Off screen lightning.

  • Thread starter Thread starter j
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j

j

Veteran
I'm looking for examples from feature films of off screen lightning. I'm not looking for on screen lightning bolt effects, but flashes of light that illuminate a character at a dramatic moment.

Any ideas?
 
I'm pretty sure that any of the "old dark haunted house in a storm" horror flicks used it in one way or another. It could be as easy as flipping shutters on a fresnel to simulate flashes. or as "complex" as using a carbon arc lightning machine.

Ken
the Screen Skins guy
 
Wow, I should read better. LIGHTNING with two Ns. Sorry, man. How big does the light need to be. Nobody believes this but I've done really convincing lightning in a window with a 250W Lowel Prolight gelled blue. You put the plug into a stinger so that one prong is making contact and the other can make nice flashes as you rock it back and forth. Because the filament is small the rise time is very fast and you have instantaneous flashes. Put the light outside the window and flash it on the window frame or actor's face or keep the light inside and bounce it off the window. Add some rain or at least wet the glass and you have a gag that sells.

Here you go, let this load and then check it out between 18:50 and 19:30. See what you think.

 
Last edited:
Hey guys,

I understand how it's done, I'm just looking for examples in feature films. It seems pretty ubiquitous, but once the director asked to see examples I couldn't find any in my library.

Thanks Bruce, I'll check out Poltergeist.

Slondon: nice effect.

-J
 
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