How do studios make their quicksand pits?

[Lory]

Hello Quicksand fans!

I am a visual artist from Slovenia and I have a question for you guys. A few days ago I came across this VICE documentary named Hollywood's Quicksand Fetish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcvH4T_qzE0), which got me interested in your community and gave me an idea for my next art project. I would like to make my own quicksand pit, the same way the studios make it. Realistic looking and safe enough to sink in it completely. If anyone is kind enough to share this information with me I will gladly give you my e-mail.

Thank you!

[dlodoski]

I think the first thing to do is decide what kind of look you are interested in.

There are three basic outdoor set types that we use, which are easily recognizable by browsing the producer area of the board.

Once you decide on one, please feel free to email me for some construction tips.

[Fred588]

The basic construction is pretty simple. Dig hole, put in liner if necessary, fill, then decorate for desired look. The rest is going to depend on what you want to do with it. There have been four kinds of pits (sinking material) at the Studio 588 facility - three currently. In addition to this board, the sites of the various producers will have still images that might give you ideas about set decorations although there is no substitute for seeing these in person.

[LordMuck]

The short answer is, 'enormous amounts of money, effort and backache.'

[Lory]

I only saw the VICE short and a few more videos, so I am very new to this. I would like to make something similar to what I saw in the documentary. From minute 9:00 until 9:45 they are showing us how they film one of these scenes. The woman sinks in a sand pit that looks quite thick and dry, but after she returns back for air we can see that there was only a layer of sand (maybe granulated cork) floating on top of water. Scenes with thicker substance (like mud or peat) look more realistic and appealing to me, but I'm not sure if it's possible to completely submerge in it. I would like to make it look as realistic as possible, so I could build suspense and sexual arousal in people that probably never even thought about quicksand this way.

[Fred588]

I only saw the VICE short and a few more videos, so I am very new to this. I would like to make something similar to what I saw in the documentary. From minute 9:00 until 9:45 they are showing us how they film one of these scenes. The woman sinks in a sand pit that looks quite thick and dry, but after she returns back for air we can see that there was only a layer of sand (maybe granulated cork) floating on top of water. Scenes with thicker substance (like mud or peat) look more realistic and appealing to me, but I'm not sure if it's possible to completely submerge in it. I would like to make it look as realistic as possible, so I could build suspense and sexual arousal in people that probably never even thought about quicksand this way.

Yes, you can do a full submergence in peat or clay. You cannot actually "sink" but its easy enough to go under quite realistically.

[Lory]

Thanks for helping me guys. Is there anything more I need to know before I submerge myself? Like, what should be the optimal ratio between water and peat?

[Fred588]

Thanks for helping me guys. Is there anything more I need to know before I submerge myself? Like, what should be the optimal ratio between water and peat?

I think you will find this is a matter of personal preference, and purpose. If you are doing filming projects then your main purpose is to enable your performers to act out a scene. On the other hand, if your pit is for personal use, then your purpose is to benefit that. My belief is that most "sinkers" will want a thicker mud than most producers.