How to Shoot a Practical Special Effect: Mirage

Your characters are out on a flat road in the desert, parched, hot and tired. You want to create that shimmering effect for your wide shot, the mirage of heat bouncing off the hard pan. Unfortunately for you (and fortunately for your actors), it's a balmy 70 degrees and there's no shimmering to be seen. Or, you need a close enough shot of the subjects to make using a real mirage impossible, even on the hottest of days. How do you fake that great mirage look? Here are two simple ways to do it--one if you have a reliable source of electricity like a generator or automobile outlet, and one if you've got absolutely nothing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spare pair of hands (i.e. a grip PA!)
• Pair of heavy work gloves
• Can of portable heating fuel ("canned heat")
• Wooden matches

How to--The Electric Way

1. Set up your master shot with your actors, location, whatever, framed as you like.

2. Run the extension cord from your power source to the front of the camera.

3. Plug your toaster into your extension cord and depress the 'toast' lever, heating the coils in the empty toaster.

4. Get your spare pair of hands to hold the toaster just out of frame, below and in front of the camera lens, making sure the heat waves pass in front of the camera lens.

5. Looking through the lens, adjust the toaster to give you as much or as little mirage effect as you need for the shot.

How to--The Non-Electric Way

6. Set up your master shot with your actors, location, whatever, framed as you like.

7. Light the can of fuel and, using your spare pair of (gloved!) hands or a small stand, place the can of fuel just out of frame, below and in front of the camera lens.

8. Adjust the can so that the heat waves pass in front of the camera lens.

9. Looking through the lens, adjust the can of fuel to give you as much or as little mirage effect as you need for the shot.

Tips & Warnings

• To extinguish the flame, simply close the can of fuel with the lid. The flame will be snuffed out almost immediately.
• Canned heat is VERY HOT and has an OPEN FLAME, often very difficult to see in bright sunlight. It will burn you severely or ignite anything flammable that comes into contact with it. Treat it as you would a stove burner or Bunsen burner.