faking campfire scene?

thartley

thartley

Veteran
Is there an easy way to cheat a fireside scene for outdoors at night? Think the dance around the fire in Lord of the Flies. (But NOTHING that big!) Like tabletop grill size. I need to throw some harsh shadows and orangey-yellow light movement. Does real firelight blow out real bad? This doesnt need to look real professional.

Thanks...
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

You could gel a 250 fresnel orange, and another one yellow (or maybe red? I don't know, experiment.) and use a dimmer to dim one of them up and down. I don't know how well this will work, it's just the first thing that popped into my head.
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

Here's a cheap way. Take a light and gel it orange. Then take a piece of paper towel and cut little slits in it with scissors so that you have 20 little hanging pieces. Cut all the slits in the same direction up to one side but not all the way so you can hang the towel and have the pieces blow in the wind. Put this in front of your light and get a fan on the lowest speed and place it so it disrupts the little hanging pieces. The effect is a fire. You can do the same on a bigger scale by cutting an orange and red gel in two layers that hang in front of each other that you gently blow by mouth or fan.  
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

Great idea, Walter. I'm not even planning on a scene like that, but I'm gonna try it tonight just for kicks.
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

[quote author=HorseFilms link=board=lighting;num=1100036423;start=0#4 date=11/10/04 at 12:21:28]Great idea, Walter. I'm not even planning on a scene like that, but I'm gonna try it tonight just for kicks.[/quote]

It's pretty simple but it's one of the ways we do in the big leagues. There are also special machines to do the effect, but the gel method works real well and the paper towel works on a home level just as good. The key to the paper method is starting out with a full sheet then ripping off the 'strings' one by one till the effect works the way you want it. Another simple way we do it is with a bounce board. Gel a light orange, then face it away form your talent. Hold the bounce board so it reflects the light back towards the talent and shake it around. It creates the effect.
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

I like the sound of the bounce method. Then I don't have to worry about audio problems from the fan. Thanks again!
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

[quote author=HorseFilms link=board=lighting;num=1100036423;start=0#6 date=11/10/04 at 12:32:52]I like the sound of the bounce method. Then I don't have to worry about audio problems from the fan. Thanks again![/quote]

The fan scenario is for longer shoots. But if you are using a campfire, then you are usually putting in campfire sounds and that covers the sound of a small plastic fan very easily. The fans we us in film are very quite and when turned on very low, you can't even hear them.
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

Just a comment, I just went to the Florida Film Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, and I saw a fake lit campfire scene, and it looks horrible...everyone noticed...
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

[quote author=Phil link=board=lighting;num=1100036423;start=0#8 date=11/10/04 at 13:16:40]Just a comment, I just went to the Florida Film Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, and I saw a fake lit campfire scene, and it looks horrible...everyone noticed...[/quote]

It can look bad but what makes it great really is more in the sound than anything else. A little flicker is all you need and the sound tells you it's a fire. Of course if you can see a fire first in an establishing shot than the effect looks even better.
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

Could we use the same technique to create a television flicker? Say, with blue and green gels?
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

[quote author=taubkin link=board=lighting;num=1100036423;start=0#10 date=11/11/04 at 01:47:44]Could we use the same technique to create a television flicker? Say, with blue and green gels?[/quote]

There are many ways of doing a Tv effect. The easiest way is a fixture with primary blue on it and a dimmer. Simply move the dimmer up and down at varying rates. But remember you don' t need much. I have an article on my site about how to make a dimmer.
Some folks do the same but with two fixtures, one gelled with more orange and one with blue. Others use one fixture and a dimpled metal reflector (a foam core with a Lee metallic filter) and bounce the light rather than aim it directly at the subject. Others use a spinning wheel with different colors on it. Some use a real Tv with a feed of different levels of color edited on a tape that they play back. Another idea is to build a box about 10x12 inches. Put four daylight bulbs (plant light bulbs) in it and two 3200k bulbs (common light bulbs) in it. Connect a momentary on/off switch to them and randomly press the on off switch. And you could use two home depot fluorescent lights, one daylight and one 3200. Turn both on and gently block varying degrees of each with a flag. Remember with all of these effects you don't need much.

And finally for both effects in the professional world, many of us use a magic gadget flicker box which makes a nice fireplace and a nice TV set. http://www.magicgadgets.com/
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

Buy a 99 cent bottle of water, drink a third of it. That is the tough part. gel up a light eithr orange or a straw is nice. Swish the water bottle directly in front of the light, and watch the magic.
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

These are all such great ideas! We have a local shop here where I can go to get gels and I picked up a few today. Had no idea what I was supposed to get besides "orange". So I just picked one I thought was maybe close to what I needed, then bought a few more of different colors. No idea when I might use them, but that shop is WAY across town...I wanted to spend as much as I could while I was there! :) Also was able to get some gaff tape and a roll of cinefoil. I'm sure nobody cares about my shopping spree, but I will hopefully be doing the campfire thing this weekend. I'm going to try a couple diff set-ups for it. If anything looks remotely decent, I'll post some grabs. Thanks a billion, you guys! :D
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

um, what don't you make a real campfire? It dosen't take much to start one. Plus you get the real effect. :)
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

#1- I'm not so good with firey things.

#2- I really thought the light would be unstable, as far as the cast off and shadows that I am looking for.

#3- If the flames got into frame, wouldnt they sorta blow out?

Trust me, I thought about my little table top grill first before posting here, but had some pyrotechnic flashbacks that could have made "Funniest Home Videos" show....thought I ought to go the fake route. ;D
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

thartley,
ic, flashbacks can strike an uwanted memory. I blew myself up once but thats another story. Anyways, you've gotten some good advice here so I hope you used some of their ideas and make it happen. Good Luck and you go girl!
 
Re: faking campfire scene?

The light from a real campfire won't be bright enough. Unless it's a REALLY big fire.

Be sure to post some grabs when your done thartley.
 
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