Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Confetti Drop

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Thespian_4_ever
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Joined: 9/16/05
Location: United States
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Posts: 43

Topic: Confetti Drop
Posted: 9/01/07 at 9:26pm

I'm looking at doing a Confetti Drop for the end of High School Musical when my Community Theatre produces the show in August 2008. Any ideas on how this would work? We have a long stage (40 feet) however it's really shallow (20 feet at the edge of the apron which is rounded). The ProArch sits about 12 feet from the back wall.

Thanks,

Matt

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Gaafa
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Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
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Posts: 1181

Posted: 9/02/07 at 2:30am

Besides shooting off a heap of party poppers, hire in a 'Contetti cannon', however unless you have someone on hand who is experianced with Pyro or CO2 - leave cannons alone.
Go back to thinking manually throwing the stiuff or from a stretcher in the fly's.
Most party supply outlets have the larger poppers for streamers & varius types confetti acailable. The crew could fire one each on cue.
Also give a thought to the mess to clean up later, the cost of replacement for each show. Further the safety aspects of paper confetti getting in the light rig or performers slipping on loose fiol or piles of conetti.

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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Kathy S
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Joined: 8/21/04
Location: United States
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Posts: 303

Posted: 9/02/07 at 11:30am

We've used confetti as snow in a melodrama -- manually dropped it from above the stage -- this was five years ago and we still see floaters sometimes -- still finding it in the seats, too. But it was a fun effect.

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drose
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Joined: 8/23/07
Location: United States
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Posts: 162

Posted: 9/02/07 at 11:38pm

We made a confetti cannon based on the pvc potato gun design. Only instead of using a combustion trigger, we hooked it up to an air compressor. We'd pre-load air and confetti before the show (then turn off the compressor so it wouldn't run during the show) and when we needed our "explosion of confetti" we just opened the valve and voila! I love my tech guys!

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Gaafa
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Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
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Posts: 1181

Posted: 9/03/07 at 2:04am

I have never needed a confetti cannon, but that is a great idea drose!
It reminds me of my youth as a Rover Sea Scout [17 to 24 year old Scouts - based on the Knights of the Round Table], many moons ago.
We used to have flour bomb fights between other boat crews, using something similar. Using home made portable compressed air cannons & firing off the flour bombs at each other. They worked well & shot the packet of flour a fair distance, only we had to keep charging it from the compressor on the boat, after about every fourth shot, fantastic fun.
But that idea would a lot safer than Pyro or co2 devices.
I agree with Kathy, confetti would be the same as those feather boas. You are constantly finding feathers all over the place for ages after the show, in the Fly's, lighting grid & the weirdest of places. But they only ever seems to be the red feathers, which are the prolific breeders & leave thier off spring laying about!
G'done drose!

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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cujimmy
Walk-On
Walk-On

Joined: 9/07/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 0

Posted: 9/11/07 at 3:20pm

Use the same thing you would use as a snow curtian. Perferated muslin with one end hard tacked draped to a roller which when turned releases the confetti through the holes in the muslin.

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Author	Message
Thespian_4_ever Lead Joined: 9/16/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 43	Topic: Confetti Drop Posted: 9/01/07 at 9:26pm
	I'm looking at doing a Confetti Drop for the end of High School Musical when my Community Theatre produces the show in August 2008. Any ideas on how this would work? We have a long stage (40 feet) however it's really shallow (20 feet at the edge of the apron which is rounded). The ProArch sits about 12 feet from the back wall. Thanks, Matt

	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 9/02/07 at 2:30am
	Besides shooting off a heap of party poppers, hire in a 'Contetti cannon', however unless you have someone on hand who is experianced with Pyro or CO2 - leave cannons alone. Go back to thinking manually throwing the stiuff or from a stretcher in the fly's. Most party supply outlets have the larger poppers for streamers & varius types confetti acailable. The crew could fire one each on cue. Also give a thought to the mess to clean up later, the cost of replacement for each show. Further the safety aspects of paper confetti getting in the light rig or performers slipping on loose fiol or piles of conetti.
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

Kathy S Celebrity Joined: 8/21/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 303	Posted: 9/02/07 at 11:30am
	We've used confetti as snow in a melodrama -- manually dropped it from above the stage -- this was five years ago and we still see floaters sometimes -- still finding it in the seats, too. But it was a fun effect.
	IP Logged

drose Celebrity Joined: 8/23/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 162	Posted: 9/02/07 at 11:38pm
	We made a confetti cannon based on the pvc potato gun design. Only instead of using a combustion trigger, we hooked it up to an air compressor. We'd pre-load air and confetti before the show (then turn off the compressor so it wouldn't run during the show) and when we needed our "explosion of confetti" we just opened the valve and voila! I love my tech guys!
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 9/03/07 at 2:04am
	I have never needed a confetti cannon, but that is a great idea drose! It reminds me of my youth as a Rover Sea Scout [17 to 24 year old Scouts - based on the Knights of the Round Table], many moons ago. We used to have flour bomb fights between other boat crews, using something similar. Using home made portable compressed air cannons & firing off the flour bombs at each other. They worked well & shot the packet of flour a fair distance, only we had to keep charging it from the compressor on the boat, after about every fourth shot, fantastic fun. But that idea would a lot safer than Pyro or co2 devices. I agree with Kathy, confetti would be the same as those feather boas. You are constantly finding feathers all over the place for ages after the show, in the Fly's, lighting grid & the weirdest of places. But they only ever seems to be the red feathers, which are the prolific breeders & leave thier off spring laying about! G'done drose!
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

cujimmy Walk-On Joined: 9/07/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 9/11/07 at 3:20pm
	Use the same thing you would use as a snow curtian. Perferated muslin with one end hard tacked draped to a roller which when turned releases the confetti through the holes in the muslin.
	IP Logged

Topic: Confetti Drop( Topic Closed)