Filmmaking / Directing : Fog Machine or Fog Effect by Maurice Vaughan

Using it while filming always looks better. Digitally adding in is better if you want to blend more.

Ok, thanks, Stephen Folker and Alex Winstanley!

Maurice Vaughan I’ve used smoke machines whilst shooting, and they are great for the light in a scene. Digital smoke for me always looked false.

I prefer smoke machines over effects that might be used because they are more lively and give the actors a chance to blend in and interact with the scene.

Thanks, @Geoff and @Lan! I asked this question out of curiosity, but if I made a movie, I'd go with a fog machine.

Location. No comparison.

Thanks, E Langley.

NP, Big Mo.

Backlit fog is eerie. Used in many horror films. Dry ice in water, too. Back in the day. Dry ice fog stays low due to its nature (as in "Fog on the moor. A Wolf HOWLS."). Smoke billows.

Diffusion to soften an interior is still widely used. Could be CGI or physical. CGI can be dialed in to exacting levels. Physical fog/smoke must be dispersed evenly by overworked and underpaid production assistants.

The CGI look is easy to spot. Physical takes time. Depends on the DP.

used dry ice on the King Fu set with a hand held fan. Spooky visuals on set achieved, and inexpensively!

Thanks, E Langley. I never thought about backlit fog and dry ice fog. One of my favorite Horror movies is John Carpenter's The Fog. I'm sure they did the fog on set. Probably dry ice fog since the movie was made in 1980.

Thanks for sharing, John William Blaney!

"The Fog?" Maybe. Haven't seen it. Did the fog cling to the ground? Something to consider is it bubbles; a sound that can bork location audio capture.

Dangerous stuff to handle, dry ice. You can get badly burned.

When bored, we made bombs by adding a little water to plastic liter soda bottles then dropping a small chunk in, screwed the cap on tight, shook then tossed. Pretty soon, a really loud BOOM.

Here's a scene from The Fog, E Langley.

Maurice Vaughan, basically all depends on technique! Lighting is one of factors to consider, however practical effects (fog machine) gets a better feeling of reality for actors/performers and therefore basically better concentration and performance from actors/performers!

Of course with practical effects and modern computer enhancement software, you can do considerably much more in comparison to about a decade ago.

Ok, thanks, Eon C. Rambally. Yeah, I think it'd be easier to act if the actors could see the fog. I prefer practical effects over CGI. I saw Alien: Romulus and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice recently, and it was great to see practical effects in the movies!

Not dry ice, Maurice Vaughan. You'd need hundreds of pounds. They're would be no control. Many headaches.

Great backlit shot. Thanks.

The fog motivates from a central point or location. Fog machine. Pretty obvious if you look at how it moves into frame.

I have experience with both practical and visual effects.

Practical fog will interact with your characters, the space, and the lighting. Definitely preferable.

Some tips:

-- Fog machines need to charge. You can’t always add fog on “action,” but may have to wait a minute.

-- Consider the size of the space, then the size of the fogger. Small party foggers sometimes don’t cut it.

-- Use a sheet of foam core or a flag to wave the air and move the fog around.

-- If you’re outdoors, the fog will dissipate quickly.

Now tips for digital fog:

-- Use a blend mode to embed your stock footage into the scene, not transparency.

-- If the camera moves, you should move the fog layer to match the move. It’s weird if the pov moves, but the fog is locked down.

-- If creating smoke or fog with After Effects (instead of using a stock element) look up tutorials on using fractal noise or CC Partical World. Fractal noise is good for general fog movement. CC Partical World is good for directing the producer of smoke (in conjunction with something magical moving through a shot, for instance).

Wow! Thanks for sharing the tips, Mike Boas!

I'm a fan of practical fog for atmosphere, lighting and authenticity for the cast. Perhaps an enhancement in post if the fog needs to "act" in some way. But the real atmosphere has always been best to me.

Thanks, Sam Sokolow.

Maurice Vaughan happened upon the last 20 minutes of "The Fog." Smoke machines, dry ice and some pre-CGI special effects.

Ok, thanks for letting me know, E Langley. A "The Fog" remake came out in 2005. I just watched a featurette that talks about how they did the fog and other effects. Here's the link for anyone interested: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b-xjVcz-EQs