Moon?

[BobJ]

Our small stage is soon to host "Moon For The Misbegotten". Most pictures I've seen of this play have a remarkable, clearly defined and very bright Moon.

We're casting around for advice here. We can't project from the front obviously and we do not have enough depth behind the set to back project. So?

 

[Brian]

So?

 

Moon box.

 

 

[E2A]

Blimey. So old school that I can't find a picture online.

 

It's a light box with a moon shape cut into the front. Placed close to the back of the cyc you get a hard-edge, move it away and you soften the edges.

[the kid]

Does it need to move / leave the stage?

 

When I did a moon before I literly cut out a disc of the right size and did in a good moon colour and using some good maths used a 10deg s4 to hit it exactly right so there was 0 spill. IF you wanted the moon "pattern" you could get a glass gobo in on the fun as well.

[timsabre]

I've also seen posh ones with a printed acetate on the front showing the moon's surface - but only if it's behind a gauze rather than a solid cyc.

 

Lighting moon boxes evenly and without them overheating used to be a challenge, but these days LED tape stuck round the inside of a white painted box (the out of view part) works great.

[alistermorton]

There's a reference to making a phase changing moon box in the book Technical Design Solutions for Theatre: The Technical Brief Collection, Volume 2 according to a quick google search.

[BobJ]

I've also seen posh ones with a printed acetate on the front showing the moon's surface - but only if it's behind a gauze rather than a solid cyc.

 

Lighting moon boxes evenly and without them overheating used to be a challenge, but these days LED tape stuck round the inside of a white painted box (the out of view part) works great.

 

That LED tape sounds interesting. I thought maybe a electroluminescent panel might do the trick and am looking at the practical issues of brightness, power supply and control etc. Any one with experience using these?

 

 

 

[timsabre]

That LED tape sounds interesting. I thought maybe a electroluminescent panel might do the trick and am looking at the practical issues of brightness, power supply and control etc. Any one with experience using these?

 

Expensive and won't be bright enough. Use LED tape.

[empyfree]

How big would you like your Moon to be? Given the same task and the kit I have to hand I'd be looking at using a suitable resolution of LED video wall and a bit of masking.

[Simon_Baker]

Build a moonbox with some LED strip inside it and a translight from Rutters on the front.

 

http://www.ruttersuk.com/moon-and-sunset-gallery/

[paulears]

I dug this up from Christmas. I think the internal lighting was LED strip - so pretty bright.

[Don Allen]

I used a plastic fergo in a 90 degree 600W Pacific for a Thriller dance at a medium size venue, still have the gobo as it is a great image of the moon. Found out how to do it using a Brother inkjet printer on fergo Plastic Projections

 

Nowadays I would use an led profile and a plastic gobo. Because of the short throw, have a look at Rosco's Spectrum article on Keystone Correction of Gobos .

 

If you can, make a moon box as it allows you to fly the moon so it rises and sets. Using a calico or cloth face gives better soft rounded edges.

[BobJ]

I used a plastic fergo in a 90 degree 600W Pacific for a Thriller dance at a medium size venue, still have the gobo as it is a great image of the moon. Found out how to do it using a Brother inkjet printer on fergo Plastic Projections

 

Nowadays I would use an led profile and a plastic gobo. Because of the short throw, have a look at Rosco's Spectrum article on Keystone Correction of Gobos .

 

If you can, make a moon box as it allows you to fly the moon so it rises and sets. Using a calico or cloth face gives better soft rounded edges.

 

Thank you to all who replied. We're going to male a shallow box with a opaque plastic cover painted (we have some good artists) with a moon surface. The main thing we learned is that LED strip seems to be the way to go.

The other alternative considered was to buy a ($$) moon picture it with a local spot to allow dimming and color changing.