'Special Effects - Exploding The Illusion'

I.Exp.E. Midlands Branch

We used this opportunity as a rehearsal for the presentation I was to give just five days later at Explo'98.

Since we were treating the talk at Explo as and educated form of comic relief, we decided a bit of showmanship was in order and started the presentation with "Fire" by 'The Crazy World of Arthur Brown' as an 8 ft high column of flames burned above the demonstration table. This was generated by the unconfined burning of 'Green Dot' triple based shotgun propellant.

We then shifted the tack to emphasise 'safety', and 'accidentally' set the presenters arm alight; having pre-treated his lab coat with a Smokeless Fire Gel - made by mixing Isopropynol and fumed silicon.

Next we concentrated on the various types of fuze used to initiate pyrotechnics, pausing to demonstrate how plastic ignitor cord, could be used to simulate the action of a gas cutting torch as it 'cut' out a set of letters spelling out "Explo '98". We also demonstrated the use of shocktube in simulating lightening strikes.

We then started talking about simulating weapon systems, the demonstration for which consisted of pulling the pin out of a hand grenade and dropping it into a bin, which proceeded to explode on cue. We then showed that the grenade was still whole and broke down the entire effects into it's various elements - sound, light, flame, smoke and initiation.

The next section predominantly concerned Physical effects, used to break the glass in a picture frame - starting with a mouse trap mechanism and working our way through single shot air guns to fully automatic (800 rounds per minute) air machine guns, this section then briefly dropped back into the Pyrotechnics sphere with the use of exploding pellets for these guns and then back to Physical effects using inert tracer ammunition for said weapons.

We then proceeded to invite the acting chairman onto the stage and 'accidentally' shot him whilst demonstrating a blank firing gun. He had of course been rigged with a bullet hit and bloodpack effect mounted on an aluminium plate on top of a protective leather vest. We peeled off the holed and 'blood' soaked shirt to show the protective equipment used.

We then took questions from the floor.