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My TC on Discovery Channel shoot

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Tesladownunder

Sat Apr 28 2007, 03:06PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

Two days ago I had a 15 hour day doing video for a Discovery Channel Canada
segment. They shot 3 hours of tape on DigiBeta during that time and it will go to one
(possibly more) 5 minute segments to be edited on May 10 and to play on
within a few weeks to Canada. It was shot using a local crew of 3 and
telephone interview from Canada.
I spent a long time doing storyboards and planning shots in the weeks
before. The process was a first for me and learnt lots of stuff.
We shot the following:
1 Opener with my shed and sparks and smoke coming out, then big bang and
sparks shower out from my cap bank and I walk out. 'I always wanted to do
that'.
2 Smoke ring generator at home and in a huge gymnasium. My best shots ever
with slow vivid smoke rings going the length of the hall at walking pace and
hitting the wall. Explanations, shots of setting up and lots of variations.
3 Interview for about 1/2 hour. "Look at the person to one side of the camera, not at the camera or at the phone". Easier to say than do.
4 Electric shock demonstration with small shocks to my arm with first my
Candybox HV 30kV then with a medical pacer going up to about 20mA if I
recall to show my hand contracting forcefully. The several retakes for the closeup
were the a bit stressfull.
5 Can crushing and shooting cans into the air. (no time for magneforming)
6 Set up of Tesla coil car thief protection. I tried about 5 car firms and
the local motor club. No-one wanted to donate a car (surprise) so back to
the car rental for yet another Hyundai Getz.
7 Set up and construction of my 18 inch coil including new things like the
toroid. Double truck tubes covered with chicken wire plus a central
motor/battery for the rotating rod. Pretty resilient stuff particularly
since it fell off at one stage but was undamaged. Try doing that with an Al
spun toroid. Also had a series blower gap in series with my ARSG to improve
quenching. Power of 16kV from two potential transformers of a 240V 32A line.
0.09uF Tank cap.
8 Capacitor bank firing at 3-4 kJ into steel wool and aluminium showering me
with sparks. (I had high efficiency ear muffs) This was a night shot.
9 Running the Tesla coil car thief protection. They will do a post
production job on it so it should look more like the photos but in real
time.
10 Pool shots with a TC sparking into the pool. I get in (in a hired
wetsuit) and have sparks jump onto my chain mail gloved hand while I am in
the water. I then put on an "tin foil hat" that I made up on camera.
Actually on an aluminium frame also using Al tape. Big wires on each side
dangle into the water. Fine wire loops project and protect my face. I could
feel absolutely nothing when the sparks were hitting my head.
11 Some concern here as to whether to proceed. Nearly 11pm and the biggest
noise yet to come. Budget for the crew was becoming an issue too I gather.
Press on, I said, I have sent letters to all the neighbours within a few
hundred yards warning them. Out of wetsuit and back into white shirt and
tie and scramble to get the big TC wired. Ran OK for 3 foot sparks to check.
Push out to 5 ft then 7 foot. Only just at 7 foot with 13 turns on the
primary. Push to 8 foot. No sparks reached the grounded ladder. Tune another
turn out to 14 turns and 8 foot spark caught on video. Next run the rotating
rod and leave it running for a while with filming with lights on and off.
After a few shots everything dies. Not sure what the problem is but the
video is in the bag. Another hour packing up and off to bed.
A lot of that 3 hours is going to end up on the cutting room floor (97% by
my calculation). Possibly 100% if someone sends some NIB magnets through
the mail at the same time.

I am working at getting some of the pics the kids took on my camera to the
website in the next day or so.
A selection of pics.

TDU

1177772641 10 FT0 Tesla18discoverysetup4

Sulaiman

Sat Apr 28 2007, 03:30PM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

WOW, Fantastic, amazing.

I particurlarly like the (seemingly) insane idea of being a TC target whilst in the swimming pool.

Congratulations.

HV Enthusiast

Sat Apr 28 2007, 05:32PM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

Awesome.

Good luck with Discovery Canada.
THey did a video shoot with me two years ago, and my footage never did make production.

Tesladownunder

Sun Apr 29 2007, 05:53AM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

No guarantees that this won't go the same way, but the production manager is enthusiastic. and they have lots of different stuff to choose from. Time will tell. Either way it was an interesting experience and gave me a bit of a push to get my 18 inch coil going.

Photo is a screen grab from the home video.

TDU

Tesladownunder

Wed May 16 2007, 01:47PM

Registered Member #10 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 09:45AM
Location: Bunbury, Australia
Posts: 1424

I heard from the Discovery Channel producer and he was sufficiently pleased with the footage to plan to edit into 2 shows presumably around 5 mins each. To quote:

"The first one focuses on the pop can and the swimming pool lightning bolts, with a bit of you shocking yourself and showing off the smoke ring vortex gun. The second will focus on the car force field, the steel wool and building the big Tesla coil."

It is near the end of their current season so plan is to show when the new season starts in September.
And they are asking for me to consider topics for another shoot. I will have to look into the bag of tricks but I think they have taken the best ones.
I have a couple of new ideas but if I told you, I'd have to .... you know the rest.

TDU

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