Lights and Sound: Footlights

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Footlights

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=2865
Printed Date: 5/08/25 at 3:47am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Footlights

Posted By: theatrejunki
Subject: Footlights
Date Posted: 12/11/07 at 11:13am

I’m trying to find or make stage footlights for a period show on our thrust stage. Any ideas of where to get reproductions or how to go about making our own are welcome.

Thanks.

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Theatre is like a virus, once you get it you can't get rid of it." Robin Boisseau
Jennifer Dove
Stage Left Theatre Company
Medina, Ohio
www.stagelefttheatrecompany.org

Replies:

Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 12/11/07 at 12:41pm

I've seen reproductions made using old coffee cans or the large juice cans (Hi-C, Hawaiian Punch, etc).

Remove the top with a can opener. Then using a tin-snips, cut away the shape of the footlight. Punch a hole in the bottom and wire a simple socket & bulb in place. Paint the whole thing black and voila! Old-fashioned footlights.

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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone

Posted By: vickifrank
Date Posted: 12/11/07 at 1:06pm

I haven't found any reproductions or photos. Its really hard to find any photos of actual footlight--but Degas paintings of dancers sometimes include them, so I'd start there.

You didn't mention what period of show. There are three types of footlights (if you don't go back to greek stage and lamps). Electric is the most modern, then Gas, then candle style. The key to all is a light source that is mounted on the floor, with a reflector/shield which directed the lights on the dancer/performer rather than blinding the audience.

Some had metal shields (usually copper), and some covered the shields with less obvious boxes or more obvious decorative devices, like plaster "seashell" shapes. A few were recessed into the stage (I think). I also think that most had a small piece of metal infront of the direct light source (flame or bulb) to prevent actors from becoming blinded when they happened to look down at the foot light (temporarily blinded actors might fall into the pit).

The easiest to mimic will be the copper shield reflector type, where you would need to bend the metal into a shell shape and place an electric candle or flickering light source (if gas or candle type) in place and mount to the floor at the edges of the stage. Place the reflector back toward the audience. I wouldn't hesitate to make the shield a decorative shape.

This is from memory, I've not actually made them--but remember when in doubt its the light from below that the audience will remember as old-fashion looking. So even hiding the "footlights" as hidden light sources will work.

Posted By: Linda S
Date Posted: 12/11/07 at 6:12pm

I have seen the metal shield reflector type footlights reproduced using plastic dishes from a party store and electric candles. They came with metalic finish and were shell shaped. I was impressed with how real effect was. Like Vicki said, they were just show. They used modern footlights to actually light the actors and give the right effect.

Linda

Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 12/11/07 at 8:33pm

Similar to what Topper, Vicki & Linda suggested.
I have used footlighting quite often.
For 'Jack the Ripper - Music hall' I got a hold of a load of diacroick yrack & surface mount light fittings, from a lighting distributor cheap. They were warranty returns & shop sioled units. The manufactiurer had given a credit on the units & these days, they don'tv require the warranty units to be returned, as it saves transport costs.
I think the whole lot cost me around $20, as they were going to be dumped anyway.

Surface mount mini spots;-

http://ylighting.lucepedia.com/specsheet.pl?action=start&vwitem=mod1102brmin - http://ylighting.lucepedia.com/specsheet.pl?action=start&vwitem=mod1102brmin

I endede up with about 20 fully working units & a heap of spare bits left after canablising them.
I replaced a few of the diacrochic globes for the wide focus type, which was cheap enough anyway.
In the load of gear I found quite a few electronic/dimmerable transformers, which was a bonus.
For JTR I had built a gate leg rostra apron on the stage & incorporated the footlights [floats] into the downstage edge of the rostra.
However because the show shifts from the 'Steam Packet Musical Hall' to the streets of 'whitechappel', I used a lo tech spring loaded lever & pulley system, to raise & lower the footlights in the rostra.
I just used shaped ply & an angled mounting board to secure the lights, but the could be just tek screwed on to the apron. I like the idea of the shell/clam plates suggested by Linda, a nice touch.
You can use a ground row batten lights [strip lights] hang mounted on the apron stage edge, much the same as they were many moons ago or even sitting on the stage rfom the 'Z' position, except with sight lines, the luvvies tend to become footless.
'Z' lighting is effect & the diacrohics give a focus light, rather than the old flood [scoops] footlights [floats] & can be adjusted to direction you require.
Floats are effective & you can use the MR16 LED lamps as an alturnative.
If you didn't wish to use dimmerable transformers, you can place the diacrohics in series, as they are 12volt in your money it requires [120VAC = 10 x 12v units] However being in series if one bubble blows you loose power to the the rest of the lamps.

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[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}