David, if you want to email me I'd be happy to not only work with you to help figure out what you need, but get you a quote as well through the company I work for. ddejong@ccisolutions.com

Lots of great questions/comments!

Oil based can leave a little residue over time which will simply wipe off when you're doing your regular maintenance, which everyone does, right? :-) If you are thickly hazing a room it can indeed leave some residue but for the average user it's not a big problem. The key is on the look you are trying to create and how consistently you are maintaining your gear. Oil based haze will even out in the air and stay a lot longer, and if you're performing the recommended maintenance on your projectors and moving lights, any residue can be wiped off at that time. Water based tends to be a little more patchy and will dissipate quickly, and doesn't generally leave any trace behind.

Fire alarms can be tricky. Particle detectors are death to hazers. In fact someone simply kicking up dust can set those off. Heat sensors are much better in a hazed environment and should produce very few, if any false alarms. Some areas are starting to require both particle and heat sensors in newer facilities so it's wise to work with your local Fire Marshall to find solutions. Most of them are happy to help keep everyone safe while helping you do what you are trying to do.

As for concerns, in my experience they are generally just because of the visual effect. Many people are unaware of what is really in haze fluid and are prone to panic when anything changes or is abnormal to them, so they express their concerns. The easiest way I know to head this off, if and only if your leadership agrees and wants to use haze, is to post something at the doors saying something to the extent of, "This facility frequently uses a water/oil based haze effect to enhance our lighting and stage design. The chemicals within the fluid are ____________ and have been tested and found to be non-harmful." I will say there is a super small percentage of people that may have a reaction to a chemical within haze fluid, but really unless they are getting a direct shot from the hazer itself or you are completely saturating the whole room, there is little reason to be concerned and the statement posted in a public viewing space conveys both the vision and the consideration of health effects.

Whew. Other thoughts, questions of comments?

I want to say we used 2 LED's on the floor of each panel to light them up. It's possible we used 3 for each, but I don't think so. It was a pretty simple up light and pick a color on the LED's.

www.rosebrand.com
It's 120" wide (might be 128") muslin fabric.

Nicole,

1) ALWAYS use IFR (inherently fire retardant) or FR (fire retardant) material and keep the certificate saying it is so on file. Your fire marshal has every right to make you take it down if you don't. Also know you can't wash FR material without retreating it after washing.

2) We were using the Elation Design 36 LED's at that time. They have since been replaced with much better and more cost effective options. If you need some help finding those feel free to email me. (ddejong@ccisolutions.com)

3) Cost of the fabric? Based on what I remember it was around $500. The truss and LED's we'd purchased much earlier and would be significantly more expensive.

If there is anything more specific you want to know or need help, please feel free to email me.

Taylor, sorry, missed the post way back when. We had the cross custom welded for us and I honestly don't remember how much it cost. I want to say something like $2,000 but I really am not sure.

Temi, so sorry I missed this post. The fabric was purchased from Rosebrand (Poly Sheen I believe) and we simply sewed a pipe pocket in the top, put a pipe through it and then bunched the 10 foot wide fabric into only being about 6-8 feet wide. It was really simple.

This was amazingly cool yet simple and affordable. I got a chance to see it in person and Denny did a fantastic job coming up with and creating this idea. Looks amazing!

Craig, there are so many options out there it will probably be hard to narrow it down through a site like this. The general guidelines I can give are:

1) If you're trying to shoot a long distance (20 ft is long enough), a wide flood fixture will likely wash out before reaching the top. Look for fixtures with a medium to small degree of beam (15-25 degrees).
2) The longer your throw, the brighter you'll want your LED's to be. For a 20 foot throw I would make sure you use a fixture with at least 1 watt LED's.
3) The more ambient light you have in your room, the brighter you'll want your LED's to be. If you have windows or general washing white light, you'll want brighter lights. If you're shooting 20 ft in a room with lot's of light, you'll want a fixture that can punch through that, all the way to the top.

Hope that helps some. If you want to talk more, please feel free to call or email me.
Cell - 319.721.5729
Email - ddejong@ccisolutions.com

Duke

Right on Anthony! It's so important that our technical arts leaders shift from the role of lead technician and into the role of equipping, releasing, and shepherding teams of people who serve together in the technical arts. The church is called to reach people, disciple them, and release them into ministry and these three things can and should be a part of what every ministry does, including tech. We must find a healthy balance of giving and receiving ministry in order to be effective in what God has called us to. Thank you for championing this cause!