When special effects get colourful!

From flames to coloured bubbles, including the latest solutions designed for CO₂ smoke machines, today’s special effects industry offers innovative technologies that bring colour to the stage safely and effectively, complementing and expanding the possibilities traditionally provided by RGB LED systems. In this article, we will explore some of the most spectacular and cutting-edge solutions available from the brands distributed by Audio Effetti — Antari, Briteq, Evolite, Mac Mah, The Confetti Maker and, above all, SHOWVEN — with a particular focus on the latest innovations that are redefining industry standards through a completely new approach to colour generation.

For many years, special effects generated by flame machines, smoke machines, CO₂ jets and bubble machines were essentially monochromatic. Flames were almost always yellow-orange, smoke and CO₂ effects strictly white, and bubbles transparent. The only way to add colour to these effects was through external lighting, often with results limited by fixture output, distance and environmental conditions, while proving completely ineffective in daylight applications.

As stage technologies have evolved, colour has become a fundamental element in show design — a powerful creative tool capable of enhancing visual impact, defining atmospheres, highlighting key moments and making every performance more engaging. Today, the entertainment industry offers a wide range of solutions for creating coloured special effects, each based on a different technical principle and suited to specific applications.

The first attempts to overcome the limitations of traditional monochromatic effects date back several years, and since then the technology has undergone a significant generational leap. Today, cutting-edge solutions such as the SHOWVEN cFlamer series are redefining the standards of “coloured flames”, while products like the SONICBOOM RGB generate coloured smoke columns directly at the source through the use of specially formulated fluids. Most systems, however, rely on an “optical” approach, using RGB LEDs positioned at the point where the effect is generated to colour it in real time, as if it were being painted by an external light source. In essence, colour can either be generated at the source or conveyed through light.

Coloured flame machines

Flame machines have always produced one of the most recognisable stage effects, capable of capturing the audience’s attention in an instant. For many years, however, this effect remained largely unchanged. The flames generated were always yellow-orange, regardless of the fuel or technology used. While visually impactful, they offered very limited colour options, with any variation relying entirely on external lighting.

The evolution of modern productions — including festivals, concerts, television broadcasts and corporate events — has made colour an increasingly important element, transforming it into a genuine storytelling tool. Colour allows effects to be synchronised with music, video content, lighting design and the overall visual identity of an event. This growing demand has driven the need to move beyond traditional monochromatic flames and introduce new solutions capable of delivering effects with enhanced aesthetic and functional characteristics.

Within this journey of innovation, Le Maitre has played a significant role as one of the most established names in the special effects industry. The Salamander was among the first flame machines to generate coloured flames directly at the source, without relying on LEDs or external lighting, thanks to the use of pressurised fuel cartridges (propane/butane or ethanol/methanol). In addition to simplifying installation by eliminating external gas cylinders, piping and multiple valves, this solution offered tangible advantages in terms of practicality, safety and operating costs, while also providing a selection of flame colours — albeit limited to natural, red and green.

The real breakthrough, however, comes from SHOWVEN. With the cFlamer (colour Flamer) series, the company has taken the concept of coloured flames to an entirely new level.

Like the Le Maitre solution, this system is designed to generate coloured flames directly at the source, following a similar principle but with a different technological approach. The cFlamer series uses specially formulated liquid fuels supplied by the manufacturer or prepared by mixing SHOWVEN colour additives with methanol according to precise ratios. A 125 mL bottle of additive, for example, can be diluted in 5 litres of methanol with a purity greater than 99.5%. When mixed with methanol according to the recommended proportions, the additive produces a vivid, bright and consistent coloured flame, making it particularly suitable for concerts, festivals, theatrical productions and large-scale outdoor events where visual impact is a key requirement.

The additive is compatible exclusively with methanol and the cFlamer series and must not be used with isopropanol, Isopar L or uFlamer machines. Conversely, cFlamer units can also operate using only isopropanol or ISOPAR, although in this case they will not produce any specific flame colour beyond the traditional pale blue or natural yellow-orange flame.

These fluids are fed into the machine’s tank and pumped through a corrosion-resistant circuit, where they are vaporised prior to ignition. It is this vaporisation process that ensures controlled combustion and uniform colouration throughout the entire flame column. The internal system is designed to maintain colour consistency, combustion stability and high luminous intensity, allowing the flame to remain clearly visible even in daylight conditions.

The SHOWVEN cFlamer range is available in six different models, which can be found here together with the corresponding additives available in blue, red, green, yellow and purple.

From a creative perspective, this technology opens up entirely new possibilities for show designers and production teams. From a commercial standpoint, it represents a powerful differentiating factor: a new, distinctive and highly customisable visual language that enables users to move beyond the limitations of traditional flame effects.

Smoke machines with coloured smoke columns

The ability to “colour smoke” using LEDs is not limited to a specific category of devices. In theory, any traditional smoke machine can be equipped with an RGB lighting system to alter the appearance of the smoke output. In practice, however, this technology has found its most effective and widespread application in CO₂- like machines - systems capable of generating a dense, high-velocity vertical smoke jet that visually resembles a traditional CO₂ effect without requiring cryogenic cylinders.

