making a tree glow
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=2762
Printed Date: 5/12/25 at 10:27am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: making a tree glow
Posted By: drose
Subject: making a tree glow
Date Posted: 10/21/07 at 7:03pm
| So I have this idea...but I don't quite know how to make it work. I want a tree (center stage, only 20 or 30 leaves on it, autumn, symbolic of dying and then at the end of the show, rebirth) to "glow" at the end of the show, leaving the audience with that imagary as they leave. (The whole tree preferably, not just the leaves) I'm thinking of turning on blacklights and then fading the other stage lights down to produce a glow. As I understand it, there is spray that is invisible under "normal" lighting and reacts to blacklight...or am I way off base? What about paint? Is there some sort of special pigment that would achieve the same effect with blacklight? I'd rather not go "glow in the dark" because I want to preserve the harvest color of the tree leaves and get a ghoulish green tint: that kind of defeats the emotional impact I'm going for. Also, can blacklights fade up and down or is it an all or nothing light effect? |
Replies:
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 10/21/07 at 8:12pm
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Rosco Fluro & 'Invisisible Blue
Paint;-
http://www.rosco.com/us/scenic/fluo_paint.asp - http://www.rosco.com/us/scenic/fluo_paint.asp Invisible Blue will be your best bet, except it is blue under UV [blacklight] light. However I used the Invisible Blue only once before, when I did 'Grease' many years ago. I used it in the finarle on the 'Rydel High' Banner applying it over the wording, when UV [blacklight] was switched on the word 'Grease' appeared. worked well for the curtain call 'walk downs'. although it is Blue you could over paint onto the tree, accenting only the outer profile of the branches & tips of the leaves as you think, thus retaining the colours of the tree &/or use the rosco Fluro paint for the tree colours. As for the blacklight source the cheapest is to use Blacklight tubes in an ordinary 36" or 48" domestic fluro light fitting, dead hung it in the grid from a fly batten. The hiccup is attempting to use a DMX dimmer system to operate them, which won't work or do your dimmers any good. However you can dim flouro, but it takes a 50% increase rating in Current factor & a larger curcit heat sink to effect this. Unless operated from a seperate power source using a dedicated specific fluro dimmer unit. Or hire in a UV incandecent lamp unit, from your theatrical light supplier, which will dim on your DMX light control system. Frankly I would just use the fluro tube fitting, switching it on before you require it, along with the lighting state colour wash. Then fading the general wash lamps, leaving the blacklight on. Your light Op can fade the wash to a level where the blacklight takes over, still retaining some % of the general wash, to high light the tree colours only. Also being switched on with the full light wash, this will mask the fluro starter striking & any flickering. I believe they have produced an instant electronic fluro starter unit these days, with no flicker on striking. But I have have had no need to check this out, as the manufacturers where only taking about it, when I was in the electrical game! But your Techie could check this out & even modify an old second hand fluro unit to suit, if the flickerless units are available. [ A Double fluro fitting with a reflector cove fitted might be all that is needed, dirrected at the tree,] But just switching it on with the general lighting state, works just as well. then attempting to fade in the blaclight to achieve the UV effect. I hope this helps! ------------- 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: drose
Date Posted: 10/21/07 at 10:01pm
|
Thank you. That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for! |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 10/23/07 at 5:14am
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One thing with the Invisible blue, when uou paint it on it's c;ear,. Rig up a Blacklught fluro tube fitting,, while painting, this will make it easier to visualise, - what you doing. |
Posted By: drose
Date Posted: 10/23/07 at 1:44pm
| Ah, yes. Good point. Thank you for the tip. That could have been a rough painting session for me without it! |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 10/23/07 at 8:03pm
We did find it hard work for the bloke who did our scene painting on
the 'Rydel High' banner, painting the word 'Grease' as an over
lay blind fold. So I rigged up a blacklight fluro tube on a fly barrel [pipe] which made a big difference. Especialy with doing any acurate line painting. |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 10/28/07 at 9:06am
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drose this site may assist you & your lighting techie. I had forgotten the name, but Gaafa had it in in his other files! http://www.wildfirefx.com/ - http://www.wildfirefx.com/ {with Agents in all states over there} They have a Fresnel [soft edge] UV lamp. Which may be a better option, as a directional light source, when focusing on the outer profile of the tree. Rather than the blat light from fluro blacklight tubes. |
Posted By: drose
Date Posted: 10/29/07 at 1:00am
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Thank you! |