Movie Theater Projection Effect

[Prez8983]

Hello all, I just recently came across this site and find it wonderful! I am directing a production of the musical 13 and a scene takes place in a movie theater. I am looking to achieve the effect found here:

Getting Ready/Any Minute (13 the Musical) - YouTube

They have the projection coming from behind the actors, but it could also come in front of them as well. I already checked out this thread (http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/9911-pulsing-s4-movie-effect.html), but it was a little too technical for me. We are a very simple group, but that doesn't mean we don't have money to spend to achieve effects. We usually rent out special lighting from a rental house nearby.

Basically, I just need to know what I should be asking for when I call up the rental house. Is it a strobe light?? Is there a simple answer for this effect?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Aman121]

A strobe light should work just fine for your needs, I have done something similar. You dont want the light to flash too fast or to be to bright.

 

[JohnHartman]

I just did this show, and i just pointed a projector at them, zoomed out out wide, ran it out of focus, frosted it slightly and ran some flickery nondescript video..
Not perfect, but got the effect across.

 

[kiwitechgirl]

A strobe light should work just fine for your needs, I have done something similar. You dont want the light to flash too fast or to be to bright.

I beg to differ, I don't think a strobe light is what you're looking for at all - unless you get one which is programmable, it will flash at a regular rate and it's far brighter than the light you get off a projector - and don't forget that the light on people off a movie screen is not direct, it's reflected light (you don't sit facing the projector!). I think what could work much better is a double gobo rotator in a profile spot. Put two different (not regular-patterned) gobos in it and rotate them in opposite directions at slightly different speeds. That way you'll get a random soft flicker - you probably need to use at least one very open gobo - experimentation will help you find the best ones though.

Your other option is to follow Gafftaper's excellent suggestion from the thread you linked to - "Instead we are going to see random rise and fall of light, never going completely out. I set up two lights on a flicker sequence so that they never went all the way out and so occasionally they both hit full at the same time." What lighting desk does your group use? Most of them will allow you to program an effects sequence; make a bunch of steps with the light at different levels, then set it to "random" step order. Do the same with a second light and second effect sequence, then run them over the top of each other. That way their relationship to each other is never the same and you get varying amounts of light.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

You need a Lobsterscope!

If you had an old color wheel around, or one available, you could make one easily enough.

 

[Beans45601]

A strobe light certainly isn't what you are looking for... unless your movie is of a rave.

 

[urban79]

Your other option is to follow Gafftaper's excellent suggestion from the thread you linked to - "Instead we are going to see random rise and fall of light, never going completely out. I set up two lights on a flicker sequence so that they never went all the way out and so occasionally they both hit full at the same time." What lighting desk does your group use? Most of them will allow you to program an effects sequence; make a bunch of steps with the light at different levels, then set it to "random" step order. Do the same with a second light and second effect sequence, then run them over the top of each other. That way their relationship to each other is never the same and you get varying amounts of light.

This, this, this! We just finished our run of 13, and this is exactly what I did using a Strand Palette. Make one of the lights warm, and the other cool so that the "scenes" appear to change. Next, focus on your sound FX. This is where I dropped the ball, and especially in a horror flick, that is where it's at...

Chris