inder mann Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 i was wondering if anyone knew how to build or where to buy a cheap flicker effect gag/rig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Neugeboren Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 What are you trying to achieve with the flicker gag? A number of options exist - there are some special dimmers manufactured by magic gadgets and GAM lighting available with a handful of programs to replicate various flicker patterns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inder mann Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 fire flicker and basically random flickering of 2-4 lights. its for a stylized film so it doesnt need to be motivated. even 1 or 2 lights flickering would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Neugeboren Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Speaking of fire flicker, there's a thread about that right here (Cinematography.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inder mann Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 Speaking of fire flicker, there's a thread about that right here (Cinematography.com) the only problem with that thread is they're talking about a $450 flicker box i was wondering if there was anything cheap one could buy or make Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted July 20, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted July 20, 2009 i was wondering if there was anything cheap one could buy or make ...or rent? No one says you have to purchase the item just to use it. If you want cheap, you get a person to operate each light: either twiddling a simple dimmer or manually waving a small flag or even hands in front of light. Some of my best fire/TV gags have been done by hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Neugeboren Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 ...or rent? No one says you have to purchase the item just to use it. If you want cheap, you get a person to operate each light: either twiddling a simple dimmer or manually waving a small flag or even hands in front of light. Some of my best fire/TV gags have been done by hand. Exactly what I was thinking. Adding to this theme - you could do 3 individually dimmed lights with three different cuts of CTO (perhaps 1/8, 1/2, full) dimmed in some sort of offset. Timed right with attentive operators, you could probably get a pretty convincing look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inder mann Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Exactly what I was thinking. Adding to this theme - you could do 3 individually dimmed lights with three different cuts of CTO (perhaps 1/8, 1/2, full) dimmed in some sort of offset. Timed right with attentive operators, you could probably get a pretty convincing look. sounds good guys, will do some tests the dp specifically said he didnt want to use dimmers and flags because they were convinced that it would look cheesy, but i mean, if it works, it works. thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff woods Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 the dp specifically said he didnt want to use dimmers and flags because they were convinced that it would look cheesy Does he mean what it takes would look cheesy, or how it looks on camera? I could see him feeling like this method is "not pro", but ultimately it's the finished product that's the important thing, not how one's ego may be bruised. 2 cents, -j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inder mann Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Does he mean what it takes would look cheesy, or how it looks on camera? I could see him feeling like this method is "not pro", but ultimately it's the finished product that's the important thing, not how one's ego may be bruised. 2 cents, -j i think what they did in the past looked bad but, obviously we'll rehearse and wont make it look cheesy and such in the end, what ever looks good.. thanks man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert duke Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 i think what they did in the past looked bad but, obviously we'll rehearse and wont make it look cheesy and such in the end, what ever looks good.. thanks man There is a cheap way, it can be frustrating to do. Take a pair of squeezers ( in line dimmers) the cheaper the better and plug them in line with one another. adjust the two and voila. You can "find" a sweet spot. It burns up the dimmers in the long run, so use cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted July 24, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted July 24, 2009 There is a cheap way, it can be frustrating to do. Take a pair of squeezers ( in line dimmers) the cheaper the better and plug them in line with one another. adjust the two and voila. You can "find" a sweet spot. It burns up the dimmers in the long run, so use cheap. If you do this, I find you need one step (1k instead of a 650W, for example) larger light then you think, because the flicker only ever reaches about 60% output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giap vu Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 (edited) you may want to try this method - used it on a number of features I've worked on: 650 or 1k on a beaver board with 1/2 or 3/4 cto bounced into a bouncing (grip doing the gag) pop-up green screen but shiny side (silver side), or show card. works from wide to ECU. Edited July 24, 2009 by giap vu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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