Dialogue by the campfire

[Filipe Chagas]

Hi everybody!

This might be a silly question, but i was wondering.... While watching a game of thrones episode

When you shoot scenes with dialog around a campfire how do you go about it?

I never faced this situation , and i don't think i will soon, but i'd just like to know!

Thanks!

 

[Henchman]

Well, hopefully the "campfire" is a gas powered prop.

[RPSharman]

Encourage electric to have a fire gag prepared in order to produce the fire effect on close-ups without the fire going. Talk to effects to ask if real wood will be used. Seasoned dry wood is "quieter" in my experience, and produces less smoke. Better for everyone. If flame bars are used, either with fake logs or for foreground fire on tighter shots (without seeing the wood/fire), check with effects that they are silenced flame bars. They hiss less.

But in the end, campfire scenes are more about the visual than anything else. Just keep track of the dialog and know what you have and what you're missing. Get all the words. The dialog editors have a decent job in these scenes, given the darkness and foreground fire blocking lips.

Robert

[David Waelder]

"check with effects that they are silenced flame bars."

Expanding just a bit on Robert's good answer-

Most EFX specialists will have silenced fire bars in their kits. These are really just pipes with holes drilled in a section at the end where the fire is to appear. To silence the hiss of gas, the pipe is loosely filled with steel wool.

One would think that any effects technician, asked to bring gear for a fire gag, would be sure to have the silenced pipe in the truck. But I have on several occasions been told by the EFX person that he has an assortment of silenced pipes in his workshop but didn't bring one because no one from production specifically requested it.

If there is a campfire scene in the script, get your request in early.

David

[Whit Norris]

"check with effects that they are silenced flame bars."

Expanding just a bit on Robert's good answer-

Most EFX specialists will have silenced fire bars in their kits. These are really just pipes with holes drilled in a section at the end where the fire is to appear. To silence the hiss of gas, the pipe is loosely filled with steel wool.

One would think that any effects technician, asked to bring gear for a fire gag, would be sure to have the silenced pipe in the truck. But I have on several occasions been told by the EFX person that he has an assortment of silenced pipes in his workshop but didn't bring one because no one from production specifically requested it.

If there is a campfire scene in the script, get your request in early.

David

+1 With Robert and David

 

 

W

[Jesper Magnusson]

Using a prop is the best bet. If that's not an option, then I've heard that dry beech wood is among the most quiet.

[studiomprd]

and don't get the furry too close to the fire...

(based on a true story!)

[Wandering Ear]

What RP & David said.  Also;

If it's an indoor fire, the electrics can rig a fire gag with colored lights that flicker to give the feeling of a fire when you are not actually seeing the fire.  There are some lighting control boxes specifically designed to replicate the fires flicker.

[Malcolm Davies Amps CAS]

Using a prop is the best bet. If that's not an option, then I've heard that dry beech wood is among the most quiet.

The only silent wood for invision is Apple tree wood.

Malcolm davies. A.m.p.s.

[jrd456]

The fire bars with slits can be very noisy,like others have said,you must talk to fxs previous or they are likely to bring the noisy ones-----fxs doesn't think about the noise problem,just how it looks------typical.

 

                                                                                                   J.D.

[jozzafunk]

Those Game of thrones fires are definitely gas bars - all the ones I've seen on there anyway.  I've found these to be really hissy sometimes but a polite request to SFX and a bit of a jiggle around can improve matters a lot.

[Filipe Chagas]

Thanks Guys! awesome info

[Jim Feeley]

My inner 10-year old points out that fire isn't the only noise you may need to worry about.

 

 

[studiomprd]

Thanks Jim  

[thelza30]

I asked my SFX department what they use to deaden their flame bars. Sometimes using a thicker gauge flame bar helps. We had one where they used a thin (1/4"?) copper bar and it was so noisy it was unusable for sound. We had them wrap it in pantherfelt which is a material they use for handheld flaming torches. It is fire retardant and The hissing went away. They usually use thicker gauge copper.