What are ropelights?

Tim O'Connor · May 25, 2006

That was an awesome tip about using ropelights to light driver's faces withouth the burnt knuckles.

What are ropelights and where do you get them?

By the way, I've been using these little clip-on visor lights that I buy at AutoZone for about five bucks.

They're extremely blue (I measured 8200K although with a camera color temp. meter) and bright

enought - about 15 footcandles from the visor to the driver- that you can diffuse a couple (I'll probably

never diffuse/gel a smaller

wattage light I would guess) and get good exposure while still seeing the night background well.

I've even used them on overcast days for car interiors and they bring up a face like a piece of Foam-Cor.

In regular daylight you'll never see them do anything though unless you have about a billion of them.

Wendell_Greene · May 25, 2006

Rope lights are a series of numerous micro-bulbs of about a half watt to 2 watts each, usually spaced about one inch apart inside a clear or colored flexible PVC resin tube. They're used to decorate dance clubs, product displays, fashion and rink shows, weddings, special events, signs. You'll see them in a lot of music videos as well, in the background of shots. Director Little X used them in his videos for The Thrills "Not for All the love in the World" and R. Kelly's "Step in the Name of Love"

You can buy rope lights at places like Target or Wal Mart, or hardware and lighting stores.