How to re-create fire

canasian

canasian

Active member
I have a shoot that I'm doing this Thursday, and I have to shoot a band playing a song "by a fire". The fire will never be shown, but I need a cheap way of replicating the fire-light playing upon their instruments and faces.

One of my friends suggested that I throw an orange gel on a light and shake a scrim in front of it... any other suggestions? And anyone know if any cellophane can sub for a gel? (I don't have an orange one)

And on a side note, I'm on a super budget, the more homemade, the better.
 
..take some strips of cloth and hang them off a rod.. like those appartment blinds that hang down vertically, but more cloth like and flexible.. have the cloth be translucent (translucent shower curtain?)...put the red gel light behind them and put a fan with a little wind on the hanging cloth.. it makes a random flicker pattern like fire. you can adjust fan speed to get desire effect.
 
..take some strips of cloth and hang them off a rod.. like those appartment blinds that hang down vertically, but more cloth like and flexible.. have the cloth be translucent ...put the red gel light behind them and put a fan with a little wind on the hanging cloth.. it makes a random flicker pattern like fire.
Click to expand...

So, I went out today and built a small wooden frame, stapled some translucent strips of garbage bag and paper towel to it, made some homemade gels out of the plastic note-book covers and hit it with a fan. Presto, fire. All for under $3. Thanks for the tip man. This will come in way handy.
 
On your fire idea..... The wood frame is a great idea, also if you want you can get a dimmer from the home depot, depending on the wattage of your light, and have a P.A. flicker your light a bit. It makes the fire that more beleviable. Those flicker boxes arn't really that hard on the lights, tougston lights are tough little things.
 
Saw something at Walter Graff's Lighting Seminar last month that looked pretty cool and very simple. He hung an orange gel from an Omni (clipped just to the bottom) and had a the light shooting down into it, reflecting orange light on the actors. With a little flick of the wrist, the PA moved the gel, flickering light onto the actors. Instant Fire!
 
i would use both red and yellow gels, hang them from frames, cut vericle strips part way up each gel.

you can shake the gels or use a small fan depending on the lighting and how you like the hand shaken look.

then use a small light and walter graff's flicker box.

the result is quite realistic.

matthew
 
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