firefly effect

[domiii]

So we are doing Curious Savage and the director is asking about fireflies outside a window.

I need some ideas on how to do this effect.

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks

 

[Jamie]

Cheap and easy is to put some of those "slow fade" christmas lights poking out of whatever type of masking flat you have behind the window. or, if the window is frosted, just a strand of these festooned behind could work well

 

[dvsDave]

I would make a frame that extends out from the window and hang the lights at various distances from the window, that will help the effects realism. Just be aware of the amount of light projected onto the front of the window frame as this will greatly determine how well the audience can see the effect.

 

[Morydd]

One of the coolest effects I've seen was a firefly effect. Basically, they wired grain-of-wheat type light bulbs to zip cord (one bulb per cord) and hung the zip cord off of a batten. Flew in the batten, gathered all of the zip cord/bulbs into a 4" diameter PVC tube painted black, and then turned on the lights. As they very slowly flew the batten out, the different lengths of zip cord would pull out the light bulbs one at a time and they'd swing around the stage. It was beautiful and fairly cheap. You could probably replicate the effect on a much smaller scale for your window without needing fly space.

 

[seanandkate]

One of the coolest effects I've seen was a firefly effect. Basically, they wired grain-of-wheat type light bulbs to zip cord (one bulb per cord) and hung the zip cord off of a batten. Flew in the batten, gathered all of the zip cord/bulbs into a 4" diameter PVC tube painted black, and then turned on the lights. As they very slowly flew the batten out, the different lengths of zip cord would pull out the light bulbs one at a time and they'd swing around the stage. It was beautiful and fairly cheap. You could probably replicate the effect on a much smaller scale for your window without needing fly space.

Or if you can't dedicate a pipe to the wheat-lights, dead hang them just above the window with a long enough piece of zip cord that a fan will make them sway.

 

[kicknargel]

There's an off-the-shelf product that does a similar thing. It's basically an led (I think) on the end of a cord with a little fan that swooshes it around. The LED is encased such that you can only see it from certain angles, so it appears to blink. Very realistic. Of course, one of the Cirque shows did something similar with LEDs hanging of giant fishing poles that they swung around.

 

[ship]

Cool Ideas above. I was thinking more three dimensional box that moves left to right, up and down, and down stage to upstage with a mounted grid. That's a cool idea above on the pulling them concept, hard to reset and not as much upstage to downstage but using different wattage of lamps could be amazing.

Overall with the above a modified tricorn that governs scenery or anything we do: Time vs. Budget vs. Manpower. Assuming this contraption would be one - manpower as it were needed, one could replace this figure by skill level in doing what concept the above two afford in the other ways artistically. Is this something the designer or TD or ME has to do in not doing anything else for as long as needed to get it done? Something someone else not needed for production can take on, and if they can, what extent of those needed for the rest of the show have to spend time in supervision?

Also add in control - how many dimmers/etc. how do you control it short of extra channels on a dimmer available and a ghost loading somewhere off stage?

Time and money the other determining factor in how cool artistically can be done. Choose two in leaving one costing, or choose two in the third suffering or costing more.

Special effects... great stuff but pre-plan budget, time and manpower or in exchange for it skill level. If it can't be done, see what you can rent if important but not possible to make.

For any of the above from what I might consider to what others have, skill level is high and time is a few hours just to plan and figure out parts for. After that, it's not something that can be handed off in getting done like hanging a few christmas light nets across the back of the window unless individually controlled and moving as fireflys will do. Details in making the art will take time and a lot of thought.

Anyway, some thoughts hopefully of use in plan it as per the above in the tricorn or rent it / hire it out elsewhere to get done somehow so it don't steal the thunder from the rest of the art intended on the show.