Subway Tunnel Light Simulation

[Edrick]

That was probably going into Penn Station I've never seen those use inside of the tunnels here in Boston except exiting one of the tunnels on the Green Line which they need to light up the whole entrance as there's service equipment there. But everywhere else on the system here is Florescent and I'd assume so in New York except on the commuter rail system.

 

[iLightTheStage]

For low budget, I would suggest the following:
Three wide angle lights upstage of the scenic pieces pointed AT the back of them, on individual dimmers.

For just motion, an occasional chase at low intensity from one side of the stage to the other to simulate passing an in-tunnel florescent worklight every couple hundred feet.

For a train passing, a very quick random chase at about 75%.

For entering a station, a chase with two of the three lights on at a time, simulating lights interrupted by steel structural supports. And then going to all full to simulate being stopped in the brightly lit station.

I would use all of these effects with the support of sound effects that don't compete with the action in order to support realism.

Although I also like Meatpopsicle's idea. However it sounds like a bit of a wiring challenge.

 

[joeboo46]

I was actually thinking this as I was reading through the posts I had thought maybe some sort of strip light though . . . 3ckt maybe R40 strip (seems as those are not hard to find lying around in theatres LOL) and use the 3 circuits in a chase going across trhe back of the train unit. I did this once for a train scene seemed to work pretty well.

 

[iLightTheStage]

As bad as this sounds, I watched You Don't Mess With The Zohan (don't judge!) and I was watching the special features where they were shooting a limo scene (with Henry Winkler) against green screen, and the rig they had to mimic passing street lights was very interesting: a fresnel on either side of the car, each on their own track with a shutter mounted to the front so it would be on while passing, and "off" while moving back to first position.

It made me think of this post and that it was an interesting solution over an intelligent light.

 

[Esoteric]

Yeah, sometimes we are too quick to jump to high tech solutions. Once for a run down, scary loking subway station I used an actual flourcent light. Built inconspicuously into the set, you didnt see it until it turned on and once on, there is no other light like it.

For Miss Saigon we had no chopper, so we had a pagent (beam projector) on a line that flew in and out.

I will never forget the ending we did once of A Dolls House when the window is opened at the end and there were 9 pagents pointed directly through the window at 100%. The look on the actors face the first time he opened the blinds.... PRICELESS.

Mike