115 replies to this topic

[fusion121]

I don't suppose anyone could tell me the hollywood method for the large and spectacular fireball,I'm not planning to make one just interested to know how they do it. They look like fuel/air explosions and they are certainly not of the "coffee cream" variety. I know reasonable size ones can be made with the release of pressurised gas but not of the size in the movies. Are they just high explosives surrounded by several gallons of fuel or are they more technical then that? I'd be grateful for any ideas.

[adamw]

The 'Large and Spectacular' fireball (which I personally don't favour in terms of realism) are indeed created mainly with petrol/diesel (how do you distinguish 'petrol' from the heavier fraction 'diesel' over the pond Bernie?) and an explosive charge underneath. They are not 'fuel air explosives' - that is a totally different concept. You can use high explosives to vapourise the fuel, but it is sometimes prone to not igniting, as detcord etc can sometimes be too violent. BP is almost always the best bet (its safer too). Fairly reasonable fireballs can be made with gas ('propane' etc), and its much more favourable for indoor use (about the only solution actually), but the equipment is much more bulky and costly.

I described in the 'ground hit' post how directional mortars are used to alter the shape/path of the dust; the same is true for fuels. A round pan will create a big mushroom style fireball, whereas a long V will spread an explosion wide but narrow.

[Stuart]

A round pan will create a big mushroom style fireball, whereas a long V will spread an explosion wide but narrow.

How could something be wide but norrow?


Stuart

[adamw]

You know what I mean!

[bernie]

Riddle me this Mr. Nice Guy, a couple of weeks ago the family had a big night out and we went to see T3. The most redeeming thing about it was the crane crashing into stuff as it went tearing down the road. Please explain why office buildings explode for no apparent reason.

[Pazza]

You could also try making some napthalene charges

[Robbie414]

Bernie..............

I thought that as you live over the pond that you would know that all buildings, cars, trains, subway cars, ships, submarines, bikes, and aircraft, in the USA are coated in highly flammable and highly sensitive compounds which means that when shot with even just an Air Rifle they will explode and be engulfed in flame! We all know this in the UK as we watch loads of American films! In fact when the production team came over here to film Braveheart they could not believe that our british swords did not 'blow up' when they clashed!! :-) Only joking Bern...havn't had a dig for ages :-)

[Matt]

Oh Bernie.... tut tut tut, have we not tought you the way of the simpsons! Everything can and will blow up on the simpsons.

-Matt

[Stuart]

Has anybody heard of the new British simpsons spin off. Can remember what it was called but it has been modeld on a real British family. Dont know if they will show on Yank Island. Oh, and a question, do Americans take offence to being called Yank or Yanks.


Stuart

Edited by Stuart, 12 August 2003 - 03:23 PM.

[adamw]

They might have been fireworks shops?

I liked the Hydrogen Fuel Cell explosion (the first one in the desert), although it was done using CG. T3 does'nt have as good (albeit over the top) pyro as T2, like the doors in Cyberdyne being blow off with the M79 launcher (which by the way wouldbt have been possible from that range as the round has to travel a certain distance to be armed as it spins).

Good film though. Now lets have an equally good T4 to finish the series off!

[bernie]

Stuart, very little offends me. The term Yank is basically meaningless to me. I did however get a good chuckle from 'Yank Island'. On the flip side of all this my wife is very fond of imitating a Brit accent. Especially from the movie 'American Werewolf in London'. The quote is from a young boy at the zoo....."Mummy, a naked American man stole my balloons" It's got to be as funny as some of you British folk doing a bad southern accent.

T4 will never happen. Arnold will be president by then. I have to admitt, it would be kinda cool.

[Stuart]

Is the southern accent the same as John Wyanes (however you spell it) accent but a lot stronger? And is George Bush kinda dumb. We have a sketch show here called Deadringers and quite often they have someone impersanating George Bush and he always gets word mix up with others. e.g One sketch he was talking about the war in Iraq and he says-
"Bad man obliti-fried" meaning that we had won and
"This will not be another Vieneta" which was meant to mean Vietnam. And do loads of Americans like Tony Blaire because nobody here does. Personaly I hate the Goverment as it is making this country soft. Oh well, I might organise a coup d'etat


Stuart

[Richard H]

Personaly I hate the Goverment as it is making this country soft. Oh well, I might organise a coup d'etat


Stuart

The walls have ears

[Robbie414]

Hmmm yes........indeed they do! lets think about the words used and names mentioned in this string....now imagine some CIA/MI5 supercomputer scanning the net lighting up red!!!!

Got to go.....there are 18 men dressed in black with big guns at the door!

[bernie]

I doubt that any of us are even close to being qualified to do what Mr. Blaire & Mr. Bush do.
Can't think of a really good example of a southern accent at the moment. Will give it some thought.