Television lighting effect…How-To

[John Sharaf]

I’ve done this sucessfully with a three channel “Magic Gadget” 2k dimmer box with built in chase and three small peppers aimed into a piece of white diffussion. Also TV’s cast a daylight color so gel appropriately!

JS

[Frank Otto]

Or you can use a 9″ b&w portable CRT tv with the brightness/contrast munged up and just about any off air signal…

During my real means real period, I shot a spot with people on a couch and/or Barcolounger watching “the game.” TV efx light was 3 – nine inch Emerson b&w/am/fm/tv sets on an apple box, tuned to the same local station…about f2.8 on a BVP90/BetaSP w/ a f1.2 Canon 14x – camera set 12′ and source tv’s about 4′ back from talent.

I’ve also used the “Magic Gadget” and the GAM Flickermaster and they both work well…and it’s easier to carry around one of those in your kit vs. the three tv sets – I just like to point out alternatives…

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Tom Maloney]

My old instructor in college had us do this. His instructions are very usefull to this day.
Turn on the tv in a room at night, don’t watch the tv, watch the room ,the walls and so on. what do you see. what colors and paterns bounce off the walls ? this is the effect you must recreate with your lights. Don
t be afraid to experiment

I’v used a small 150 and hand held small blue and green gels slowly intechanging them with each other.

[Walter Graff]

THis effect has more to do with good audio than anything else. A simple blue gel on a dimmer works well visually, as does flicker boxes, and an assortment of other techniques but it’s the sound that makes it work, that tinny TV sound that says hey he’s watching TV. .

https://www.bluesky-web.com/gone.mov

[Malcolm Desoto]

Normal studio light and a blue gel? worked fine for me.