Mobile Flicker Box

[Dominick Pietrzak]

Hello! I am going to be working on a film this summer (shooting on Scarlet), and a lot of it will be lit with fire. I don't believe the fire itself will be enough to light the actors faces, so I'm going to need a light source. I've seen flicker boxes, but they all require power sources. This film is going to be shot in a forest, and I'm not sure if we'll have access to power sources unless we get a generator.

How would I be able to build a mobile flicker box, and what light would work best with it to recreate fire?

Also, how can I build a flicker box that CAN use a power source? Kind of hard to find info on it online. One that I could use with anywhere from a 650 - 1k light.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Peter Strietmann]

Try calling Chris Hayes at Eastern Effects, 718-855-1197. Tell him I sent you. I bet he can hook you up.

Best, Peter

[Dominick Pietrzak]

Thank you Peter! Will be sure to give him a call.

[Jeff Zueger]

You need a Magic Gadets Shadowmaker. up to 2 k per channel (3 channels), but you probably wouldn't need all that.
They work great. I usually used 300-650's for campfires.
You would need have appropriate power as each channel used needs its own circuit, I would suggest a Honda Eu 2000 (or 3000 if needed), they are quiet and very reliable.

[Dominick Pietrzak]

Thanks for the info Jeff!

Looking at it now, I think we're going to need a generator and extra lighting. Not sure how I wanted to do it without. The Honda eu2000 seems like it's just what we need.

I'll probably have 2x300w flicker lights, a 650w fill, and a 2K for Key / mimicking moonlight or daylight. The eu2000 will handle a 2K, right? We will have to rent 2 of them to support all the lights.

[Jeff Zueger]

Yes it should handle a 2k. You may want to think about a more efficient 575 or even 1200 HMI to simulate your moonlight (I Like to bounce them into a high, large white source (Griff or foamcore) and use the main light as a rim on the subjects and fill for the background) By the time you put some CTB on the 2k to a create moonlight effect you wont have much output and will be using a ton of power. Even a couple of 4x4 kinos up high would probably be a better than a 2k, IMO. Obviously I dont know how far away your subjects are from background. Careful not to override the flickering lights too much another key as it wont look real. I would try to make the flickering lights your key, and the bigger light(s) your rim and background light. There are lots of ways to go about the moonlight, but your best best would be to have a HMI or kinos for that. You can either run (4) kino 4x4s or (1) 2k off 1 eu2000. Good luck

[Jeff Zueger]

Yes it should handle a 2k. You may want to think about a more efficient 575 or even 1200 HMI to simulate your moonlight (I Like to bounce them into a high, large white source (Griff or foamcore) and use the main light as a rim on the subjects and fill for the background) By the time you put some CTB on the 2k to a create moonlight effect you wont have much output and will be using a ton of power. Even a couple of 4x4 kinos up high would probably be a better than a 2k, IMO. Obviously I dont know how far away your subjects are from background. Careful not to override the flickering lights too much another key as it wont look real. I would try to make the flickering lights your key, and the bigger light(s) your rim and background light. There are lots of ways to go about the moonlight, but your best would be to have a HMI or kinos for that. You can either run (4) kino 4x4s or (1) 2k off 1 eu2000. I would def take the kinos Good luck

[Dominick Pietrzak]

Sorry, I made a mistake before- the 2K was going to be the key when there was no flickering, flickering is going to be the key when there is a fire.

The Kinos are a great idea. Very true what you said about the 2K losing intensity. I think I could get away with 2 of the 4x4s. If I go with the Kinos, I'll only need one generator, right? I guess it would be better to have 2 just in case one breaks down.

How far away will the eu2000 have to be to not interfere with shooting?

[Jeff Zueger]

I would recommend 2 in this case. I have 2 and if one of them is working the other usually is too. Usually have to try to get it away a bit 30 -40 ft, more if needed. Sometimes it helps to have your audio guy help you out with it. The exhaust noise can bounce off of objects, so one trick that works is to turn the exhaust direction in a circle until it sounds the best. It helps to hide it behind things or down a hill (etc). We have built sound blocks from furniture pads, but be sure to give it plenty of ventilation. The frequency of the gennies seem to be pretty easy to dial out if you have that capability. Be sure to get room tone. Also be sure to have the auto throttle OFF when shooting with the flicker box, as the genny adjusts to the amount of power needed, and if that power is fluctuation the genny may run at irregular speeds

[Dominick Pietrzak]

Great, I think Eastern Effects has everything I'm going to need. I'll give 'em a call sometime soon to see what I can do.

Thanks for all of your help Jeff! I am going to come up with something to block the noise from the generators. Thanks for telling me about the throttle off. I will let you know if I have any more questions! If you've got any more tips feel free to post them :)