Making Fog in Post? at DVinfo.net

Mathieu Ghekiere · February 27th, 2006, 06:29 PM

I know there have been many threads about fog, and I went trough a couple of them, but didn't really found the answer I was looking for.

It's actually a simple question. First the background: I had a dream with an image of somebody walking on the street, I'm going to spare you on the details, but it was night and at the end of the street there was some fog and after the fog some blue lights, unexplained.

I was just wondering - without the ambition to make this film or image, but just wondering, because maybe one day I could build a script around it - if you could make believable 'fog' in postproduction with special fx?
If you don't have the money for big fog machines?

I know there are filters too, but I mean, really, the visual of the end of a street with fog, and then the blue lights flickering behind the fog. Could you do it on a small budget? If so, how?

Thanks for all possible answers,

Jim Montgomery · February 27th, 2006, 07:14 PM

Probably not exactly what you are looking for but close, real close. A little nip here and a little tuck there and you should have it.

http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bi...ws2/index.html

Marcus Marchesseault · February 27th, 2006, 09:40 PM

Fog machines are cheap. I got one on ebay for $35 including a programmable timer. They go for about $20 at Wal-mart before Halloween. They sell out fast, but are soon available on ebay after the holiday. They are usually in 400Watt, 700W, and ~1200W models. I got the 400W model since I hope to run it on a big battery (at least for a couple of takes). It takes a few minutes to heat up, but it out enough fog in one 30-second burst to completely fill a room with zero-visibility fog. It then needs to heat up for about a minute. I believe the 700W can put out fog half the time, and a 1200W can make continuous fog. If there is a lot of wind, the fog will blow away. If there is no wind and you use a fan, you could spread the fog around. A 1200W machine will take up one circuit breaker with no hot lights on it. A generator could handle two of these and produce amazing amounts of fog. I just looked up "fog machine" on ebay and saw a 1000W model with a built-in fan diffuser for $60 plus shipping. You can probably rent a generator for about $35.

The fog machines are easy. Renting a generator is easy. Finding a street where you can make fog is the hard part. Although the "fog" is mostly water and food-grade propolene glycol, the fact that it blocks vision means that you would need to have no vehicle traffic in the area. Some people could have an allergic reaction according to the label, so no exposure to asthmatics. Also, artificial fog could be mistaken for smoke, so the fire department should be notified if you make lots of the stuff so they don't come running. Tell your neighbors if you are going to do something on your property. Look up "halloween fog" and you will find sites with all sorts of advice and ideas for fog machines. You can even make fog that hugs the ground with a fog machine and a cooler full of ice.

Try http://www.gotfog.com/ for a great start.

Boyd Ostroff · February 28th, 2006, 09:42 AM

The particle effects in Apple Motion are really pretty good. It includes several presets for fog, smoke and clouds. Once you learn your way around the program you can make make it do lots of things. Of course it won't be quite the same a real fog, but it might do what you want.

February 27th, 2006, 06:29 PM	#1
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	Making Fog in Post? I know there have been many threads about fog, and I went trough a couple of them, but didn't really found the answer I was looking for. It's actually a simple question. First the background: I had a dream with an image of somebody walking on the street, I'm going to spare you on the details, but it was night and at the end of the street there was some fog and after the fog some blue lights, unexplained. I was just wondering - without the ambition to make this film or image, but just wondering, because maybe one day I could build a script around it - if you could make believable 'fog' in postproduction with special fx? If you don't have the money for big fog machines? I know there are filters too, but I mean, really, the visual of the end of a street with fog, and then the blue lights flickering behind the fog. Could you do it on a small budget? If so, how? Thanks for all possible answers, __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

February 27th, 2006, 07:14 PM	#2
Jim Montgomery Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vero Beach Posts: 392	Probably not exactly what you are looking for but close, real close. A little nip here and a little tuck there and you should have it. http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bi...ws2/index.html

February 27th, 2006, 09:40 PM	#3
Marcus Marchesseault Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,961	Fog machines are cheap. I got one on ebay for $35 including a programmable timer. They go for about $20 at Wal-mart before Halloween. They sell out fast, but are soon available on ebay after the holiday. They are usually in 400Watt, 700W, and ~1200W models. I got the 400W model since I hope to run it on a big battery (at least for a couple of takes). It takes a few minutes to heat up, but it out enough fog in one 30-second burst to completely fill a room with zero-visibility fog. It then needs to heat up for about a minute. I believe the 700W can put out fog half the time, and a 1200W can make continuous fog. If there is a lot of wind, the fog will blow away. If there is no wind and you use a fan, you could spread the fog around. A 1200W machine will take up one circuit breaker with no hot lights on it. A generator could handle two of these and produce amazing amounts of fog. I just looked up "fog machine" on ebay and saw a 1000W model with a built-in fan diffuser for $60 plus shipping. You can probably rent a generator for about $35. The fog machines are easy. Renting a generator is easy. Finding a street where you can make fog is the hard part. Although the "fog" is mostly water and food-grade propolene glycol, the fact that it blocks vision means that you would need to have no vehicle traffic in the area. Some people could have an allergic reaction according to the label, so no exposure to asthmatics. Also, artificial fog could be mistaken for smoke, so the fire department should be notified if you make lots of the stuff so they don't come running. Tell your neighbors if you are going to do something on your property. Look up "halloween fog" and you will find sites with all sorts of advice and ideas for fog machines. You can even make fog that hugs the ground with a fog machine and a cooler full of ice. Try http://www.gotfog.com/ for a great start.

February 28th, 2006, 09:42 AM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	The particle effects in Apple Motion are really pretty good. It includes several presets for fog, smoke and clouds. Once you learn your way around the program you can make make it do lots of things. Of course it won't be quite the same a real fog, but it might do what you want.