To electrify a metal door handle would I need one connection or 2?

So it needs to be functioning for a movie prop? Are the actors that bad they can’t fake a shock?

Pretty much to get a good jolt through a door handle you would need 2 connections and a healthy amount of amperage. One contact for the handle and a second to provide a ground path to complete a circuit. If the shockee is wearing shoes, much higher amperage would be needed to get a healthy current flow through the shoes to something like a wire mesh. If you could get the shockee’s feet wet then stand on the ground path you could really make someones afternoon. I suppose if extreme voltage at low amperage were used you could get a little stingy ouch kind of zap, but for real man-killing kind of electrocution there ain’t nothin’ like good ol’ Amperage! I can’t remember if I have seen any ‘hollywood magic’ kind of props like you are describing. I’m thinking like an engineer again.. Sorry..

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies no of course it isn’t real. But it does have to LOOK real. You’d be amazed at how many jerks watch movies and go “well that would never work because the blah blah isn’t hooked up to the blah blah or look that mans guitar isn’t even plugged in.

@majorrich thanks that helps a lot. Previously my only real dealing with electrics was with electric fences for farm animals…they certainly give you a bit of a zap but unfortunatly i need something more exciting and apparently i must “attach” to a door…magnets might be my friend there I reckon.

Whew. I’m glad it was a prop door and handle you were talking about.
Regardless of the reality of the real situation, make it big enough to be understood by the audience, which would not have to be totally true. But I’m sure you know that.

DC from a battery has a harder kick than AC from an outlet. I don’t know all the details but you might want to do a little research on the expected reaction of the actor to the type of current you are jolting him with.

If I were doing it I would use an electric fence transformer . The mat on the floor would be ground and one wire would go to the door handle. I’d use a 15,000 Volt weeder type unit. This one will give quite a jolt.

For a one shot deal a big capacitor would give a healthy jolt. If I were going to really put it to someone, a big DC welder (only 24 volts mind you) will give devastating zapping fun.

I’m glad you sods live so far away haha

thanks all i realize people probably wont believe me but yeh its for a movie being shot in april in Aukland. My major difficulty is making it look…well like really i mean technically in real life you could just use a big battery and some wires but because its a movie its got to have the “this is an electrical device” about it and be more visually interesting. Sci-fi…we add more parts than anyone would ever need in RL