Making fluorecent lights flicker

[John Sharaf]

John,

Although the flicker might be too rhythmic for your taste, you could adjust the shutter to introduce flicker; perhaps if your camera has the capability to dynamically adjust the shutter speed while rolling you could make a creative effect.

JS

[John Shand]

Thanks for you reply John, yes it would have to be more realistic, like when a flo light is faulty.

[Mark Suszko]

I keep a set of nearly-dead tubes for this, that’s REALISM!.

You can also derange a perfectly good flo light by introducing a magnet along the length of the tube. An electromagnet with variable power gives you more control over the effect. This is a case of trial and error experimentation.

[John Shand]

Perfect! The electro magnet is the one. But from now often I’m going to start collecting old flo lights. I wonder what offices do with them, hopefully they don’t get thrown away.

[Mark Suszko]

Sometimes its the ballast and not the tube that dies, and there are pro setups for monkeying with the ballast.

[Dennis Size]

You could also introduce a dimmer into the mix. Dimming down non-dimmable fluorscent tubes will often cause them to flicker erratically.
Another alternative is to use the new LED source “fluroescent” fixture tubes. They might offer more of a controllable effect.

DS