Jail cell look

One of the quickest ways to do that would be to take a piece of foam core and cut out strips so that it looks like a jail bars. Then take a light and shine it through your newly made bars. You should get a nice group of shadows on the wall. Now play with the bars and the light moving them back and forth closer together and further apart, higher or lower to get the look you are looking for. How you cut the bars will effect it too. Far apart bars vs closer together. etc... That is the quick description I don't know if anyone else as a more detailed explanation.
 
UtahDPDude said:
One of the quickest ways to do that would be to take a piece of foam core and cut out strips so that it looks like a jail bars. Then take a light and shine it through your newly made bars. You should get a nice group of shadows on the wall. Now play with the bars and the light moving them back and forth closer together and further apart, higher or lower to get the look you are looking for. How you cut the bars will effect it too. Far apart bars vs closer together. etc... That is the quick description I don't know if anyone else as a more detailed explanation.
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Foam core is one of my Must Haves on any set. Not only for making the quick cookie but I have used them as flags, bounce card, negative fill (the black ones), a camera rain guard.

If you want something a little more permanent you can cut the shape out of a thin piece of plywood. But I built some foam cores cookies over a year ago and they are still in great condition.
 
Shooter said:
Use a Profile spot through the gobo so you have control of the sharpness.
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totally agree, one of those theater ellipsoidal spots are great for projecting any kind of image, from a jail cell outline to a corporate logo.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys... Do I need a focusable spot, or will any hard light do if I adjust the distance from the gobo?
 
a hard light will do, just remember the distance between the light and the cookie will either sharpen or diffuse the projected image.
 
Best is to acquire a used Altman or SourceFour ellipsoidal light with a wider lens (19° or 26° / 9" or 12" is good for work on a set).

Then, you can get inexpensive (like $8 - $10) pre-cut patterns from GAM or Rosco and so on. I bet you could borrow or rent the light fixture for very little from a local school or college if you let them keep the patterns afterward (and if they believe you'll give their light back!).

http://www.rosco.com/us/patterns/steel.asp

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or...

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Good luck.

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checked out those gobos. They're nice. Kind of a DIY operation here, so I may just have to go the arts-and-crafts route with the foamcore.
 
I remeber that once I used tin foil to make a gobo, it worked pretty well (remeber to use 3-4 layers, it will be easier to handle).
 
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