paint changing color
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1963
Printed Date: 11/23/24 at 5:08pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: paint changing color
Posted By: Joan54
Subject: paint changing color
Date Posted: 8/07/06 at 4:09pm
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I am curious about using certain colors of paint on a backdrop.....say red with a lot of black in it...then shining red light on it and revealing more of the painting than was visible with white light only. Anyone have any experience with this? I don't want to use black light but am considering some strobes. The whole concept is pretty fuzzy right now....but I thought I'd see if anyone can share a little knowledge about the effect of colored lights on colors on the backdrop. ------------- "behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede" |
Replies:
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 8/07/06 at 8:40pm
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I?m not quite sure what you wish to achieve? However you might be thinking of the ?Samioloff effect?. The technique of saturated colour. Mainly Red & Green to change the colour of the set or costumes on stage. By removing an additive primary colour from the subtractive primaries colours on stage & changing the costume colour. Or using colour to give the impression of a set washed in red wash being advanced towards the audience by cross fading to a blue wash. Then reversing the cross fade for it to recede. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 8/08/06 at 10:11am
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Joan54, I would recomend doing some test pieces first. I belive that latex will act different that scenci paint. I like to do test pieces of all painted surfaces for the lighting designer. I use old scraps of sheet goods. ( i have some stached that I just reuse) This way you can test your lighting colors before you paint the set. Nothing is worse than painting a beautiful drop only to find it looks like doo doo with the lights on
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I have not tried what you are talking about. Let us know how it comes out.Posted By: Joan54
Date Posted: 8/08/06 at 11:02am
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I am going to try some swatches.....basically I want to try to design most of our next production ( Othello set in the 1960's) using light rather than realistic sets and drops. I was thinking of one drop that could be a landscape/ seascape/ stone wall ( it is really just in the concept phase) but making it very dark, using one main color..probably tones of red...then when I use red light on the stage the shapes on the drop become more visible but when standard white light is used it is more muddy and indistinct. I am also playing with the idea of bringing wind ( fans) onto the stage which I have never tried before.....any ideas about that? There's a scene where the navy sinks in a storm ( offstage thankfully) and there is a lot of shouting ( "a sail! a sail!") and I think some flapping curtains and wind in the hair of the cast might just make it really work....might also try some wind and fancy light for all the fear and death at the end... Anyways I'll get my paint pots out next week when the current show closes and let you know what I can come up with..... ------------- "behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede" |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 8/09/06 at 5:54am
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Sorry Joan I didn?t realise that you have been working with just open
white lighting & not with a colour lighting palette. As Shatcher suggests using colour samples of material of the set & costumes, to try out & tweek the mise en scene first is the best way to go. Even making up a model of the set, which is considered old hat these days in community theatre, which actually works & will assist you with designing lighting & in many others ways as well. It doesn?t have to be flash in any way, it can be completely low tech, made with sticky tape & card/paper in a cardboard box. Using torch light or table lamps, with colour swatch gel pieces or colour off cut gels. This will give you an idea of how it will look & test colour choices. I still use my sons old Lego set which I first used years ago, when he grew out of playing with it, for set & lighting design. Which works great using the building blocks, with cut out card as set pieces stuck to them. To conceptualise scene logistics, moves & the lighting states. Plus I enjoy playing with Lego anyway & he ain?t getting back now! Also rather than going & buying a heap of colour gel stock, contact your local theatre venue & see if you can scavenge their rubbish bins. For old used gel you can recycle. Invariably because they use possibly large cut colour, which has been changed, because they have leached out or have hot spots or even from the roll off cuts. There is still plenty of good colour left, that can be cut up & used for smaller lens lamps. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: Joan54
Date Posted: 8/09/06 at 7:49am
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Great advice! We usually rent the same theater. I could build a model of the stage and use it for all of our future productions...and I know where they have all of their used/ scrap gel. This sounds like more fun than sewing puffy shirts...frankly I could forsake sewing for a month or two and be quite content....On to model-making! My son loved his Lego so much he took it with him..but I could always buy a bit more...... ------------- "behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede" |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 8/10/06 at 4:12am
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See if they have any spare gel swatch books knocking about,
preferably the larger post card size or bigger ones. They will probably use
Lee or Rosco, as I doubt you will be still using Cinemiod any more. When you get the scraps use a white chinagraph pencil & mark the colour number on them. If you end up setting up your own mini lighting system for your model, cut sets of gels, enough for a complete colour change of your rig, using a shoe box to hold the sets, separated by cardboard dividers, tabbed with the corresponding colour number, which makes it easier for a quick change. Like you would do normally in theatre with colour box files. Except the box ends are the same size as the gel frame, to fit each type of lantern used. The old mini lighting rig I used in the garage, was made up with small used food & coffee cans. I rigged up torch globes with a switch system & run off batteries. It was originally loomed up, with just switchable control, until I was older & went to AC voltage using a series of glass jar salt water dimmers, but that was back in the 50?s before the advent of electronics. {Disclaimer;- work on any mains voltage equipment should only be performed by a qualified & licensed electrician, further salt water dimmers are illegal & also known as ?Widow Makers? because they are lethal.} ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: Joan54
Date Posted: 8/10/06 at 8:18am
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I have a friend who is a licensed electrician and I intend to enlist his aid in the lighting work. Any suggestions on what to actually make the model out of? I have made architectural models in the past and used foam-core (paper on both sides...styrofoam in the middle...about 1/4 thick and comes in 36" x 48" sheets). Does that sound good? I was thinking of a scale of 1" =1' because the stage isn't that big. Is this a common scale? When I built architectural models we used 1/4" = 1'-0" but that is way too small for set design. ------------- "behind a thin wall of logic panic is waiting to stampede" |
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 8/10/06 at 9:53am
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As you use a specific stage, this makes it a lot easier to work to scale, rather than being generic. 1":12" would work well. As for the material, I use whatever is at hand. With the Lego blocks I mainly use them as the base to hold profiled set piece of cut & painted card, also the same with performers or for structures like rostra & the kind. As for the stage deck I use the Lego building mat to hold the base blocks & do moves. As for the boarders, legs, drops, drapes & fly pieces. I set up a skeleton frame with battens & the material to be used or painted. The Proscenium arch, teaser & tormentors were a ply cut out. With yours as it would be some what larger & you could use dowelling for battens or even aluminium rods. So what ever works to help you experiment & play around is great. It is always a good idea to get your own sparky/tech on board, who can look after the theatre lighting operation & the tech bump in. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |