Chayse Irvin ASC, CSC Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) I have a scene in an up coming shoot where the only indicated light source is a lighter that one of the characters is flicking it to light but it wont ignite. I was wondering if anyone knew of a good way to augment the spark effect of the light if the source (the lighter) is off screen or hidden behind the character within the frame? Edited October 3, 2007 by Chayse Irvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted October 3, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 3, 2007 Maybe a small push-button flashlight like the Scorpion, with the lens diffused or the beam bounced off a small card or piece of paper. The actor could work the gag himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chayse Irvin ASC, CSC Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 I like it Micheal. What do you think if I made several 5" soft gold reflector bounces and had them contected to each other at different angles. then had the actor strike the flashlight and pan the flash light off the bounces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted October 3, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 3, 2007 I was thinking the actor would use the button to "flash" the flashlight. The beam from the scorpion is pretty focused, maybe only about 1-2 inches even a couple feet away, so it wouldn't fill up a 5" card. I guess I was thinking the spark would only have to light up a small area close by, like the actor's face, or something he's holding it near to see with the flame. A spark isn't very bright, so I didn't imagine its glow would need to carry very far. We've talked about flash gags before, and it's always a matter of the filament size. The larger the bulb (filament), the longer it takes to come up to full brightness and back down again. Strobes of course work a little differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chayse Irvin ASC, CSC Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 For some coverage it doesn't need to travel far. But for one of the shots it needs to spark up the whole room to reveal another character in there. I'd like to have the character that?s lighting the lighter's silhouette (she?s on the floor) in the foreground and as it flashes it reveals another character in the background. But the only way I can see to achieve this, and I?m not sure it will work, is having a lamp op handheld a leko with a 19º barrel off screen but still in the back. Build a bottomer, siders, and toper with a small hole in the middle for him and have him pan his leko into the gold bounces that are placed next to the character on the floor, but hidden in front of her away from camera; and as the lamp op pans his leko in the hole, he wipes it back into the solid sider and repeats giving the sparking effect. But I see problems that I can comprehend right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted October 4, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 4, 2007 Panning or flagging gags usually don't work convincingly for a something as quick as a lighter spark. If you need more output with a quick flash then you're probably talking about some kind of strobe unit. But creatively it seems a bit unrealistic that a lighter spark would light up more than a couple feet around the spark itself. The effect you're describing is beyond what we could realistically see with our own eyes even in a pitch-black room, but then maybe that's what you're going for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Christopher Wedding Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hey guys, I have a similar need in an upcoming piece where a guy is getting Tazered. They plan on putting it in post (both shots are really, really tight) but they are hoping for some practical flashing (bluish light, quick flicker). Would a scorpian work for that? Is there a better solution? I'll also have to create a flash for a gun shot in a later scene. Is that a lightning strikes thing, or is there a better solution for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Hartman Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 You want the off camera light to appear to have come from the striker of the lighter, just substitute a gas torch striker for the lighter. The flint is larger and it produces a larger shower of sparks reliably. You could even use multiple strikers to increase the effect. Cost is a few dollars or free if you borrow them from prople with propane or oxy/acetylene torches. Here a link: http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=8...p;PARTPG=INLMK3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted October 4, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hey guys, I have a similar need in an upcoming piece where a guy is getting Tazered.... I'll also have to create a flash for a gun shot in a later scene. We've discussed gun flashes and electricity gags many times before, so try a search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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