Knockout Smoke and Effects

[Gotham]

I have always wondered how they did the Knockout smoke for the various Bad Guys? Penguin's Umbrella, Jokers Flower, and others.
I read they had to do multiple takes. because the smoke didn't always go off on Que.
I know also, that Star Trek had a multi film copier, where they ran the Negative cast film on one reel and special effects on another reel and shot both of them on a single roll of film, Is that the way Batman was shot The "POWS" and "OUCH"'s during the fight sequences.
Any other tech tricks and tips?

[Gotham]

I guess I have stumped the best Bat Minds....

[Mark Racop]

In first season, the onomatopoeia fight words were a separate layer of film. That layer and the on-set fight layer of film were rephotographed frame by frame using an optical printer. They changed things to cut costs in second season by inserting several frames of the fight word against a colored background. The optical printer was the visual special effect man's friend until the digital age.



As far as the knockout "gas" smoke, they were probably "home made" smoke bombs. Ignition of any practical special effect is a tricky thing that doesn't always work on cue.

[Gotham]

Thanks Buddy, I figured you'd know if anybody would,
That is the same machine Star Trek used for the Phazer shots, Beaming effects etc.
Did you know the Photon Torpedo sound was from striking a Steel cable used on light poles, and the beaming effect was water with glitter in it stirred...lol
Adam West did say they wasted a lot of film when the Smoke effects didn't go off, I'd like to see some of the outtakes.
Thanks again Mark...

[John Mack]

As I'm sure Mark or Scott would tell you, there are no out takes from the show. Would it surprise me if any appeared for future release? No. But people in the know have told us for 40 years that no blooper reels exist or out takes. I for one, always hold out hope in this matter, but as for right now, it seems that none exist or if they do, their owners aren't sharing.

John

[Mark Racop]

Adam told me in 1985 that he knew a blooper reel existed, but he didn't know what had happened to it. He thought that William Dozier might have had it, but he wasn't sure. Hopefully it turns up one day.

PS: Stephen Whitfield's "The Making of Star Trek" was the first book I read of my own volition (aside from reading the encyclopedia)--I think I was seven or eight when I bought it. I have read that book over one hundred times!

[chrisbcritter]

I've always wanted to know how some of those effects worked (or sometimes didn't, like when Bruce gets gassed at the museum in "The Curse of Tut" - the sound effect is there but nothing sprays out of the henchman's canister!). The Penguin's umbrella seems to be troublesome as well - very often it throws out little burning sparks when the gas starts coming out. And as I've mentioned, I'm 99% sure the Riddler's spray was Glade air freshener - the tops of the cans were unique at that time.

[Gotham]

PS: Stephen Whitfield's "The Making of Star Trek" was the first book I read of my own volition (aside from reading the encyclopedia)--I think I was seven or eight when I bought it. I have read that book over one hundred times!

Wow that is a funny thing, I have that book as well and have worn out 3 copies!
IF you are a Star Trek fan, That is a MUST own book, It really takes you inside the Series and Gene Roddenberry's brilliant mind! I'm going to go get it and read it again, thanks for the reminder Mark!
PS: Sorry for throwing the thread off topic, I promise to be better! lol

[Mark Racop]

Batman, Star Trek, Lost In Space, and many other fine shows from the mid-60s used similar methods to achieve the special effects that they needed. It's all good, Gotham!