Fluorescent Path?

[Robert F Jarvis]

We want an actor to walk on a path that lights up in two sections. We use the flor for dancing so cannot really use LED strips or anything on the floor.
Overheads might give a shadow problem. So, my thought: Paint the path with fluorescent paint and then when we want to see the path bring a black light to bear on it.
Will this work. Has anyone tried other methods to illuminate paths?

 

[sk8rsdad]

Invisible UV paint can work, but any ambient light will kill the effect. The flourescence can't compete. What's the budget? A translucent dance floor with a flat LED panel might come close to doing what you want. Overhead lighting straight down puts the shadow directly under the person maybe the most affordable compromise, depending on your fixture inventory. I did passable paths with a single 700W mover using framing shutters, competing with a lot of ambient LED light.

 

[Robert F Jarvis]

Thanks for the UV heads up. We are a small NFP all volunteer theater so the translucent floor is only something we could dream of. The path was meant to look like a real pathway but I think I will have to think of a overhead sol'n. And our moving heads are really cheap so framing shutters are also on another planet. I will look at putting a row of Cor80 LED jobies up there and shape them in with black anodized tinfoil. I've managed some decently shaped patterns before. So thanks again for the help I wont need to waste time/money with the UV paint thing.

 

[JonCarter]

Another UV heads-up: What will other tings in the scene do under the UV? You may turn on the UV and be really surprised.

 

[TimMc]

My first thought was electroluminescent panels, but I just looked up 2021 prices and can only say. "never mind."

 

[Robert F Jarvis]

Jon: Good point. We have some pretty exotic costumes with bangles etc that might prove very weird under UV. And Tim, for a couple of Electroluminescent panels you could buy the theatre LOL. Someone pointed out elsewhere with blacktop stage , a color carpet shot from above would largely be absorbed!

About the the best thing I can up with is to stick LED tape on a long peace of lumber to mark the side of the 'path' and have crew push it onstage just for that part of scene. Best I can come up with.

 

[DonAllen]

You can put pebble of breakup gobos in profiles focusses along the patch at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees. Shutter the profile to define the path shape. Use several profiles to overlap so they light the shadow from the other profile. If you have them, use about 6 on each half of the path, three from each direction. LED PAR's with barn doors won't give a sharp path edge.

 

[Robert F Jarvis]

Definitely the easiest but our stage floor is wood and painted matt black so not sure how much light would be absorbed and how much visible. But we will definitely give this a try. Thanks.