Driven by an imaginative force Reel EFX recreated a natural phenomena for the entertainment industry. Jim Gill, designer of the popular RE Fan was always intrigued by the dynamics of tornadoes, which led him to discover and patent a man-made tornado.

The Reel EFX tornado has been used in conventions around the country, in television for Walker Texas  Ranger, Dutch TV and The Discovery Channel Documentary "Planet Storm." It has been featured in commercials for Armstrong and Volvo. Installations of the tornado have been made for Knotts Berry Farm and the Universal Studios Florida ‘Twister Ride’. A fire tornado was created for a David Copperfield Special.

“As a kid in Oklahoma City, I watched a storm approach before hiding in the bathtub. I must have been about seven years old,” Jim Gill says. “The tornado touched down on the street behind us damaging a house. As it skipped through town it took out two churches and a synagogue. I guess it was a non-denominational tornado.”

The first challenge for the effects team at Reel EFX came when director Tony Kaye wanted a freestanding 40' tornado for a Volvo commercial featuring a storm chaser. Previous effects and laboratory tornadoes required an enclosure such as a curved tube to create a wall that controlled the airflow, making them unsuitable for filming, (not to mention that they were much too small). The engineering team at Reel EFX developed a patented way to create the tornado using carefully placed and controlled fans. “Not only did we have to make the ‘no wall’ tornado work in the shop, but we had to scale it up to incredible size, and move it to a location shoot in the California desert, all on an insanely tight schedule” says engineer Dylan Hixon.A surplus helicopter rotor driven by a large engine created the updraft that drove the tornado (F1 on the scale used by meteorologists). A mixture of Fuller's earth and coal dust visualized the vortex. Jim Lux, one of the engineers who developed the tornado comments, "The art in making tornadoes, for entertainment is not in getting the air to move right (although that is tricky enough), it's in making the moving air visible and in creating the desired visual effect. Knowing what to put in, and where and when to put it, is the essential ingredient for a successful visual effect."

In creating the tornado for David Copperfield certain safety issues were implemented. “The inherent danger of the 20’ fire tornado presented unique personal concerns for David Copperfield. He was determined to stand in the core of this dangerous tornado.” Said Jim Gill. “To achieve the large diameter and stable core, Reel EFX used 18’ solid aluminum blades to provide the updraft necessary. A 200 horsepower computer controlled motor powered the tornado. The core of the tornado was 6 feet in diameter. To move the air around the tornado 50 DMX controlled RE III Fans were used. Introducing flame into the vortex of the tornado required extensive testing of fuel flow and placement of specially designed nozzles. The fuel flow exceeded 1 gallon per second.” Reel EFX fabricated a fireproof tarp to protect against damage from the extreme heat.

NASA scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are considering creating simulated Martian dust devils, inspired by the dust devils that Reel EFX created for last year's Discovery Channel documentary "Planet Storm," which put Wes Ward, a USGS astrogeologist, inside a 15’ high tornado. A "tornado machine" is very attractive, because unlike a natural dust devil, which must be chased across the desert, the vortex is created in one place and can run continuously.

The latest in the line of RE Fans, the RE III was developed to address the need for a more powerful, rugged, DMX controlled high-speed wind machine. “It suited our need for precise airflow control. This permitted us to maintain a stable fire core.” Says Jim Gill

Reel EFX has a 15’ tall portable tornado that ships in a 36”wide rolling unit. It runs off 220v power with DMX control for stage and live presentations. The core of this tornado is imaged with glycol fog. An updraft fan maintains the vortex. “By adjusting the fan speed between the updraft and side fans, the vortex can change from fat and lazy to skinny and mean.” Says Jim Gill.

Working in the Special Effects industry Reel Efx strives to solve both simple and scientifically demanding challenges. “We cover the full range of physical elements, wind, rain, snow, ice and fire. Mechanical effects from turntables to exotic flying systems are a particular favorite.” Says Jim.

The future for tornadoes at Reel EFX as always is up in the air. Reel EFX can produce a tornado in varying sizes and look. Not only does Reel EFX have the technology in the form of controllable fans and the skill to move the air, they've also got the experience of putting fog, steam and smoke into the vortex. Currently Reel EFX is designing a tabletop tornado for classroom use, to help students understand the physics of a tornado.

Products manufactured by Reel EFX include:
DF-50 Diffusion Hazer, RE Fans, Skydancer Fan and Diffusion in A Can.
www.reelefx.com
818.762.1710

PLSN
Pro Lights Staging and News
May 2001

Manufacturers of the world famous and incredibly popular DF-50 Diffusion
Hazer, a heaterless patented system for breaking down a food grade
mineral oil into particles(OSHA approved), Reel EFX also offers the unique and
different Diffusion in a Can.  Ideal for still photographers as well
as live entertainment venues, the 20oz. cans offer an economical and
easy alternative to large diffusion machines.

Oct. 2001

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith keeps his cool with the RE III Fan

Copyright 2001, Reel EFX. Inc. / Home/ Comments: webmaster@reelefx.com