Luke Techie Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 Hello all!! This is my first post on the board, one of which I hope to be many as I go on a conquest to assist other 'student technicians' with some of my knowledge! :unsure: I have stumbled across a 'tricky' element within the lighting design for a show which is going on at the end of February. For some reason one I have never come across before but I'm sure I must of! I wish to use a candle on the stage to create light however ... the council regulations say that I must seek permission from the licence authority and the ABTT guidelines do not mention any other guidelines and just mention 'hints and tips' on what to do and what not to do with a candle on the stage. Can any technicians lend me a hand on this one and tell me exactly what is required of me to enable the use of this candle. It would not be so much of a pain me having to know exactly what the process is but I have to place this into my portfolio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andystone Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 Generally speaking it is up to the licensing authority to decide, but generally there are two rules: 1. The candle must be an important part of the show2. Everything, including costumes, should be flame proofed Often thay will also ask for someone to be standing by at the side of the stage with a fire extinguisher. If all else fails, you can always use a battery flicker candle!! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Techie Posted February 3, 2004 Author Share Posted February 3, 2004 Hi Andy, Thank you very much for your quick reply. So the best thing to do is contact the local authority and then take it from there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 If a REAL candle is reqd or the actual act of lighting one is VITAL to the performance then the authority may consider your application. A calm stage loadsa fireproofing and a sure stable candle holder are good starters.even keep the number of matches in the box down to keep the flammable load down flicker candles are available and being battery electric are safer just a new battery at the start of the run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andystone Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 So the best thing to do is contact the local authority and then take it from there?At the end of the day it is up to the licensing people to make the final decision, just up to you to make the best case possible for needing to use real flame and to make sure you have the best precautions in place! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 The greatest "danger" in using a single candle on stage is that it will blow out, rather than actually set fire to anything. Try looking for an electronic alternative, there are a few around. Or you could try making your own flickering LED candle, using one of the circuits and some of the ideas from this site. There are four different circuits to choose from, complete with circuit board diagrams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 Having recently done a show where we used a real candle I can confirm that they are a real PITA. They blow out, the matches needed on stage to light them never strike first time or then go out when struck, the wick gets stuck in the wax...... Oh, and if you do use a real one you may want to wire it into the holder so it can't fall out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gil-galad Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 I did a show where we had 45 people on stage with candles. All of the theatre drapes were flame retardent as were the costumes as they were made for the show. believe it or not the worst danger we had was the wax they spilt on the floor which was very slippery until it set.In the end we swapped to flicker candles which we got from lighting tech and to be honest you couldn't tell the difference from the auditorium. I vote for fake every time. If you only need the one there are many places you can hire one for a very reasonable price for the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Techie Posted February 4, 2004 Author Share Posted February 4, 2004 Thank you very much for your advice!! I think the best thing to do is to look into the hire of an electric candle!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 flint hire and supply sell the "flame" and the electronics for about 12 quid plus vat - you install them in a bit of plastic pipe for the candle stem,solder in a switch and a battery clip (pp3 9V - a good use for all those old radio mic batteries - see other topic) and make melty wax lines with your hot glue gun, or they will sell you one already in the fake candle, with or without the switch, for a bit more. probably not much more than hiring one, by the time you add the carriage etc. unless of course you need 30, which is a bit of an investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 The greatest "danger" in using a single candle on stage is that it will blow out, rather than actually set fire to anything.I thought it was rather that the flame or wax would burn the actor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 The greatest "danger" in using a single candle on stage is that it will blow out, rather than actually set fire to anything.I thought it was rather that the flame or wax would burn the actor?So long as your licence permits it, everything is fireproofed and somebody is ready to extinguish it, that isn't a problem. We've used candles in several productions, and our main problem has always been lighting the things. Either someone starts trying to light it during a blackout which looks absolutely terrible, or the actor can't get it lit at all. Still, this talk about candles reminds me of a nightmare of a play during a one-act play festival in a venue which didn't have smoke detectors, and a director who just couldn't take "No" for an answer. Or maybe she was suicidal, we never did figure that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myf Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 Last year I had to hire a couple of flicker candles for a show. Various places do them, but watch out for carriage charges, they can be a killer. Most quotes I got were about £6 per candle, with carriage costs of up to £30.......... In the end, I went to Central Theatre Supplies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Techie Posted February 11, 2004 Author Share Posted February 11, 2004 Thank You everyone for all your help.. The show is in two weeks time, I have been in contact with the council and they have requested a risk assessment, therefore I have sent one. I have a flicker candle 'sourced' as a back-up plan!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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