# Lighting Techniques (post your pics!)



## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)




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## slanks (Dec 17, 2007)

We use a combination of LED Strip lighting along with LED spots


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## Mystic Moon Hollow (Sep 9, 2015)

Scatterbrains said:


>


What are you using for the green lighting? First time to do a haunt and trying desperately to catch up with everything!


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## mrincredibletou (Sep 17, 2007)

Lots of LED floods


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## Mystic Moon Hollow (Sep 9, 2015)

So glad you started this thread Pretty Little Nightmare! We are doing our first haunt and while I only have a few props, I feel that the lighting and music are top priorities. I am working on some Witches' Lanterns to hang from some tree branches but other than that, I don't have anything. I did luck out and pick up a few strands of the string lights in orange at a yard sale. Can't wait to see everyone's pictures and ideas!


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Here's one from my nuclear fallout theme in 2013


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Mystic Moon Hollow said:


> So glad you started this thread Pretty Little Nightmare! We are doing our first haunt and while I only have a few props, I feel that the lighting and music are top priorities. I am working on some Witches' Lanterns to hang from some tree branches but other than that, I don't have anything. I did luck out and pick up a few strands of the string lights in orange at a yard sale. Can't wait to see everyone's pictures and ideas!


This should get you started for your first

http://robertdbrown.com/2014/01/26/skullandbone-com-haunt-lighting-tutorial/

As for WHAT to buy, myself, I would recommend CFL (the spiral florescent) colored bulbs and Clamp lights. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bayco-8.5-Clamp-Light/14003467

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Light-Bulbs-CFL-Light-Bulbs/Other-Colors/N-5yc1vZbmatZ1z0u18v

Learn those rules before you go breaking them (like I do on occasion). 

The importance of the cool lighting with warm accents in a little lighting test I did in 2012
Here just blue and green floods:










Adding the accent:










However, I'm often lighting for a walkthrough, which presents different challenges than lighting for a scene. Low flood lights mean people walk in front of them and ruin effects. 

Here the flood is placed on the roof to help light the scene.










Creating dark space:

Here, we have bright warm light at the opening, with cool highlights at the back. This creates an optical illusion that the center (the "corn tunnel") is pitch black. It's actually quite well lit, but you CAN'T TELL THAT untill you step off into it. Many a child stepped right up to that gate and had to be coerced to enter by parents. Several flat out refused. 










Warm light overload. 

Torches provided much of the lighting here, and I swapped in warm lighting in the Chimera to actuall enhance that orange bathing with all the jack o lanterns. This was perhaps not the best lighting decision, but helped to set up the back yard this particular year. 










Backlighting. 

Everything behind this tomb (and off to the right) was backlit in 2012. Just wanted the basic shapes to be seen. Unfortunately the breeze was a little too much for the fog to assist much with the backlighting (all blowing towards the back of this shot when every night prior it was blowing off to the right where I wanted it)











If you couldn't tell from above, I'm a big fan of making props that serve as their own lighting. This guy has 2 CFLs and a fog machine in him to act as his lighting.


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## Berserker (Sep 4, 2012)

in for later


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## radu (Sep 26, 2009)

The creatures you have created are most bone chilling! Really dig the "Harvest" theme and all it's creepiness. Well done.


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## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

Mystic Moon Hollow said:


> What are you using for the green lighting? First time to do a haunt and trying desperately to catch up with everything!


an old school green flood light from Lowes.


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## purpleferrets3 (Jun 20, 2008)

LOVE everything UnOrthodOx!! Incredible!


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## Jenn&MattFromPA (Sep 4, 2013)

This is an area where we really have a lot to learn. I think good lighting really ups the whole look of anything you decorate with, and it's something that we're only now starting to work harder on. We are on a corner & have sometimes struggled with lighting because there's a streetlight nearby. This year our township has been using lights that aren't as bright (maybe LEDs?), so we're hoping it gives us a bit more darkness to work with. 

That said, we've been happy with a couple of our lighting choices, but our display is mostly lower tech compared to a lot of awesome options I see here.

Here's a few pics I have liked from our displays ~

The first year we lit up individual tombstones with the C7 bulbs & soda cans was a huge difference for us because we had been searching for a way to do better lighting onto our stones but didn't know how. I found the instructions on Pinterest & it made such a big difference in our whole display!










And last year, the first time we bought a fire & ice spotlight. We liked the movement aspect so much we bought a red & orange one this year and we don't even have an idea yet on how we'll use it! LOL! But we just know we think they're cool!


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## Deadview (Aug 9, 2011)

Lights hidden behind tombstones, as always, and multi-colored are a hit for me. Get a good thick fog and the effect gives even some parents the creeps.


