Synthetic Quicksand

[DarthMau]

Hi. Does anyone of you know the name of the type material that is used like quicksand in some films like example Starcrash or Nightmare on Elm Street IV? Could it be synthetic sand or it's other material? Thanks.

[dlodoski]

I never felt like I got a good look at the material they used in Elm Street IV, but I get the feeling that they used a 'fresh' batch of sand and water (you can see the moisture just before the submersion). The final edit may have been a combination of several attempts.

The Starcrash stuff looks like vermiculite at first glance. Vermiculite is a low density material used in gardening to loosen topsoil. I'm certain it's been used in some scenes.

The good old standby substance though, seems to be sawdust. If I was a set designer, and only needed a pit to work for an hour or so, I'd be tempted to use it as well. You could even tweak the color by pushing for one kind of wood over another....

[DarthMau]

Thanks Dave. I forgot the vermiculite. Too bad it's very difficult to find in my city. I can only get sawdust or polystyrene spheres. I wish to make a quicksand pit very similar to that used in the O-girl's video from Jim Weaters.