Set Design and Construction: Hot Air Balloon

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Hot Air Balloon - Oz

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3068
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 2:50pm
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Topic: Hot Air Balloon - Oz

Posted By: kytheatrechic
Subject: Hot Air Balloon - Oz
Date Posted: 3/22/08 at 11:09pm

Found this message board tonight and already have MANY great ideas based on your input...so here's my quandry. I have a pretty good handle on most of the fx for our upcoming production of Wizard of Oz (RSC), but would LOVE ideas on how to approach the balloon scene. We perform in a borrowed auditorium/stage with no fly space.

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All the world's a stage, some of us just have better seats.

Replies:

Posted By: tonyboling
Date Posted: 3/23/08 at 1:11am

I can tell you what we did in high school. We had a hydrolic lift that was used to change lamps (no fly space, no rail) and we dressed it to look like a basket. It was staged at stage right and a leg hid the bulk of the machine. As the professor lifted off we had someone pull it off stage so it looked like he went up and over.

Posted By: jvlsm
Date Posted: 3/23/08 at 1:25am

my bunch are in pre-production for this show, and we have NO wings and NO flies. our best solution to date is to raise the basket 4-5 feet off the floor with pulleys, while revolving that side of the set. (We are using two revolves to carry the scene changes) Any better ideas will be gratefully received.

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once more into the breach, dear friends, and damned be he who first cries hold, enough

Posted By: Verdier
Date Posted: 4/28/08 at 4:20pm

We just did Oz last year, and had to be very creative since we have no fly space, no wing space - nothing!

We decided to create a basket on wheels, attach a bunch of helium balloons to it, and have the Wizard slowly move the basket "up" the aisle and out to the lobby doors! Not very technical or fancy, but it did the trick, and noone seemed to mind.

Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 4/29/08 at 11:22am

We did the lift thing... I know you say "no fly" but is there any teaser curtain space at all overhead? We rigged a weighted cloth "balloon" that went up over a bar and down behind the curtain as the lift went up... Pooled black cloth rose up with the "basket" covering the lift unit... When it got to the point that we couldnt go up any more, we did a light shift and closed the traveler on that spot... It worked great, but no matter your space, its an imagination piece and every one KNOWS whats suppose to be happening.. So whatever you wind up having to do will no doubt be recieved fine..

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Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

Posted By: stagekat
Date Posted: 1/02/09 at 11:27pm

We had a similar problem no fly space and no wing space to speak of. We suggested the balloon was offstage and rigged some ropes that looked like they were holding the balloon, and then had a small child lifted off the ground while holding one of the ropes, to make it look like the balloon had taken off with him holding the rope. It actually looked pretty convincing, and we didn't have to deal with building a "balloon" or balloon basket at all.

Posted By: DFTDONNA
Date Posted: 2/16/09 at 1:36pm

We did a similar hydrolic lift balloon. We used a gym parachute for the balloon and it looked great. IT rose up as we pulled it off stage.