What to use for a campfire
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Lights and Sound
Forum Discription: Technical discussion
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2192
Printed Date: 5/17/24 at 2:45am
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Topic: What to use for a campfire
Posted By: Karin
Subject: What to use for a campfire
Date Posted: 12/30/06 at 2:32pm
| Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use to make a realistic campfire. |
Replies:
Posted By: Linda S
Date Posted: 12/30/06 at 3:21pm
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I would use a flame light. You can find them at almost any novelty store. Surround it with real wood, and it will give a surprisingly realistic effect.
Linda
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Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 12/30/06 at 7:32pm
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You could always make up a flicker effect quite cheaply yourself! Place a neon fluoro starter in series with an incandescent globe. Fitted in both Active & Neutral circuits. It is more effective to produce 2or 3 light circuits, giving differing flicker timing. F convince mount the incandescent globes on a suitable plastic electrical Junction box, with their lamp fittings. Connect a pigtail lead with a male plug top. This unit can be run via a dimmer circuit & gives a realistic effect when starting & building over period of time too a brighter fire. Use different colour globes or mixed gels, also you may want to add a second starter in parrel or series with the other to modify the flicker circuit. ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: dboris
Date Posted: 12/31/06 at 9:28am
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I saw a very cool campfire done once using Christmas twinkle lights (not the normal blink ones, but the ones that blink more rapidly). They took a strand or two of these lights, balled them up, put some red and yellow gels around them and then put that under the logs. Looked very convincing. Dan |
Posted By: Karin
Date Posted: 12/31/06 at 11:15am
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I really appreciate your suggestions. Thanks! Could you please elaborate on what you mean when you say surround the lights with gels? Thanks again.
Karin
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Posted By: SpazzingSM
Date Posted: 1/06/07 at 1:13pm
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Gels are what is used to change the color of the light. The best way I can describe them to someone who has not had experience with them is that they are like large sheets of colored cellophane. They are generally bought by the sheet and cut down to the needed sizes. Rosco, Apollo, and Lee are the brands I usually use... check out their websites.
Another way you could do this effect is how they do a lot of Halloween effects. With a quiet fan and some light red and orage fabric or tissue paper and any source of light hidden inside the "camp fire."
Allison ------------- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~Einstein |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 1/08/07 at 1:36pm
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I just did a roaring fireplace fire for Scrooge. We went to Spencers gifts (any big mall should have one) and purchased a false flame pot. It was a small fan that blew pointed strips of silk up. This unit had small lights under it to illuminate the silk strips as they fluttered. I surrounded this unit with pieces of firewood. One pet peave of mine is when people do this and the firewood looks unburnt. At least the ends of the wood near the "flames" should be burnt. I did this by simply burning one end in a fire and then dunking it in a bucket of water. The charred end and the flame pot made a very convincing fire. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: bmiller025
Date Posted: 1/08/07 at 8:21pm
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I would suggest painting the firewood rather than actually setting it afire and then dousing it. When you paint it, you can create the same darkness of the burned parts, but you can also paint portions a light color to reflect the light from the flame pot. It gives you a whole lot more control over how it looks. ------------- http://www.brianmiller.biz/BrianDesign.htm |