pm

what specifically about POTO do you want to know.i will tell you

[Fiyero5]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 6:18pm

I know the show well and went back stage once so I know a few things too... what do you want to know?!

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 6:29pm

Explain the disappearance from the chair at the end of POTO.

[Fiyero5]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 6:38pm

OK! here goes...
1. The Phantom sits on the throne and puts the cape over him.
2. The back of the seat is a trap dore that he falls into. He
falls into and under the stage.
3. The mask is put on the seat and the the back of the chair is
put back up.
4. Then little Meg comes and pulls off the cape and he is gone!

That is what I have heard... and after seeing the show 18 times I have noticed that you can kinda see his leggs kick when he falls under the chair and you can tell he is gone. Is that clear?sorry if its not.

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 6:43pm

Does he go down or slide out the back or fall out backwards or what?

[Fiyero5]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 6:46pm

He slides down the back so no one can see it. Does anyone els know for sure? There is a website with answers somewhere...

[newyorkuniq]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 6:57pm

In 42nd St. what you see (the building exterior) is actually a schrim. When lit from the back you can see the person in each window, and when lit from the front all you see is the painting on the schrim. It's a simple trick and is used in a ton of shows. Updated On: 2/1/04 at 06:57 PM

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 7:12pm

can u draw a picture? :) I can't visualize the chair exit..

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 2/1/04 at 7:22pm

I forget when the windows are used in 42nd Street...is it used on tour?

Updated On: 2/1/04 at 07:22 PM

[Old Bat]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 5:42am

I think the coffin in DOTV was actually sitting on a cantilevered device under the stage and was lifted on it through a trap. The equipment was hidden by very clever lighting.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 8:19am

NewYorkUniq isn't that stuff called cheesecloth? (The part that you can see through when its backlit.) I know the original broadway production of ITW used it.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 8:25am

If you want to understand the chair trick get a Big Little Book of First Grade magic tricks, it will be in there.

(That's NOT a dismissal of it, it's just a statement that it's a pretty simple magic trick that most anyone can learn.)

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 8:41am

she's right sog, it's called scrim and there are different types of it for different levels of translucency.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 8:43am

Hmmm stike 2 for my old theatre teacher.

[ckeaton]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 3:02pm

My understanding of the POTO tour throne is that the cushion part just sinks down and back to be covered by a facade that looks just like the empty chair... so if you sat on the throne, right after, you'd essentially be sitting on his lap.

[ChristineDaae]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 4:22pm

Also in POTO~ The mirror bride is a real person with a mask on her face. I always thought it was fake until I sat in front row seats... I saw the lady walk on stage and go into position.
But you guys probably knew that already

[newyorkuniq]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 5:29pm

I was always curious how they did the jumping off the bridge thing, now I know its just some fog a trap door and a mirror. The last time I saw POTO was in June and the actor playing Raul didn't jump off. He sort of looked down and then had to run off the side of the bridge into the wings. Maybe it was broken lol

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 2/2/04 at 10:34pm

...1. The Phantom sits on the throne and puts the cape over him.
2. The back of the seat is a trap dore that he falls into. He
falls into and under the stage.
3. The mask is put on the seat and the the back of the chair is
put back up.
4. Then little Meg comes and pulls off the cape and he is gone!...

That's pretty close, except the chair has a false back. When he attaches the top to a wire which pulls out, keeping the shape of a head. The back is released and he slids into a false chair. He doesn't exit at all. In fact if Mag sat on the chair's end she would almost sit ontop of the Phantom's lap.

Craig Schulman, POTO tour, just answered this one at a workshop promo 2 weeks ago.