robhall3192 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 hey guys, I am curretnly studying drama A-level and have opted for the technical options in two units.Working on Vinegar Tom,the director wants to have several scenes in "candle light" but without real candles.Can anyone suggest the best way of creating this dim and flickerness ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 How about getting some candles, lighting them, turning off the lights and observing the light given out by candles?Observe the colour, observe whether the light levels change etc.Then try to reproduce the effect with stage lighting.CheersGerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 156 wash and some electric candles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timperrett Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Battery powered candles can be effective. I have used Smart Candle and they were very good to deal with. There is also Amazon Lighting who also do the battery powered ones - a bit more realistic maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ83 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 If the candles are fixed then how about Candle Lamps?Fairly easy to wire up and build into scenery if you are using any.If they are to be carried then the small battery ones can be quite effective but don't expect them to light the set! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam2 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 The candle lamps linked to above, dont IMHO look anything like a real candle. They are neon lamps, and therefore emit a red/orange light unlike the yellow/white of a real candle. They are also much dimmer than a real candle. A good effect can be obtained from a low power incandescent lamp (torch bulb or pilot lamp) and a circuit to make it flicker slightly. I have used 6 volt 3 watt bulbs, worked of a four cell battery (about 5 volts on load) and a simple flicker circuit.Dont use the bulb at its full voltage or it will be too white. White LEDs tend to be daylight/cold white and nothing like a candle. Yellow LEDs tend to be a deep saturated yellow/orange and not very like a candle flame. The advice to compare with a real candle is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Yellow LEDs tend to be a deep saturated yellow/orange and not very like a candle flameDepends how you use em,we've got a load of the smart candle tea lite thingys,in there frosted glass holder they are very life like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhall3192 Posted February 7, 2009 Author Share Posted February 7, 2009 In, addition we have no budget on this performance, and only limited lanterns avaliable unfortunatly. A couple fres 650W and floods about the size of kit for the space. but thanks for the advice so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanhill Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I would light somethng like this, very simply, with a couple of lamps from a head height prosc or under box position so as to throw visible shadows in deep amber (Lee 021 maybe). Fresnels or PCs would be good for this, or profiles with #119 frost as well as the colour. If I had a couple more lamps I would firstly add a centre backlight in deep blue to add some three-dimensionallity and then add a steep FoH lamp, opposite to the key lamps on the prosc, most likely with a light steel blue for contrast. edit:typo galore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davethsparky Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Personally I wouldn't go down the flicker route. I would be concentrating on getting the colour, the warmth, the shadows, the soft edges. I would be looking at what the feeling is in tha scene as a whole, is it a romantic candlelit scene or a more sinister offering, is it some sort of ritual, or is it just candlelight because its set before the invention of the electric lamp?The only way you will learn how lighting works in your performance space and what will give the right effect is by playing with lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 limited lanterns avaliable unfortunatly. A couple fres 650W and floods about the size of kit for the spaceNice to see a school resourcing you so well - not really much of a technical option with such poor equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willpower Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I've done two things previously. A fire-like effect is easily (and cheaply) achieved by connecting a couple of bulb holders to an equal number of fluorescent light tube starters in series (each with a different power source and each with one starter), which achieves a random flickering effect. I should imagine this would be fairly possible on a smaller scale for candles, but obviously please don't do it if you're not sure what you're doing! Secondly, with real candles on stage, and an existing light (in my case I used birdies, but could be anything that can be pointed directionally) put as a footlight uplighting onto the face - programmed with a slight flicker on the board. This was most achievable when sitting down, obviously, and either of these solutions will be an issue if the character has to move about with said candle! Hope that helps, Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davethsparky Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I thought the original question was about creating candle-light not about recreating a physical candle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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