Snow Drop

About

The Snow drop was built for The Snow Queen the 2016 christmas show. It required snow to fall across the span of the Ath stage for a couple minutes. the budget did not stretch to hire proper snow drops and we could not use "bubble snow" due to the floor and set not being able to take it. The idea was to build a snow roller using plastic pipe in workshop. This project was taken on by Stuart Leech TSM, Dimitri Grant DTSM and Yesha Subotincic West Head of Flys.

* After the end of the tech the roller was switched out for a snow bag with the same rig and operation. The reason for this being that the time did not exist to perfect the snow fall from the roller. Given more time the roller would have been used.

Test

Click here to see how the test drop was built and looked.

Materials

Attaching ends to the roller.

- 2 __m plastic pipes.

- 4 wooden rounds to fit in the ends. Two will be screwed together to connect the centre.

- 12 backflap hinges.

Before and after paint.

- 6 pin hinges.

- 6 pin hinge pins.

- Black paint

Construction

Click hereto see how the test drop was built and looked.

Let It Snow

This requires 2 fly people. One person operates the motors 1 and 2 and one on counter weight bar 14 that is used to make the drop roll and dispense snow.

Reset

In – Take E-Stop off motors and switch motors 1 and 2 into the down position. When both operators are in positions and given the go by the TSM over radio begin to bring the motors in along with the bar.

TSM will spot the bar and convey any changes in speed that needs to be adjusted: for example, “Slow Down” or “Speed up”. Fly person will also spot when possible to make sure the bar is clear of the truss and there are an adequate number of wraps around the roller.

When Snow Drop is called to a halt by the TSM, E-Stop the motors and break bar.

Out – Once the drop has been filled TSM will give the go over radio to take it out. This is a very delicate operation due to the drop holes. TSM will spot the bar and convey any changes in speed that need to be adjusted. For example, “Slow Down” or “Speed up, as the motors go out. Both bar and motor will continue to go out until the pre-set dead (in orange) is sitting above the break on bar 14.

Operation

The Snow drop has 3 deads. The lowest marked in orange the middle marked in yellow and the highest marked in pink.

In pre-set the yellow dead should be in line with the 1m mark on the pillar next to it and the orange dead on top of the break. The 1m mark is marked with yellow tape.

When given standby by DSM, fly person will hold both front and back line in hand and take break off. When the DSM calls Snow Drop GO, fly person will move the line smoothly from yellow dead in line with the 1m mark to the pink dead in line with the 1m mark back to the yellow dead to the 1m mark (this sequence should take place in the time of 2s) Repeat this sequence until DMS calls Snow Drop STOP

Click here to see the build and rig of the final drop.

Rigging

* An amendment to the rigging:

The Drop was too heavy to move smoothly from Fly Floor so the lines were instead to a counterweight bar (bar 14) with 5 weights in the cradle. The operation was therefore done by moving a bar in and out rather than pulling hemp lines.