I am writing a show for our Heritage Town 's summer theatre program that is an Indiana Jones parody. I am looking for some creative ideas on how to do the map effect with the red line following the plane. I realize I could use a scrim and/or projection but am hoping to come up with a few other ideas for this effect to satisfy my creative side? Thoughts?
Indiana Jones Map effect
- Thread starterTraveller
- Start date
FatherMurphy
Active Member
If you have some spare crew people and access to the lights during the show, some thin line gobos with red gels could start with the shutter closed, and a crewman slowly pull out the shutter during the cue. Jiggle and light output might be concerns, and you'd probably need to make a custom shutter to reach completely across the shutter gate.
A moving light with a line gobo hung just offstage and downstage of the drop might work, as the light spreads across the drop during a slow pan, but every wrinkle will show as a shadow, and the fall-off of intensity will be very noticeable.
If you have extra cast members, some PVC pipe and thick red yarn/thin red rope could be used. Tie yarn to one pipe, and stuff inside the next pipe, tie second yarn to that pipe, and stuff into third pipe. Actors walk out together in front of painted map backdrop, one stops, his yarn deploys, second stops, his yarn deploys, etc. Pipes can be cut or held at different levels to match map locations, and could be decorated as bamboo or whatever seems appropriate.
A laser might also be an option, but programming and control might be an interesting challenge.
A moving light with a line gobo hung just offstage and downstage of the drop might work, as the light spreads across the drop during a slow pan, but every wrinkle will show as a shadow, and the fall-off of intensity will be very noticeable.
If you have extra cast members, some PVC pipe and thick red yarn/thin red rope could be used. Tie yarn to one pipe, and stuff inside the next pipe, tie second yarn to that pipe, and stuff into third pipe. Actors walk out together in front of painted map backdrop, one stops, his yarn deploys, second stops, his yarn deploys, etc. Pipes can be cut or held at different levels to match map locations, and could be decorated as bamboo or whatever seems appropriate.
A laser might also be an option, but programming and control might be an interesting challenge.
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Is the map an in-place physical structure? Thinking that maybe some thin clear tubing (like for dust extraction in a workshop, say) in the path that you want the red line to take, paint the outside upstage half of the tube bright red and then fill the tube with a long continuous piece of black material that fills the tube. The red is revealed as you pull the black material out of the tube. Or is there a way the path can be a cutout in the map that has a dark but translucent plastic that you could slowly reveal with light from behind?
Or could the countries be cutouts that are transported across the stage held by actors, with another actor with a long spool of red ribbon attaching it to the countries as they fly by (quick wind around a post on the country perhaps?).
Just spit-ballin' here...
Or could the countries be cutouts that are transported across the stage held by actors, with another actor with a long spool of red ribbon attaching it to the countries as they fly by (quick wind around a post on the country perhaps?).
Just spit-ballin' here...
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