• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

dusty room

What's the best alternative to a haze machine to creating a dusty room, I'm trying to create that morning fog kind of look but don't have a haze machine. Have any of you used smoke pellets before? How are they? are they worth trying? (just looking for the cheapest thing I can do).

Thanks for your help
 
You can get away with a cheap Halloween fogmaker. A little puff from that goes a long way, if hazing up a bit.

Just make sure to have a spare fogger, 'cos the cheap ones break down fast & very inconveniently mid-shoot. :bag:

These foggers are about $15 to buy, at a Halloween or party store.
 
I hadn't thought about talc! I saw on the internet somewhere that someone suggested flour but I thought that was just ridiculous!
Do you have the fan on whilst filming or do it right before the shot?
 
You can get away with a cheap Halloween fogmaker. A little puff from that goes a long way, if hazing up a bit.

Just make sure to have a spare fogger, 'cos the cheap ones break down fast & very inconveniently mid-shoot. :bag:

These foggers are about $15 to buy, at a Halloween or party store.

Actually it sounds like what he needs is a haze machine, not a fog machine. Most of the cheap halloween store ones are fog machines - I found this out the hard way on a shoot once.

The difference is a fog machine creates a billowing white cloud of fog which disperses completely a couple minutes after you shut off the machine. By the time you start rolling cameras it'll be fading away completely. A haze machine creates much less dense fog, but it hangs in the air for a long time and helps make light beams visible - you can run a couple quick blasts, give it a minute or two to disperse, and then have a nice hazy room while you shoot.

Unfortunately haze machines seem to be more expensive in general, probably best to rent one if you aren't going to be using it all the time.
 
I hadn't thought about talc! I saw on the internet somewhere that someone suggested flour but I thought that was just ridiculous!
Do you have the fan on whilst filming or do it right before the shot?

Use a fan that you can hold in your hand and turn it on just long enough to distribute the talc. A little talc goes a long way.

ETA: On a side note, flour dust can be flammable.
 
Afterwards, you talc & flour guys are going to be wiping and cleaning EVERYTHING like freak-monkeys howling with regret.

500x1000px-LL-ec554370_181148-triple_facepalm_super.jpeg



WTH were they thinking BONUS! http://pinterest.com/wandawood/omgosh-wth-are-they-thinking/
 
Last edited:
Put a cheap party fogger through a fan to create a cheap haze effect. It's not going to be as good as an actual hazer, but it's heaps cheaper - there are actually 'fazers' around which are fog machine with a fan in them to create a 'haze' effect. Not as effective as a hazer, but cheaper and not bad.

I'd go with a hazer over talc or other white powder every time. The rushed cleaning after every. single. take. is hardly even worth it...
 
I've used talc before. As I said, a little goes a long way. Cleanup was not that bad since I didn't use much. A Shop Vac with a HEPA filter and the brush attachment makes pretty quick work of it. But, yes, you will want to keep the camera covered until you are ready to shoot.
 
Sure, clean up would be a bear, but if it works, and it's cheap... why not. Though the fog machine through a fan might work too...but I'm not sure it wouldn't defuse to much for a little cheap fogger. Or have you done it?
 
Back
Top