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Marlow Murder Club
In the summer of 2025, Marlow Murder Club, a wholesome detective comedy well established with two previous seasons, got Elements Special Effects onboard to provide a range of custom gags and background smoke effects.
The season’s largest effect was a newspaper bonfire. We constructed a metal frame reinforced with chicken wire, capable of holding three pallets of newspaper - over a tonne of material. Prior to the shoot, all newspapers were transported to our yard and safely pre-singed, creating the appearance that the fire had already been burning when first seen on camera. On shoot day, the structure was taken to the manor house and dressed into a 4-foot-high bonfire pile. A smoke machine was installed at the centre, accompanied by fishtails and flame bars. The crew applied a fireproof lacquer to the newspapers, allowing the flames to burn longer before the paper fully ignited. Fire crew remained on standby to extinguish any lingering flames once the propane was cut off. After the live flames, the smoke machine maintained the effect of a smouldering bonfire while the cast performed their detective work around it.
Another key effect was a doorframe smoke curtain for the dramatic reveal of the main culprit. Following R&D in our workshop, the team built a 6-foot pipe frame fed with dry ice. When released, the CO₂ vapour fell naturally through the piping vents, sinking to the floor due to its high density before gradually dissipating as it warmed to room temperature. Dry ice was chosen because standard glycerine or water-based interior smoke machines, such as the Colt 3, would have lingered and slowly filled the set with a haze, creating continuity issues. Using CO₂ in a confined space comes with health and safety concerns, so the crew was equipped with industry-standard CO₂ monitors that provided visual and audible alerts if levels became unsafe, along with fans to regularly ventilate the set.
