Liquid Gold Effect

Possibly have a shoot coming up requiring golden, glowing molten-liquid pouring down onto a slab on which it splatters... thick viscocity but not lava-like so methycellulose not necessary.

UV lights & UV pigment not an option (yet).

Basically intend on backlighting oil (possibly simply vegetable oil ?) pouring out of cualdorn and splashing onto dark surface. Backlight with warm light and gold mylar near camera for liquid-mirror-reflections.

Any recommendations for a suitable gold liquid ? How to tint liquid warmer amber and perhaps add some pigments for increased opacity (but not much). I don't want to cloud the liquid completely. The liquid's color is important as it has to play amber compared to surrounding white smoke.

Any advantage to making a thicker, water-based liquid...I'm thinking of syrup. If mercury wasn't so bad for you we'd be using that.

Either way clean-up is going to be a drag. Am I right to be leaning towards oil for the best in both thicker viscocity AND good splashing ?

Any other recommendations ?

Mark Doering-Powell

Los Angeles based Director of Photography

Where's my tabletop rigger when I need him. Tom Schreffler are you out there?

Maybe you could use an oil, and mix in suspension some gold flake dust, sort of like they put into gold flec spray paints for decorative interior house paints. Craft shops sell this stuff I think. Never done it, but it might be worth a try.

Jim "my bass boat is candy apple red flake" Dollarhide

-- Jim Dollarhide Director of Photography

> Any recommendations for a suitable gold liquid ?

Possibly liquid soap. There's a "gold" color available in both hand soap and dishwashing liquid (the hand soap has a bit more viscosity). Also more easily "cleaned" than oil (just a bit of "clean" humor there).

Mike Most VFX Supervisor Los Angeles

Sure, Kirschwasser !

Oh, you mean to photograph

Hey it might work....

-Sam "After the Gold Rush" Wells

You might look into rock and roll tricks. I was backstage at a Janet Jackson concert once, and they had this amazing liquid fire stuff that dripped down in literally a curtain, or waterfall, of fire, 20 feet high behind the stage at one point. It just fell to the floor and went out. Nobody seemed too concerned about it catching anything on fire, or its potential toxicity, and I've ALWAYS WANTED to know what this stuff was! It was beautiful and sounds perfect for what you need. Sorry I can't be more specific than that!

Phil Badger

You wouldnt happen to remember what company was handling the show pyrotechnics, would you? We have a different need for the same application and that stuff sounds much better-

Many thanks, Todd Liebman, DP

Think about Glycerin. Water soluable, viscous, actually, the viscosity can be adjusted with water, could be tinted with dye/food coloring(?), cheap and relatively easy clean up.

-- Ed Colman - SuperDailies

Cinematograper Supervised Video Dailies

www.superdailies.com

How about cracking open a bunch of those gold markers? It might be a waste of time. Or, not... Mixed with motor oil, maple syrup or your favourite skim milk with dye. Sparkles from a craft store...

Sounds like fun!!!

David Perrault, csc