Heat Shimmer Effect In Studio

Greetings:

I will doing a single camera interview in the studio. The background for the subject will be an IMAGEPRO gobo slide projected onto a white cyc. The client would like the background to have a shimmering heat wave look. Remember, I am in a television studio, not a soundstage and so I'm sure that will affect potential heat sources.

Thanks to you all.

Charles Ide

Take a look at Rosco’s “Infinity” Gobo Animation device.

Bill Berner

ICG 600 DP

>>The client would like the background to have a shimmering heat >>wavelook.

Not something I've tried personally, but what would happen of you had something like a par can pointing straight up directly in front of the gobo source (profile) output?

Other than that I think that a light ripple disk on a motor might achieve the effect. Not sure the best source for that though.

--
Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com

Modifying Clive's suggestion, why not a space heater lying on its back pointing straight up from under the projector lens? You could control the amount of heat, distance and height to the projector beam. Just be mindful of fire hazards of what you might use to support the space heater.

Nick Mueller
Director of Photography
Washington, D.C.

Butane?

--
Chris Maris
Director of Photography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ6-MbK77s8

www.myspace.com/thelunartics

0044 7956 251061/0046 7340 76003
skype name; chrismaris
www.chrismaris.com

>>The background for the subject will be an IMAGEPRO gobo slide >>projected onto a white cyc.
>>The client would like the background to have a shimmering heat wave >>look.

Charlie,

I might overlay the IPRO image with 2 patterns from another Source 4. I would use a fixed pattern with horizontal lines in the regular pattern slot and use a gobo rotator with a breakup pattern in the iris slot.

Make neither pattern sharp, dim and adjust the speed to taste.

Give my regards to Eddie L and Harry B.

Douglas E. Carnevale
DP/LD
NYC

>>The client would like the background to have a shimmering heat wave >>look.

Try a rotating wave like gobo on a decent projector lamp, punched into a poly board covered in scrunched up milar silver reflector. It takes a bit of time playing around with angles and amounts of "scrunching", and coverage is limited so you may need to have a few to get the coverage required, but when it hits the mark the effect is great and can give a heat shimmer look or a water ripple look depending on all the parameters involved, and of course the colours used.

Good Luck.

Simon Richards
Director of Photography, EU Based
web: www.simonjrichards.com

Here's a wild idea that probably won't work but could depending on equipment available and light levels needed. You could put your "gobo" and shimmer effects in video, and project that. Could be real-world or CG image, doesn't really matter as long as the edges don't show.

For that matter you could greenscreen it and get jiggy in post.

Steve Braker, Lighting Editor

-- Steve Braker - WORTHWHILE FILMS - media production for nonprofits
-- +001 608-635-4040 - www.worthwhilefilms.com - Poynette, WI USA

What’s a Lighting Editor ? excuse my ignorance .

John Holland , Lighting Cameraman , London.

>>What’s a Lighting Editor ? excuse my ignorance .

Just trying to be true to the CML Oath of Signature. I light, I edit (I also shoot and "produce"). I too will light cameramen if I need to.

Steve Braker, Lighting Soundperson

-- Steve Braker - WORTHWHILE FILMS - media production for nonprofits
-- +001 608-635-4040 - www.worthwhilefilms.com - Poynette, WI USA

Two ideas:

(1) Put a hot plate turned up to "high" directly in front of the light.

(2) There's a theatrical gag where you rotate two patterns in different directions in front of the light. I've seen a water ripple effect done this way with patterns that are just a lot of circular holes. The holes rotating against each other produce the kind of look I think you're going for.

They may have to be pretty close to the light.

Art Adams
Director of Photography
Film | Hidef | Video
San Jose, CA, USA
www.artadams.net
415.760.5167
Skype: ArtAtoms

Some time ago we achieved this by building a "fire bar" attached to a propane tank.

By controlling the size of the flame and the distance from the lens, we got a decent

shimmer.

Peter Pilafian
DP and gadget-builder
Wilson, Wyoming

www.hpix.com
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"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years.
We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin,
but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
--Samuel Ullman

I’ve done similar things at the lens to shimmer the entire frame, but I believe the original post wanted to merely shiver a gobo on a cyc.

I would get a Rosco animation disk and put it on the front of a Source 4 or other Leko

BILL BERNER
ICG 600 DP
NY