what lights can we use in a shadow puppet theater?

Question

any creative ideas? thanks!

Answer 1

Well, in order to make shadows from the puppets effectively, you need to have only one light source on at a time. But, within that statement is the key to creativity!!

You could have a whole array of light sources, so long as you have them rigged in a way that only one is on at a time.

So, you could have a regular flood-light, a strobe for slow-mo sequences, some colored lights for different moods... even a projector if you wanted a background for your puppets!

It might also be interesting to experiment with two light sources... to see what happens when you need a "clone" of one of your puppets... here's an idea: say one of your puppets is having a debate with his good and his evil consciences. Keep one regular white flood on the entire time, but when he wants to talk to his evil side, flip on another red light from the side. When he wants to talk to his good side, turn off the red light and turn on a green or blue light on the other side!


Hope that helps, have fun!

Answer 2

You do not want to use LIGHTS (plural). You want to use a single source (one light), otherwise you will have a blurring of several shadows. I suggest the use of a 100 Wat flood with a large reflector set back far enough to cover the entire shadow surface screen. You will also want to surround your screen with a dark proscenium so as to allow no light bleed from behind. A better light source would be (If you have the option: source or money) a 9 inch double lens leiko (parabolic reflector spot) and shape the light to fit the screen thereby eliminating a great deal of light bleed.

Answer 3

There's low cost ($25) 'stage lighting' lights where they use low power yet put out high light. They're 'cool' to the touch too, and don't overheat. These are the swivel ones that are sort of squarish, that you see on a lot of ceilings in bars and stages. The dimensions are about 10" by 10". I don't know the actual name of them, but they're used for stage lighting.