The glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction

J

Jungle Media

Don't Stalk Member
Hey guys, I want to know how they went about making the glowing light that escapes from the briefcase in the move Pulp Fiction.... as I would like to re-create this type of effect in an upcoming music video.

I'm sure it can be done easily in post, After Effects or whatnot, but I would like to know your suggestions for achieving this effect on set. How can we get a strong enough light source inside the case? And more specifically, is there a way to do this without having to run a power cord to the case?

In our music video we plan on using a small wooden decorative box, and hope to have the light that escapes it to be much much stronger and brighter.

Any tips would be most welcome, hopefully you can help us to create something very cool!
 
cheap LED closet lights from Home Depot would be small enough, and most should be bright enough for what you want. buy 'em, use 'em and return 'em :)
 
View the second video on this page. We kind of ripped the effect off. We places an Omni in the box and put a dimmer on it. You will see.
 
Well it depends on the shot. In pulp fiction I'm pretty sure you hardly saw any of the briefcase, if at all. They most likely put a light and voila.

If you need to see the box, then it can be on some sort of surface, you open the box, and as long as there's a hole in the bottom of the box and the table, you can shine a light.

If you can't do that, then think of cutting to a closeup so you can shine a light on him.

The LED option is a good one, though you may need to deal with the fact that it's blue. You could try putting a gel on it, but it may cut down a lot of light.

How big is your box and what's the shot exactly?
 
Jon Starr said:
Well it depends on the shot. In pulp fiction I'm pretty sure you hardly saw any of the briefcase, if at all. They most likely put a light and voila.

If you need to see the box, then it can be on some sort of surface, you open the box, and as long as there's a hole in the bottom of the box and the table, you can shine a light.

If you can't do that, then think of cutting to a closeup so you can shine a light on him.

The LED option is a good one, though you may need to deal with the fact that it's blue. You could try putting a gel on it, but it may cut down a lot of light.

How big is your box and what's the shot exactly?
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basically the shot is that there is small wooden box sitting on the coffee table. a guy sitting on the couch picks it, and opens it up. it has a lid that opens from the top. when it opens, a strange orange glow escapes from the box. the sight of this glow, or whatever is causing the glow, puts the guy into a sort of comatose state, like he's drugged out or something. catatonic.

i'm not worried about the shot of the light on his face, but I also want a close up of the box from his POV showing the glow. it should be so bright that you can't tell if anything is actually in the box.

in pulp fiction, when they open the briefase, they only show the inside of the top part of the brief case. i guess what I'm hoping to do is more challenging.
 
Smoke & light

Smoke & light

Jungle Media said:
this almost felt like someone was holding a flashlight inside the bag and pointing it at the guy.. the light moved, which i felt threw off the effect a tiny bit.

BUT. the smoke coming out? AWESOME. this could really add to my idea.

HOW DID YOU DO IT?!?
Click to expand...

Nobody holding a flashlight, lol. Actually it wasn't the light that moved at all instead it was the performer's movement of the bag as he lean forward at the end of the shot. He was supposed to zip it open and lean forward. For some reason he kept notching open the bag nearing the end of the shot. After three takes the smoke machine gave it's last puff and you can figure out the rest. After my self contained anger subsided I reviewed it and sad lets move on. :furious3:

Equipment:
Smoke Machine: Smoke funneled from a smoke machine to a small hose up through the bottom of the bag.

300w Britek: I used a 300w britek for the light. If you look closely at the zipper of the bag it gave it a red illumination that gave the illusion that it was smoldering hot. Cord ran out the bottom of the bag through the same hole as the smoke machine hose.
 
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I'm now considering renting a smoke machine and using it to fill the wooden boxes with smoke. perhaps a small amount of smoke would be escaping from the box at all times, making them look even cooler. and when they open the lid, lots of smoke.

the more i think about it, the more i think after effects is going to give the effect we want. a regular orange light on the face is just that....regular. going for something almost supernatural here.
 
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