Creating a practical "green glowing orb" effect

S

Schwarzenyaeger

Hello community,

I am the director and audio guy for a short fan film set in the Stalker universe.

I am looking for a way to produce a green (and also an orange) glowing effect that looks like it is eminating from an object on the ground.

This is a reference from the video game:
Green: http://images.akamai.steamuserconte...918/FBF4BFD23E0E6E91ADBD4998D10D226FB5E3CEE4/
Orange:
http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/stalker/images/9/9f/Flame.png/revision/latest?cb=20091026105036

It would not have to be as defined and could freely be brighter than this, obscuring the actual shape of the object.
Both scenes are to be shot outside and in daylight.

Does anybody have any advice?
 
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So you want to do this practically, on set?

What sort of object are you trying to make look like it's glowing? Because if the object itself isn't already able to emit light, than sticking a light source inside it or near it for effect isn't going to quite work.

You really need some sort of transparent or reflective object to start with, and then you need to place some sort of small light-bulb (either battery powered or cabled) behind the object, or inside of it. If it's reflective, then you also need to shine something towards it as well.

If this is all a digital effect, you might be better off, unless you have the money to either build or find something that would work. But if I was going to do this effect right now with my current supplies, I'd do it all digitally, based around the shape of an existing object. If you have to pick the thing up, though, then yeah, it ought to be something real.
 
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Schwarzenyaeger said:
Hey,

what if I were to take an alternative interpretation of these objects, where as in they do not glow but instead emit a persistant smoke (imagine dry ice), how would I best go about doing that?
Click to expand...

You would need to hook up a smoke machine (aka dry ice machine) to a small hose, embed it in the ground (or have it above ground and remove it in post production), and stick it under or behind the object in question.

So you'd still likely need to build two versions of this object, one that is whole, and one that has a cavity underneath it to stick whatever is emitting the smoke.

If you do this all in post, the smoke is even easier, in theory anyway.

You would simply need to shoot an empty frame without the object, but everything else. Then put a piece of green screen on the ground with the object on it: filmed roughly from the same angle. And then place a smoke effect (either digital or pre-keyed) underneath the object footage with it on the green screen.

Does that make sense?
 
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