LesWilson
Well-Known Member
So our set designer wants to use a starch and dye on muslin technique to create a 6' diameter round stained glass window for Sound of Music. Weight and size have to accomodate stage hands putting it on and off during performance. The trick is lighting it in a way that looks like it's a window to the outside and is dimmable with 90's era incandescent ETC dimmers.
I've seen the technique used in Hollywood backdrops but only for relatively small windows in a small area:
I built a small prototype of thin pine/ply and used 1/2" XPS strips for the leading with diffusion gel for "glass" and incandescent Christmas tree lights in the various "panes" created by the XPS. This was no good as the lighting was uneven from pane to pane and the individual light sources bleed through.
So we are back to square one. I am thinking I can build a 6' ring with minimal flex and the scenic folks will create a starch and dyed muslin cover. The trick is lighting it evenly from behind with a single light source and not having spill into the audience eyes. This seems like a gigantic softbox. Getting a big 6' field from a single source is the trick. For reference, and ETC Par with wide angle lens needs 8 feet for a 6' field. I am fine with making custom fixtures but I'm hoping for a solution that isn't 8' deep. LOL.
Ideas? TIA
I've seen the technique used in Hollywood backdrops but only for relatively small windows in a small area:
I built a small prototype of thin pine/ply and used 1/2" XPS strips for the leading with diffusion gel for "glass" and incandescent Christmas tree lights in the various "panes" created by the XPS. This was no good as the lighting was uneven from pane to pane and the individual light sources bleed through.
So we are back to square one. I am thinking I can build a 6' ring with minimal flex and the scenic folks will create a starch and dyed muslin cover. The trick is lighting it evenly from behind with a single light source and not having spill into the audience eyes. This seems like a gigantic softbox. Getting a big 6' field from a single source is the trick. For reference, and ETC Par with wide angle lens needs 8 feet for a 6' field. I am fine with making custom fixtures but I'm hoping for a solution that isn't 8' deep. LOL.
Ideas? TIA