How to light a tent sceen with candle light?

[Joel Arvidsson]

Im doing a historical project where I need to light a few persons inside of a tent before a battle. The practicals in frame will only be candles. I know you can buy flicker boxes to emulate flickering lingts but I wish I could skip buying that. What flicker box do you recomend? Does a flickerbox torture youre lights? Seams to not be so plesant experiences for a light buld flickering constantly. Shane hurlbut built an own lights to use with a flicker box, but perhaps its easier ways to do this. Where I live is very impracticle to rent lights and flickerboxes if there is any at all.

 

[Fabricio Morato]

If you are thinking about buying one you should get a Magic Gadget. Its a little expensive, but really flexible with its effects (lots of configs) and looks realistic.
And what about adding some oil lamps in the scene? Though I don't know how well this would fit your story.
Hope this helps.

 

[Nick Gardner]

I have done a ton of that kind of stuff. I usually don't use a flicker gag for candles. They don't flicker that much. I usually use a magic gadgets flicker box for fire. The old school way to do a fire gag is to cut some CTO into strips, and tape them onto a short arm or something similar. get two of them and have an electric move them mack and forth in front of the light for the desired effect. I have even had an electric just wiggle his hands in close to the light to make it flicker a little.

NIck

 

[Brendan H. Banks]

I've used a covered wagon for fire before with restraint on the dimmer. I haven't done candle but I'm sure it could be altered a bit to fit nicely. It's such a warm glow and has similar properties. When I shot it was at the suggestion of my gaffer to use it and he had made his own. Was totally the right call and you can probably make for cheap.

Looks kinda like this:

Lots of how-tos online but it's really just some 2x4's, chickenwire, and wiring some sockets. Then you wrap it in whatever you're thinking (we did tungsten bulbs, half CTO, and some opal layered on). I'm a big fan.

 

[Nick Gardner]

Covered wagons are great. I use the crap out of them with a magic gadget box for fire. In a close space like a tent though they are hard to control. I usually use 650 fresnels spotted in and dimmed down to get the light where I want it. Dimmed they match candle color temp pretty good. I am also a big fan of mole baby softs with a double eggcrate on a dimmer to get soft directional warm light for candle lit scenes.

Nick

 

[Joel Arvidsson]

Thanks for all, inputs. I like to start with ordering or making the practicle lights that will be visible in camera. To maximize the light output from candles I will use a double or triple wick. I have not found any good images of thoose kind of candles online. There fore I wonder if the wick is twinned or if they are three wicks that sits very close to each other. I would think they are twinned/twisted together but best image I found looked like its the wick were just two wicks close together.

As this project is tied to this specific area, I like to se if the candles can be made by a local candle maker.

For the flicker light I will start with testing Nicks old school tips with CTO into strips on a short arm, but also to wiggle a golden refector as in this video.
http://www.indietips.com/how-to-light-a-scene-by-candle-light-for-cheap/

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

Joel, I recall reading in American Cinematographer about a little trick that the late Vilmos Zsigmond used in a scene in Sliver. He put a tiny light bulb behind the candle. I thought it might be of interest.

 

[Joel Arvidsson]

Joel, I recall reading in American Cinematographer about a little trick that the late Vilmos Zsigmond used in a scene in Sliver. He put a tiny light bulb behind the candle. I thought it might be of interest.

Thanks, I saw one image yesterday doing this.

Any good tips on what kind of small light to use.