Backlighting a triangular Tree

[Grayson Merchant]

I'm designing lights for a show. In said show we have a triangle shaped tree. My director wants this tree backlit. The problem is that the triangular shape doesn't allow light to hit the sides of the tree so the effect of the backlight is lost. How do I solve this problem?

Note: I am only allowed six instruments that aren't on the catwalk or the electrics. Currently, I am using K9 Pup46 45 degree LEDs.

 

[CraigV]

It sounds like you either need more lights or a larger degree. If you're only allowed 6 instruments on the ground, why not try twofering or using some 150w incandescent flood-type bulbs in worklights? (Or even 40w orchestra lights. I used those to give some nice, creepy shadows through a gate in Addams Family last month.) Maybe you could backlight from an angle above with a light.

It's hard to brainstorm without really knowing that much about the venue or what you have at your disposal, but I'm sure some other folks will chime in too.

 

[lwinters630]

Back lighting is done for many reasons. To reveal form giving it 3 dimensions. Sometimes to draw attention to mood as a vocalist at the end of song. In this case your not adding back light, you're subtracting face light 3 seconds before all fades.
Even a flat Stanley paper cut out can seem real by the use of Shadows on the floor.

So you can back light. The question first is why.

 

[petercav17]

This is really vague. You need to add more information. I can picture this situation in like a million different ways, but It sounds to me like you've got a tree that is shaped like a vertical vee with the point upstage? or downstage? Either way, you should backlight from a high angle. if you need to, use two units offset like 30deg from center to get the look you want.

But first you need to figure out what you want. Don't just do something because the director wants you to. If he says he woulds like backlight, find a reason for it. And if you can't find a reason, don't do it. What mood are you trying to evoke? What effect are you going for? An accent? Each light that you plot and each cue that you make needs to have a purpose and a vision. If it is not your vision, at least make it the director's vision. You two need to collaborate. The best lit shows are the ones where the designer and director are on the same page. This doesn't mean the director always gets his way, it just means that you need to compromise and work things out.

I'm a huge fan of creating shadows with backlight. If you do it right, it can look amazing. If you mess it up, it can look really sloppy. (Ex: I recently lit a production of In The Heights, where I used back light through the top units, which projected the shadows of the door frames/the people that were up there during the club scene onto the deck. The purpose was to see the dancing silhouettes of people to re-enforce the illusion of a club. It worked great. But, in other scenes that I had I tried to implement backlight and it didn't look good at all.)
My TD, who trained me as a designer, is amazing at using shadows, its an art form in itself. It's definitely something that I want to master. So put thought into it.