Rosco Spectrum: Tis the season for haunted houses, spooky mazes and Halloween parties. No doubt, if you partake in any of the above, you’ll probably experience at least one black light effect. We covered what makes good black light in a previous Spectrum post. Now, we’ll illustrate how, thanks to the LED black light technology found in Rosco’s Miro Cube UV, designers are empowered to use black light in ways they never could before.
15 comments:
I thought the ideas presented in this article are not in fact "new." Black light technology has been around for a long time now and people have been using it in non-conventional ways. Black lights are associated with halloween, but many people utilize the light for other purposed too. Artists use black lights in murals, paintings, clothing, interior spaces, and many other applications. I did like how the black light was used as a back light to bring to life the canvas painting. I love how the painting appeared differently when the level of the front light changed. Overall, the title is misleading because black lights have been used for projects other than halloween and back lighting a painting isn't that "new."
I love this idea. I don't know what if any of this tech is new, but it's new to me. I've seen black lights, but only in silly haunted house style uses. I'm very impressed how well it can be used to create more traditional looks. One of the things that I find coolest about this article is that it shows how to used black lights and black light paint in three very different ways. Using black light to fake back light is brilliant and I can see that being useful in small budget shows as well as space specific shows. Using black light from behind a drop to change the way it looks is very powerful and could be used to great effect on a large stage or a tiny haunted house. The last trick, was to use black lights to fake the look of having lights inside of things that would be to small to fit a light. I think that this trick could be very handy for a prop or costume maker, because it doesn't restrict the object very much and it gives a lot of control over the look of that object to the team though the light board.
I was a little confused on just what part of these tricks needed the Miro UV, but I guess it's a cool product.
I've always thought black light was cool, but I've only ever seen it used in cheesy haunted houses and Laser-quest games. It's really great how these designers figured out how to use black light to achieve these effects. One danger of black light is that because it creates these very bright fluorescent colors it could very easily turn out looking like a bad haunted house effect- i was impressed with the artists in this article who managed to change the colors in a way which made it look more artistic and less flashy.
Black lights are certainly not a new technology, but I think that this article is highlighting the fact that the use of black light in scenic elements is a relatively rare sight. I'm sure the results of this particular scenic backdrop has been slightly exaggerated, but it is still incredibly interesting to see not only the difference between normal front light and black light, but the fact that there is a spectrum as well. I hope to see more of these effects in use, as they seem like a good way to "reuse" backdrops without having to change very much.
I agree with Keith in that black light has been used for more than haunted houses for a while now. While I am most familiar seeing it used to add atmosphere to decorations or a room I think it can definitely be useful in the theatrical world as well. The only concern I have though is that the article was showing the effects of their light on a small scale. I wonder how effective it really is on a whole backdrop or a large part of the set. How many would you need to get the true effect you wanted?
While this seems like a remarkable effect to include in a show, it seems a little bit dangerous to put it on stage. The UV lights would have to be very directional and not create a lot of spill since any ambient light would result in the possibility of costumes glowing if wearing white or even audience members starting to glow. There was a point in the article where it was suggested that this effect was possible with minimal UV light, but I feel as though there is still a very large risk involved with placing this in a production.
This seems like a really cool affect to use in productions. When you first think of black lights your mind goes to all things cheesy and overdone. For this concept though it seems to perfectly fit in and give the show an added element that is very cool. Seeing the difference in the backdrop examples was very interesting. As a designer it is something I would want to utilize and as an audience member it would make the show that much better and more interesting to watch!
I agree with Sam's comment. There is a very high risk that the black light could limit aspects in costume design and could light the audience.There is also the possibility of UV lights drawing the human eye to mistakes or sloppiness. For example, in the backlight photos, I could see a lot of brushstrokes. I would think they want the UV lights so the set would look more realistic, but once you add the light and see the brushstrokes, I automatically deem the entire thing fake. In the front-light photos, you couldn't see the brushstrokes, which is a good thing; however, the foreground elements in the drop were darkened out, so anything lit in front of the drop would look a little strange and unnatural. I think it should also be mentioned that the photos were of small paintings and not large-scale theatrical drops. I would like to know if the beams are strong enough and big enough for a large-scale drop.
This is certainly an interesting concept. Like many others have mentioned, black light is traditionally reserved for specific special effects. The idea of using it in a more general sense to enhance paintings is certainly intriguing. This brings a whole new aspect for painters, as they can now use black light to change the look of their paintings. I would be really interested in using this technique in the theatre. Often times the lighting designer can use light to change the way colors look in relation to each other on stage. However, this seems to take this idea to a new level. I think it would be really cool to light an entire scrim with UV frontlight and see it appear as if its glowing from behind.
I think that this is a really cool idea, and like many others have said before, this blacklight technology is normally reserved for Halloween, or other related effects. I am sure that there are many applications for this type of lighting other than Halloween and now backlighting art. This could probably even be used in some theatrical situations, albeit it would be quite a challenge to create a cool effect that is received well by the audience and that isn't too much of a distraction.
This is really neat. I think it would be cool to use more black lights in theatre. I once saw a production of A Midsummer's Night Dream that used backlights, but they were used so excessively that everything was washed out and had a purple tint. The pieces of the set and costumes that were supposed to glow looked amazing, but the way it hit people's faces was not appealing. I think that, using a more controlled source, black light could enhance many set pieces. As shown in the pictures, the vibrancy can be intensified. This would be useful for night and dusk scenes that take place in the same setting.
I've always loved blacklights its so cool being able to illuminate things you cant normally see. I thought it was fairly well known but for those who don't know its nice to point out that uv light can be used tastefully in something other than haunted houses. It's perfect for any situation where you want to paint something that you don't want to show up until later or illuminate something without backlight.
My favorite use for backlights so far as to have been using black light strobes. Used a set for a haunted house I worked in and it allowed for a very effective scenery change within the main room of a house and the reactions we got from the effect was fantastic. Using a series of paint treatments similar to whats shown here. We were able to make an entire well dressed room deteriorate to a hellish scene with a couple of lights.
Although black lights effects aren't new, it was really interesting to see them used in ways that were new to me. The idea of using these on a back drop to create a new level of depth is really cool, plus if you work in a theater with minimal lighting equipment or points from which to focus lights then this could change how you design a show. There is the danger of black lights looking cheese or pushing a show in a non-realistic direction, so I would be excited them used in a way where they added to show as opposed to overshadowing it.
Black lights are something that I think are really cool. However, this is only when they are done right. Most of the time they are used in a very cheesy manner. Sometimes, this even causes the work to look sloppy and cheap. This being said, when used effectively, I feel that a black light can add a very cool visual effect that can change the way the audience portrays a n image.
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