What is up with all the flamethrowers?

[shapeshifter]

This week, it looks to me as if the columns the fireballs once erupted from have been redesigned and the flamethrowers removed. Good. But now sparks from the ceiling are the new flame-balls. Everywhere with the falling sparks. Pretty.
No flying rocks this episode though.

So like the fun-house turbo-lift, different visual effects come and go from week, (or few) to week.

<read the following in Balok's puppet voice>
"This week on, rotating visual troupe of the week; fireballs are replaced with showers of cascading sparks! Tune in next week when showers of cascading sparks are replaced with...." ?

 

[nic3636]

A disco ball that drops from the ceiling ?

 

[Christopher]

This week, it looks to me as if the columns the fireballs once erupted from have been redesigned and the flamethrowers removed. Good. But now sparks from the ceiling are the new flame-balls. Everywhere with the falling sparks. Pretty.

The flame pots in the walls only seemed to be in the first two episodes, which were directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi; we haven't seen them since. I figure it's a directorial preference. Jonathan Frakes directed this week's episode, which might be why they went old school with the sparks.

 

[shapeshifter]

Frakes on set: What the hell are those things? Flamethrowers on the bridge? Get em off my set!

 

[Christopher]

Frakes on set: What the hell are those things? Flamethrowers on the bridge? Get em off my set!

There have been several intervening episodes where we didn't see them.

 

[dupersuper]

A disco ball that drops from the ceiling ?

It worked for TAS...

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

You'd think if they needed more power to escape the rift, they would shut down those damn sparkler generators.

A disco ball that drops from the ceiling ?

A disco ball on Disco? Could work. It would definitely get the disco Doctor McCoy seal of approval.

 

[Truffula]

The sparkler generators probably aren't tied into the main power so they wouldn't give much extra juice.

 

[plynch]

That medallion. Wow. I was a kid in the 70s, but I had a medallion I would wear with polyester shirts with half-zippers at the neck.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

That medallion. Wow. I was a kid in the 70s, but I had a medallion I would wear with polyester shirts with half-zippers at the neck.

It was from when Dr. McCoy was touring with the Bee Gees.

 

[Christopher]

It was from when Dr. McCoy was touring with the Bee Gees.

Having a doctor around helps with stayin' alive.

 

[Fateor]

Frakes on set: What the hell are those things? Flamethrowers on the bridge? Get em off my set!

You joke... But with how big those jet's were I wouldn't be surprised if Frakes chewed them out big time for violating safety standards...

 

[shapeshifter]

I was only half joking. I can hear him saying the first sentence, 2 and 3, I don't know.

I wonder if a flamethrower safety specialist was on set with them. "Attention on set! <a special bell rings> Beware of flame throwers during take!"

 

[Sci]

You joke... But with how big those jet's were I wouldn't be surprised if Frakes chewed them out big time for violating safety standards...

On what basis do you assume they were violating safety standards?

 

[Christopher]

Doing dangerous-looking fire effects safely is one of the oldest tricks in the filmmaking book, and probably even earlier in live theater. And the fire jets in the first two episodes of this season weren't big at all -- heck, they were much more subdued than the fire effects in the climax of Frakes's episode where the whole bridge was "burning." They were just occasional localized puffs of flame in very specific places, no more dangerous than, say, live torches in a medieval castle or dungeon set. Less so, in fact, since they only puffed flames occasionally.

 

[Sci]

Doing dangerous-looking fire effects safely is one of the oldest tricks in the filmmaking book, and probably even earlier in live theater. And the fire jets in the first two episodes of this season weren't big at all -- heck, they were much more subdued than the fire effects in the climax of Frakes's episode where the whole bridge was "burning." They were just occasional localized puffs of flame in very specific places, no more dangerous than, say, live torches in a medieval castle or dungeon set. Less so, in fact, since they only puffed flames occasionally.

Exactly. In fact, the very thing that inspired this thread -- the fact that they looked like controlled, artificial ignitions -- probably also meant they were perfectly safe.

 

[Christopher]

Exactly. In fact, the very thing that inspired this thread -- the fact that they looked like controlled, artificial ignitions -- probably also meant they were perfectly safe.

Exactly. They looked like very obvious, mechanical, stagey effects like you'd see in a thrill ride. I said the goal of fire effects is to safely create the illusion of danger, but this effect totally failed at that.

 

[Fateor]

On what basis do you assume they were violating safety standards?

Because the flame jets are hitting other parts of the set and the cast isn't always properly attired to be around jet's that large when the jets are going off.

 

[Sci]

Because the flame jets are hitting other parts of the set

Parts that are almost certainly designed to interact with fire without burning.

and the cast isn't always properly attired to be around jet's that large when the jets are going off.

How do you know what they're wearing underneath their costume?

Seriously, you're jumping to conclusions on the basis of no evidence. Do you even have expertise in fire safety practices for television or film productions?

 

[Fateor]

Parts that are almost certainly designed to interact with fire without burning.

Doesn't matter, this isn't an "except in X circumstances" type of thing.

How do you know what they're wearing underneath their costume?

Because I can see the Federation President's skin through her plunging neckline.

Seriously, you're jumping to conclusions on the basis of no evidence. Do you even have expertise in fire safety practices for television or film productions?

Yes!

It's how I know they almost surely ignored more then just the obvious one's, because following the regulations to the letter would involve a 30-60 minute break between takes for the safety inspector to look over everything and declare it safe for another use.