Vintage Lighting Advice on custom build of uni-directional halogen light fixtures?

[darkmaterials]

I'm hoping to build some custom light fixtures, and my local sources for advice are swamped at the moment. I'm not a designer/electrician by trade -- I make small scale shadow theatre/puppetry shows with a variety of effects, and I'm looking to do something similar to what was discussed in this thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/27024-silhouette-dancers.html

However, I have a basic design from my friends in Italy, Teatro Gioco Vita: Teatro Gioco Vita For their design, I'll want to use between 150 and 400 watt halogen bulbs (alternatively, I could use intense LEDs to get the same effect, but I don't know what type I would need or a good place to source them), resulting in essentially a Linnebach Projector (as referenced in that post). The bulbs will be housed vertically inside a non-reflective fixture with no lens or filter, creating an intense point of light.

Does anyone have advice on how I need to wire the lights? The fixtures will be free-standing in a venue that's not equipped to support theatrical lighting -- just everyday power outlets. Again I'm out of my element here but can't call on the designers I know so the expertise of everyone on here would be much appreciated!

 

[techieman33]

Why not just paint the reflector of a halogen work light with high temp black paint? You can even get work lights on all sorts of stands so it would be a simple modification.

 

[darkmaterials]

@techieman33: That's a good idea -- and may be the most efficient + economical solution. What I don't know, and would be interested to hear about if you or others do, is whether the alignment of the bulb affects the shadows in a significant way. The lights built by Gioco Vita (and similar designs by other shadow theatre companies) use a vertical alignment intentionally. Now this is in large part to allow the face of the bulb to show instead of the tip, and work lights are also built this way. However, I don't know if the 90 degree rotation difference in work lights and these custom designs is significant.

 

[cpf]

If it is, it's nothing that rotating the work light 90° won't fix?

 

[darkmaterials]

If it is, it's nothing that rotating the work light 90° won't fix?

Good point -- do you know of any affordable work lights that have rotating fixtures on a stable stand (just looking at all my options).