Has Anyone Tried a Douglas Trumbull Cloud Tank Effect?

[young_fast_&_scientific]

This is more of an effects question, but I suppose it does relate to cinematography.

I want to try and recreate one of my favorite old school special effects from the 1980's; Douglas Trumbull's cloud tank.

You may remember it from such films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Independence Day among others.

The idea is simple; inject paint or inks into a tank of water, filled halfway with salt water, the other half fresh water. The white paint should billow above the salt water level into cloud formations.

Now I know this was usually done with a very large tank. Something we don't have access to. What we're planning to do is use a fish tank. I'm just not sure how but it should be to achieve the proper effect. Also, what sort of paint would work best?

If anyone has tried this out, please feel free to share your experience with this.

Thanks!

 

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

My best results have been with condensed milk. You know, the kind in the can.

I find that it has the thick milky and cloudy pattern most like clouds. The ink is too stringy, while the milk tends to billow in puffy patterns.

It will have a yellowish white tint that can be easily replaced in post CC.

Also light from behind or the side for best results. Don't front light the tank!

 

[pmark23]

I did this about 15 years ago in a fish-tank to create mushroom clouds and smoke effects. We lit from either the top or side, and green-screened the back of the tank. We used ink instead of paint, but paint sounds interesting too.