Wizard Snow 101

Wizard Snow is simply the best fake plastic snow on the market today.  A staple of the special effects world, this product is perfect for creating majestic (and completely silent) snow effects.

How do you make it snow?

While a simple fan or blower can be used to disperse the snow, typically a snow cradle is used to evenly (and silently) dispense the product.

Made out of a piece of muslin with small holes or slits (cut in the shape of "U"s covering about 1/3 of an end), this simple yet effective theatrical devise will help you create beautiful snow effects. The cradle is hung from two adjacent battens and filled with Wizard Snow.  The snow is released by moving one end of the cradle up and down slightly to allow snow to filter through the holes.

How to Make a Snow Cradle

1. Start with a piece of muslin with the length of your sage (or however long you want the snow effect to be) and approximately 10 feet wide
2. Cut small holes or slits along 1/3 of the muslin, as measured from one side
3. Attach ties along both long sides of the muslin
4. Tie the muslin to two battens (i.e., pipes or other solid poles)
5. Bring the battens close enough together to create a trough that can be filled with Wizard Snow
6. Picking up and shaking the batten opposite of the side with the holes/slits should move the snow toward the holes and cause the snow to fall through and drift gently onto the stage floor

The faster you shake the cradle, the faster it will snow!

Wizard Tip: If you plan to sweep up and reuse the snow after the production, please take care to sift though it before reloading it into the snow cradle. Nothing interrupts a performance like an actor unexpectedly getting hit on the head with a screw!

How much Wizard Snow do you need?  Depending on the amount of snow you wish to drop and over what period of time, most productions find they need 1 lb of snow for every foot in length of their snow cradle.  So, if your cradle is 30 feet long, you will likely need at least 30 pounds of Wizard Snow.

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Theatre Effects Customer Service Department
service@theatrefx.com
www.theatrefx.com
Theatre Effects, 1810 Airport Exchange Blvd. #400, Erlanger, KY 41018
Phone: 1-800-791-7646 or 513-772-7646 Fax: 513-772-3579

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