Controlling Time: A Radio DMX Clock Controller for Film and Theatre
Sometimes a prop only needs to do one thing.
But it needs to do it exactly when you want it to.
A recent project involved something seemingly very ordinary: a clock.
The problem was that, on a film set, an ordinary clock isn't always particularly useful.
The Continuity Problem
Film scenes are rarely captured in a single take.
The same shot might be repeated over and over again, sometimes with considerable time passing between takes.
If there's a clock visible in the background, that creates a problem.
Imagine the first take begins with the clock showing 10:15. By the time everyone is ready for the next take, the clock might be showing 10:25.
Unless somebody manually resets it, you've suddenly got a continuity error.
And then it needs resetting again.
And again.
And again.
The client wanted a much simpler solution:
Control the clock remotely.
Taking Control of the Hands
We were supplied with the clock and asked to develop a way of controlling its hands electronically.
Because the requirement came quite late in the production schedule, this also needed to be developed quickly.
We created a bespoke controller incorporating:
Independent motor control for the clock hands
Radio DMX control
Remote positioning of the hands
The ability to stop and start the clock
Controlled movement forwards or backwards
This means the practical or lighting team can remotely position the clock at the required time before each take.
Once the director calls cut, they can simply return it to exactly the same starting position ready for the next shot.
No climbing onto the set.
No removing the clock from the wall.
No manually winding the hands back into position.
More Than Just Setting the Time
Once you have electronic control over the hands, the clock can become part of the scene rather than simply part of the scenery.
For example, the hands can be made to move faster than real time.
A production might want to show hours passing in a matter of seconds, or have the clock visibly race forwards as part of a transition.
Because the movement is being controlled electronically, the speed and position of the hands can be controlled as part of the effect.
The clock can therefore:
Run normally
Stop completely
Jump to a predetermined time
Move rapidly forwards
Move backwards
Be reset between takes
And because control is via Radio DMX, it can be operated remotely from elsewhere on set.
Moving Time on Stage
The same idea also has some interesting applications in theatre.
A production may move between different periods of time during the performance, with one scene taking place in the present and another taking place years earlier or later.
Rather than having a static clock that needs changing between scenes, the clock itself can become part of the transition.
The audience might watch the hands accelerate forwards as the story moves into the future.
Or they could rotate backwards as the production moves into the past.
The change happens live, in front of the audience, turning an otherwise ordinary piece of scenery into part of the storytelling.
When an Ordinary Prop Needs Extraordinary Control
This is exactly the type of project we enjoy at EMP Designs.
The starting point isn't necessarily a complicated piece of technology.
Sometimes it's simply:
"We've got this clock. Can you make us control it?"
From there, we can develop the electronics, motor control, firmware and wireless control required to make it work exactly as the production needs.
Whether it's maintaining continuity on a film set, creating an effect during a shot or allowing a piece of scenery to change live during a theatre production, bespoke electronics can transform an everyday object into a controllable prop.
If you've got a practical prop, piece of scenery or mechanism that needs to move, illuminate or respond remotely, talk to us. There's a good chance we can make it happen.
