Liquid Nitrogen Ground Fog

[Celeste_SM]

Hi all.  Has anyone used liquid nitrogen to create a ground fog effect?  We normally do the dry-ice routine, but my director heard that the look was much more effective with liquid nitrogen.  I did some prelimary research on it, and of course the first few Google hits were about how it is dangerous for actors.   So, I'm looking to hear the experiences of others who may have used it!

[Scott]

Dry ice can look damn good (especially in conjuction with fog and haze) with the right distribution mechanism -- maybe it would be in the best interest of your company (i.e. your actor charges) interest to look further into that.

[KMC]

Le Maitre makes some great machines.  They'll have a machine to suit every need you have.  Sounds like you want some heavier stuff that sticks on the floor, look at their low-fog stuff and you should find something to suit your needs.

I would steer away from using any chemicals or gases that you're unsure of in any aspect of theatre.  If you don't know the way a gas or chemical will behave and all of the potential risks then it's not prudent to put that in a space where you have a  lot of people.

[Mac Calder]

Okay, I am locking this topic for two reasons:

1: Liquid nitrogen is not safe to be handled by non-professionals - so I am locking this to prevent people from replying with "If you do X/Y you can do it safely" posts.

2: Liquid nitrogen is damn dangerous and should only be handled by professionals - yes, I realise I said the same thing two different ways... that is just to emphasise.

Dry ice is in fact quite a dangerous compound, but with careful handling, we use it in the theatre to great effect. Liquid N2 is many times more dangerous - especially in the quantities required for stage, and in most countries (The US, I am not so sure about) requires a permit to get such quantities - and there are a lot of storage considerations to be thought about - making using liquid N2 prohibitively expensive.

If the OP wants more information on using liquid N2, then the OP should contact a local effects professional and proceed from there.