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Draping edison bulbs?


mk_193

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Hi,

 

I have been briefed to create a lighting design including some hanging edison bulbs / festoon but I have a really limited budget (probably around £50) so I'm thinking there is no way I can get anything like that for this amount?!

What else could I do to create this effect? Low hanging lighting? The brief is set in a gloomy forest and I am making some trees from tubes and branches, so perhaps some low side lighting will help. Other that I'm not sure!

 

Any ideas welcome!

 

Thanks

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£50 ought to buy some cheap festoon and cheap lamps, perhaps 20 lamps worth. The budget will go much further if you can hire, whereabouts are you based - lots of us could recommend suitable hire companies who'd be glad of the business. You could probably even get 20 lamps worth of digital RGB pixel mapping festoon for a week out of £50.

 

Or, go in a different direction and use cheap fairy lights or net lights. Harder to control from a desk though.

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Thanks for the replies. I'm based in Cambridge

 

 

Hiring would be a good idea, needed for 2 weeks mid October. The budget is kind of as little as I'm able to spend (I'm in a school and don't have a specific lighting budget, just what the director is willing to part with of £500) But I know he is struggling with that amount aside from any technical investment. It is also being filmed so money is having to go towards that equipment too.

 

Is there anything aside from a festoon, with a longer drop I could get? trying to achieve something like this https://www.we-heart.com/2011/06/16/so-I-was-at-a-party-last-night/ but with less bulbs. Just as close to that kind of look I can get with as little money as possible!

 

Thanks

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Build yer own,pendant holder are dirt cheap,as is 2 core flex,recon the most expensive part will be the lamps themselves.

 

We do actually have some flex left over from another show, I don't have much experience in making practical lighting, would I able to use 16amp plugs on the other end?

 

Thanks

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Build yer own,pendant holder are dirt cheap,as is 2 core flex,recon the most expensive part will be the lamps themselves.

 

We do actually have some flex left over from another show, I don't have much experience in making practical lighting, would I able to use 16amp plugs on the other end?

 

Thanks

 

If you send me a shipping address by private message I'll send you a pile of proper t-junction wire boxes I have. With those and the flex you've already got you'll only need to buy the lampholders, bulbs and a 16amp plug to go on the end of it all.

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You will probably need to buy the bulbs. The true incandescent filament types can be dimmed by any standard dimmer, you will probably need a minimum of two lamps per dimmer.

The similar looking LED lamps can not be dimmed, in general.

 

These lamps are often desired for decorative effect in the home, therefore you might be able to sell them afterwards. Alternatively, someone involved in the production might be willing to buy the lamps at their own expense and lend them for the production, and take them home afterwards. For later re-use d0m3stically, the LED type are often preferable due to reduced energy use and longer life.

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You mentioned this is a school production, which has me a bit uncomfortable about some of the suggestions being made that involve cobbling stuff together with junction boxes.

 

Are you a drama teacher or a pupil? Knowing that and a rough budget will allow more accurate suggestions for what you wish to achieve.

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You mentioned this is a school production, which has me a bit uncomfortable about some of the suggestions being made that involve cobbling stuff together with junction boxes.

 

Are you a drama teacher or a pupil? Knowing that and a rough budget will allow more accurate suggestions for what you wish to achieve.

 

Before shipping I did independently verify - the OP is a staff member and definitely not a student.

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What wattage would be best? I've found these which are very cheap.. https://www.thelight...-gold-filament/

 

They should be fine. The only drawback is that they are rather wasteful of electricity, and not very durable. Unlikely to matter much for short term use on stage, but does limit opportunities for later re-use.

 

 

 

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Interesting that they state "carbon filament". Is this true or are they a tungsten replica of a carbon filament? Just interested - I remember having the switch-on characteristics (NTC) demonstrated during an A-level physics class!

Dave

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No they are NOT carbon filament lamps, despite the claim made by the supplier. "carbon filament" these days seems to mean "old looking" and NOT made of carbon.

The lamps are passable imitations of early types of tungsten filament lamp, in which the considerable length of filament is arranged in a zig zag formation up and down the bub. In modern tungsten lamps the filament is coiled and much more compact.

 

True carbon filament lamps are now hard to find and often very expensive. A search on fleabay will find hundreds of so called carbon filament lamps, almost none of which actually contain a carbon filament.

 

In years gone by, carbon lamps were a cheaper alternative to tungsten filament lamps and were favoured when theft or breakage was likely.

True carbon filament lamps are very resistant to vibration and until recently were used on high speed newspaper printing presses, for lead lamps, and for lighting railway signals on London Underground. They also made good low intensity radiant heat sources for rearing chicks and other small creatures.

 

The Phillips ones that were made until recently often sell for nearly £50 ! And I can remember when they sold for "two bob"

Edited by Brian
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