Gauze lighting.

[musicaldirector]

Hey guys,

 

I'm new on here, and I'm a musical director, so a technical idiot. However, I'm just after some advice on using gauze.

 

I totally understand the effect of lighting in front/behind to get it opaque/transparent.

 

However, the effect I'm after is as well as this is to use it as the basis of all the scenery for our show. I need it to change colour throughout the show, and be used as a backdrop to the performers on stage, who need to be silhouettd at various times (the example I can think of is the opening of Mary Poppins - stage version). Will this sort of thing work with a gauze, and if so where do I need to light from for this effect?

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

George

[Russ83]

Yes you can do silhouettes using a gauze but it may take a bit of trial and error to get the best effect.

http://i33.tinypic.com/13zbceb.jpg

I found it's best to use a single light source from about chest height. (I had to fit 20 kids doing silhouettes, hence using 4 lights and then putting boards between each group to avoid multiple shadows.)

You can still project other effects or scenery onto the front of the gauze as shown in the pic.

 

Hope this helps a little.

[LeeStoddart]

the effect I'm after is as well as this is to use it as the basis of all the scenery for our show. I need it to change colour throughout the show, and be used as a backdrop to the performers on stage, who need to be silhouettd at various times (the example I can think of is the opening of Mary Poppins - stage version).

 

Welcome George.

 

Yes you can produce silhouettes on a gauze. Yes you can use it as scenery (as a projection screen) And yes you can use it like a traditional cyclorama with different colours. And you can use it as a backdrop to the performers.

 

 

The traditional use of a gauze is for the bleed through, scene change transformation effect. All light down stage of the gauze, cast in position upstage of gauze, change to only light upstage of the gauze - the gauze becomes (virtually) invisible, fly out the gauze add in the front light. The problem is that in the first part of this the front light passes through the gauze so any movement behind the gauze can be seen - hence we normally add a blinder behind the gauze so that the setup can be done, then fly the blinder out just before the bleed through is required (and instruct the cast to STAND STILL) I think you understand all that :D This is typically from a show gauze into the opening of a production or in panto from the song sheet into the finale, walk down. In this typical setup the gauze is fairly well downstage so that the main action can be set upstage of it.

 

But in your request you want to use it as a backdrop - as a traditional cyc with different colours (ie Cyc floods) - so would be at the back of the stage -(and I would put a black blinder upstage of it - or a star cloth can look great with gauze in front of it - but that's another story) Using the gauze as a backdrop I would light it in the same way as a normal cyc - so a flood bar from above and in front. Possibly with a groundrow to light from the bottom, again in front - but groundrow is optional.

 

 

The effect shown by Russ is silhouettes of performers upstage of the gauze. Using the Gauze as a projection surface for shadows. As Russ suggests this is best with a single point source - but that point source needs to be able to cover the whole of the gauze so lots of depth is required upstage of the gauze

 

So unless you have a stage with the sort of depth of Drury Lane doing all this with one gauze is difficult.

 

Of course you can produce silhouette effect with a normal cyc - just light the cyc and don't light the actors at all - you will then have dark shapes in front of a lit surface. You can also produce a silhouette effect just by normal back lighting - from above and behind the actor.

 

 

If you did have only one gauze and all the depth in the world then when using the gauze as a backdrop to the downstage settings I'd have a flood bar above and downstage of the gauze. Then when the action is upstage of the gauze all the illumination has to be upstage of the gauze and even any back light would need to be focused so that it doesn't hit the gauze so that the gauze can be virtually invisible.

 

Sorry for the long post - hope it helps.

[musicaldirector]

Sorry for the long post - hope it helps.

 

That is perfect. Thankyou all so much for your help!! Doubling the gauze as a cyclorama is what I was thinking of. Many thanks guys, and keep up the good work on here!

 

George x :D

[boatman]

This week we are putting on a new production of 'Sleeping Warrior' and there is a ghost scene which requires a luvvie to appear from behind the gauze. The problem is that there is only 1.5 metres between the gauze and the back wall (it's a Community Theatre in a school). I have hung two sheets of 6mm plywood behind the gauze with the visible side painted matt black. The reverse side is covered in kitchen foil (shiny side out) and they are used as mirrors to bounce light from a couple lanterns on stands on to the luvvie's face.

 

The director seems pleased so far and we have our Tech tonight so we'll see how it looks for real.