The compact shape of the column, combined with its speed and three-dimensional appearance, makes LED illumination particularly effective. This allows the effect to be coloured instantly, creating a dynamic visual impact that can be seamlessly integrated into the overall lighting design.

For this reason, most manufacturers have chosen to focus the use of LEDs specifically on these types of machines. RGB or RGBW LED rings are installed around the output nozzle, directly illuminating the smoke column as it is generated. The naturally white plume therefore takes on the colour of the projected light, making it possible to create synchronised colour effects that can be matched with music, video content and lighting cues.

It is important to note, however, that this is a lighting-based colouration rather than genuinely coloured smoke. The final visual result depends on several factors, including LED brightness, ambient conditions and the viewing angle.

Today, this LED-based technology is featured in a number of products available from the Audio Effetti catalogue. Among the most notable are:

• Antari M-9 Jet Fog Machine
• Antari Z-1520 Jet Fog Machine
• BoomTone DJ Jet Smoke 1200
• Briteq BT-Powerjet Mk2
• Evolite FogJet Co2 IP
• Mac Mah Fog Blaster 1500 RGB
• SHOWVEN Sonicboom Jet
• TCM FX® CO2 LED
  
  

Alongside LED-based solutions, which remain extremely versatile and widely adopted, a new category of special effects machines has emerged in recent years for users seeking a different approach to smoke colouration. SHOWVEN has developed a technology that goes beyond illuminating the smoke column from the outside, enabling the generation of genuinely coloured smoke directly at the source and expanding the creative possibilities available to lighting designers, scenographers and production professionals.

The SonicBoom RGB is at the core of this innovation. Unlike the LED-equipped machines discussed earlier, the SonicBoom RGB uses specially formulated Color Smoke Fluids designed to produce coloured smoke during the vaporisation process itself. As a result, the colour is not created by projected light but is an inherent characteristic of the smoke, maintaining a rich and consistent appearance throughout the entire column.

The fluids are water-based, eco-friendly, non-toxic and free from PAHs, halogens and phthalates. They are available in five colour options: pink, green, blue, yellow and purple. Each formulation has been developed to deliver bright, highly visible colours even under strong ambient lighting, making the SonicBoom RGB particularly suitable for outdoor productions, festivals, corporate events and installations where colour visibility is a critical requirement.

It is worth noting that the SonicBoom RGB is not intended to replace LED-based solutions, but rather to complement them by expanding creative possibilities. While LEDs provide flexibility and dynamic colour changes, source-generated coloured smoke introduces a new visual aesthetic that is bold, vibrant and immediately recognisable, making it an excellent choice for productions seeking a distinctive visual signature.

Coloured bubbles

Bubbles are among the most iconic and instantly recognisable effects in the entertainment industry. Traditional bubble machines — based on the classic soap-bubble principle, such as the Antari B-200T or the BoomTone DJ Bubble 60 V2, to name just two examples — generate large quantities of transparent bubbles that are typically illuminated from the outside to create reflections and visual highlights.

In recent years, however, advances in special effects technology have introduced a new creative possibility: bubbles filled with coloured smoke. This is a completely different effect from the traditional bubble concept described above. In this case, the bubble does not appear transparent; instead, the coloured smoke contained inside gives it an opaque or semi-transparent appearance, with a rich and uniform colour throughout. As the bubble floats through the air, the colour remains stable and clearly visible; when it bursts, it releases a small cloud of coloured smoke.

This type of effect is particularly well suited to productions seeking a richer and more immersive visual language, including festivals, corporate events, theatrical performances, musicals, theme parks and artistic installations.

Among the new generation of coloured bubble effects, the SHOWVEN cBubbler stands out as an innovative solution. This special effects machine creates spectacular bubbles filled with coloured smoke, available in vibrant shades such as pink, yellow, light blue and several other colours.

The machine is designed for exclusive use with SHOWVEN Color Smoke Fluids — the same water-based, eco-friendly and non-toxic fluids used by the SonicBoom RGB.

From a technical perspective, the cBubbler has been engineered for demanding professional use. It features a 6-litre bubble fluid tank and a separate 3-litre tank for coloured smoke fluid, with a warm-up time of just 8 minutes and full control via DMX or wireless remote. Its robust construction and ability to generate a continuous stream of coloured smoke-filled bubbles make it an excellent choice for high-impact events, artistic installations, theatrical productions, musicals, theme parks and television shows seeking a distinctive and immersive visual effect.

The SHOWVEN cBubbler is not intended to replace traditional bubble machines; rather, it expands the range of creative possibilities available to designers and production teams. While transparent bubbles create a bright, dreamlike atmosphere, coloured smoke-filled bubbles introduce an entirely new visual language capable of capturing the audience’s attention instantly.

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