Headlights
- Thread starterJon Majors
- Start date
@Jon Majors Back in the 1970's, a classically produced British pantomime toured to three venues across Canada annually, usually in December and often extending into January. One year they had a scene that ended with a fade to black immediately followed by what appeared to be a police car darting perilously and recklessly about the blackened stage complete with dual headlights, a rotating red and white roof beacon and a piercing siren. The patrons laughed hysterically moments later when the scene lights came up to reveal a clown dashing about on stage with a rotating beacon on his head, cranking a manual siren and pushing a chrome supermarket shopping cart with a large car battery in the cart and an approximately 5' x 1' piece of 3/4" plywood attached horizontally across the front of the cart with a pair of 12 volt MFL PAR64's clamped rigidly in two holes sawed through the left and right ends of the plywood. A car sound effect plus the live orchestra and the howling patrons all added to the effect when the police car suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I rolled the sound effect and witnessed the scene each performance from an enclosed rear booth where I can attest to the effect of the effect. Cheap, dirty, quick and extremely effective. I suspect traditional scoops will appear too large in diameter and without the molded glass lenses normally associated with vehicle head lights. PAR 64's are 8" in diameter and MFL's (Medium Floods) have appropriate lines molded into their lenses. PAR 56's would be 7" in diameter but I suspect you'd be better off with PAR 64's and you may find the PAR64's available in a wider range of low voltages. Alternately you could always use 12 volt car or truck headlights if you're able to still source something appropriate, possibly at a local auto wrecker.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
BillConnerFASTC
Well-Known Member
I used two 8" fresnels and it looked good.
porkchop
Well-Known Member
I would go for the real thing. If you search for "sealed headlight bulb" you will find a variety of shapes and sizes. Here is a bulb option for $9 each. A 150W 12V PSU can be found for not much more. The PSU wouldn't be too happy running off a dimmer in relay mode, but would probably work fine for a short run if that's your best option.
Jon Majors
Active Member
Thanks for the suggestions. Just to clarify, we are wanting the two lights to basically wash out the audience when they're at 100%. They will be positioned somewhere onstage, not necessary where headlights would go on a car. The idea is that a character is running towards an onstage car (facing SR) and my two "headlights" blind the audience as if they were the ones being hit by the car, then we have a blackout.
@Jon Majors In the touring British panto I spoke of, in the blackout the clown would run down stage towards the patrons stopping just shy of running off into the pit. The audience loved it and the conductor was often worried. Fortunately most of the AF of M lasses and lads were too occupied reading their scores to see when the clown would occasionally run his cart's front wheels perilously past the down stage lip tilting it frantically up and down over the heads of the orchestra.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
I once used a trouperette II cradled in the arms of a tech. But that was a specific case; not trying to hit the audience, trying to rake an exterior window as if a car was turning into the driveway.
BillConnerFASTC
Well-Known Member
Put the various options on front of stage, power, turn off other lights, and look to see what looks best from various seats. Note best may not be most literal, especially from sides of auditorium.
Uncle Dirtnap
Active Member
I would suggest paying close attention to the placement, both distance between the 'headlights' and the ground. There are many subtle clues that trigger the brain to say 'car' when it sees 2 lights. When it comes to illusions of even the most subtle type, you end up dealing with the symbols of things as much as the thing itself.
-rj
-rj
