Lighting Blacklight scene

TimeKoder13

TimeKoder13

Well-known member
For those who may have seen the Hype Williams visual masterpiece "BELLY" back @ 2000 I'm trying to recreate a shot from the club scene in that movie.  If you remember he had the villains walking around with phosphorous glowing eyes under blacklight.  How would you light day glo.  The color we have to accentuate is a carolina/columbia blue.  We wanna be able to see the talents' skin but detail isn't too important.  I'm thinking some giant globes or lanterns with ctb lights in addition to the black banks, but I may be way off.  The product is blu so that's why we're going with the blu theme.
 
Re: Lighting Blacklight scene

Just remember that exposure to the UV light created by black lights is very damaging to the eyes. Your eyes will hurt after working with them because the UV basically destroys your retina as you are exposed to them. If you don't have to work with them, I'd suggest it. If you do all the crew should were UV glasses and your talents exposure must be minimal.
 
Re: Lighting Blacklight scene

Thanx, I'm reading your gaffer kit article now. Finishing up John Jackman's book too. Any way to fake this with gels or something? The client is actually sold on it. What if we get the swimming type protective goggles for everyone since we don't care about their faces, just their clothes. Am I really screwing my eyes that much when in these black light nite clubs? Jeez, I never new. Good headz up. Always learning. ciao.
 
Re: Lighting Blacklight scene

[quote author=TimeKoder13 link=board=lighting;num=1109390545;start=0#2 date=02/26/05 at 23:50:40]Thanx, I'm reading your gaffer kit article now.  Finishing up John Jackman's book too.  Any way to fake this with gels or something?  The client is actually sold on it.  What if we get the swimming type protective goggles for everyone since we don't care about their faces, just their clothes.   Am I really screwing my eyes that much when in these black light nite clubs?  Jeez, I never new.  Good headz up.  Always learning.  ciao.[/quote]

All blacklights cause macular damage. Those that are mostly sold in stores are usually higher wavelengths but still cause damage, only less than those of shorter wavelength. But close exposure makes the potential problem worse. Your eyes are VERY sensitive to UV light, so avoiding it is well advised. Brief exposure to UVA light, the range that these lights give off isn't so bad, but prolonged exposure can irritate your eyes and does damage the retina. NEVER stare directly into the light. When we use them on sets we are required to measure actual types of radiation and make sure all lamps are certified. All crew members must wear UV blocking glasses and our talent can only be exposed for very short periods of time and in many cases wear UV blocking contacts.
 
Re: Lighting Blacklight scene

In addition to Walter's excellent safety warnings/procedure, you should know that different fabrics, make-up, prop treatments, etc. have varying levels of fluorescence...from a super glow to not much at all. Since you are actually photographing the EFFECT of the blacklight on these surfaces, picking those that have a heavy reflectance can allow you to minimize the number of lighting units (and amount of UV) on the set. often, 1 or 2 well placed units can do the job for close or medium shots.
Hope this helps.
Ken
 
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