Using Practicals

[David Regan]

Hello;
From browsing through these past topics and from reading other articles in which you have discussed technique, I noticed you mention several times the method of lighting by rigging up many practical bulbs, i.e. the ringlights in the ballroom of Jesse James, or the strips of mushroom lights in the train. You also mentioned the use of a ring of practicals in the elevator of Barton Fink. You said the reason for the ringlights in the ballroom was related to how much you were allowed to rig. Is that typically your reasoning for lighting locations with large arrays of practicals, or are there other reasons you like using them, in terms of quality of light etc... I've never attempted light with large quantities of bare bulbs, and it seems like an interesting approach, that has obviously worked for you several times.

Thanks

[Roger]

Using multiple household type bulbs is a very efficient way to get a soft light source when you have very little space to work with or weight is a problem. That said, I like the 'look' I get by using these kind of units and I have been using them since 'Mountains of the Moon' and earlier.
By using concentric rings of bulbs,with each ring back to a separate dimmer channel, I can quickly change the intensity and softness of the light the unit is giving. Equally, a long strip of sockets on a batten can be as soft or as sharp as you need just by changing the wattage and number of bulbs you use in it. These are quite important advantages when there is little prep time.

[David Regan]

Interesting, I don't think I've thought of bare practicals as a 'soft' source before. Something else to consider using, especially given the time and weight advantages.

Thanks for the input.

[Roger]

A bank of kinos create a soft source and a bank of household bulbs is just the same. Any unit when multiplied enough times gives a soft light. On "O Brother...' the stage was lit using a bank of 45 Tweenies to give a soft but directional light which is focused on the stage and off the audience entirely. I used a similar rig for the movie theater on 'Jarhead'. On neither case did I have more than a 18" of headroom to work with.

[David Regan]

Ah, so if I understand correctly, so many bulbs in an array create so many overlapping and intersecting rays of light, that it is less focused and ends up being soft? (In the same way a fresnel casts softer shadows when on spot than on flood)

Its been a long time since I've seen O'brother, I'll have to go back and check out that scene, as wells as the one in Jarhead.

Thanks again.

[Roger]

No, it's not quite the same as spot and flood on a lamp. It's purely about the size of the source. Just as when I use a multitude of household bulbs there are multiple shadows, obviously one shadow for every bulb or unit used, but they will rarely photograph as such. I usually find it best to have the Tweenies set on flood so that they overlap one another.

[sam_camera]

So, in a way any source could be a soft or hard light depending on how big it is in relation to the subject? Ie. an 18K could be a 'soft' source (albeit an impractical one) if it were close to (and big compared to) an object and its light was wrapping around. A soft source like a kino could be a hard light if a long way away or small compared to the object to be lit?

[David Regan]

Ah ok, that makes sense, thanks for the clarification Roger.

Sam, what you said sounds right. For instance I see Kinos all the time, when backed off, causing harder shadows.

Thanks again, all helpful and usefull information to think about.

[Roger]

That's just it.
The soft shadow you get from spotting a Fresnel is all about the beam angle and the reflector. Flooding the lamp to give a wider beam creates more of a point source.