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## Spider Rider (Nov 3, 2006)

The only thing to add is sometimes I use white light or white with a brown lighting gel to bring out subtleties in paint. I use all cfl bulbs in hoods and try to hide them in bushes, hanging from trees and behind stuff. I have green bulbs inside the witch's cauldron to light the fog smoke pumped out of it. My pics are on this website. https://sites.google.com/site/zlalomz/spiderriderhalloween


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

Love this thread and all the pictures! Question: What's the best way to light up a prop with red? I want to cast a red glow on my Baron Samedi prop but I don't want him to look like he's on fire, which always seems to happen when I try to use red.


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## Pretty Little Nightmare (Aug 12, 2013)

You guys have no idea how happy your pictures make me! You have all done a wonderful job, it's hard to pick a favorite!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Madame Leota said:


> Love this thread and all the pictures! Question: What's the best way to light up a prop with red? I want to cast a red glow on my Baron Samedi prop but I don't want him to look like he's on fire, which always seems to happen when I try to use red.


Red IS indeed a tricky one. 

I know just the problem you're talking about:

(sorry, before I got a decent camera) Red flood right at the base. 









My solution then was to put a dimmer on the red flood, and bring in other light. In this case a green flood on the roof a good deal away, that could light the rest of the scene, thus adding a little muting to the red as well. 










I would think, especially where Baron Samedi should be black and white in the face, you want some of that white to show, so you're going to want a bit of blue and or green along with some of the red to highlight the white.

Depending on your character, too. here I've put an interior red light, with a blue spot, this lets the shadowed parts glow through red, where those hit with the blue read more white.










But, I think mixing your colors is in your best interest in this. Let your shadowed areas take up the red, and diffuse it in your highlights with blue and green from another source. 

Consider pin spots to more control the areas. (my son messing with those little clip on led spotlights, blue, green, and red, but another red on the left instead of a green would actually give a good look)


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Spider Rider said:


> The only thing to add is sometimes I use white light or white with a brown lighting gel to bring out subtleties in paint. I use all cfl bulbs in hoods and try to hide them in bushes, hanging from trees and behind stuff. I have green bulbs inside the witch's cauldron to light the fog smoke pumped out of it. My pics are on this website. https://sites.google.com/site/zlalomz/spiderriderhalloween
> 
> View attachment 259512


Masterful, as always.


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## Grey Lady (Jan 24, 2015)

Thanks for this thread, one of my weak points is lighting but I'm learning!


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## jojoboom (Jul 15, 2014)

Scatterbrains said:


>


How do you get the green? Do you use filters or colored lights?


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## Bruzilla (Jun 3, 2011)

We just bought a dozen of those low-cost LED solar-powered flood lights this year. They charge for six hours then run for eight when it gets dark. We were afraid they might be too bright, but the early tests show they throw off enough light to illuminate a prop but not make it too bright. We're going to try some filters this weekend to see how they work.

GREAT not having to deal with wires!!!


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## roach (Oct 30, 2013)

LED up in the tree and I have other LED for the tombstones.


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## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

slanks said:


> We use a combination of LED Strip lighting along with LED spots
> 
> View attachment 259358
> 
> ...


This is awesome - this is the look I eventually want to accomplish, so you're my hero! 

So do you have a veritable web of extension cords thru the yard? Can you post a sketch or something to show how you run the lights? My cemetery is pretty big, but not as big as yours.


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## slanks (Dec 17, 2007)

Yes, besides electrical cords, I also have more than 1.200' of airline tubing in the yard for the 30+ pneumatic props. To further complicate it, I have dual electrical runs. The run for the lights stays on all night and the second run is for powered amps and pneumatic props and shuts off earlier.

For the LED spots I have a few 250' rolls of electrical lamp cord (Heavier gauge speaker wire can also be used) which I unroll through sections of my yard after I have the larger props setup. I then tap in into the cord with T connectors. I power them using a 12 volt walwart on each section. A Malibu lighting transformer can be used as well. Each section has a couple dozen spots on them As the end of the season, I just pop the spots off and roll up the cord for next year.

Most of the spots are built using MR16 LED bulbs.

If you have any questions, am more than happy top try and answer them.




lisa48317 said:


> This is awesome - this is the look I eventually want to accomplish, so you're my hero!
> 
> So do you have a veritable web of extension cords thru the yard? Can you post a sketch or something to show how you run the lights? My cemetery is pretty big, but not as big as yours.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Bruzilla said:


> We just bought a dozen of those low-cost LED solar-powered flood lights this year. They charge for six hours then run for eight when it gets dark. We were afraid they might be too bright, but the early tests show they throw off enough light to illuminate a prop but not make it too bright. We're going to try some filters this weekend to see how they work.
> 
> GREAT not having to deal with wires!!!


I have bought some in past, and they were too dim. Where did you buy them?


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Most of these shown are just using simple 100 watt floods. We like blue and amber best, with a little green to highlight certain props. The pic of the cemetery bathed in blue is using 4 blue led spots from Spirit. Very nice effect. We have since gone with more of the led spots but have achieved nice results with the floods too.


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## Bruzilla (Jun 3, 2011)

matrixmom said:


> I have bought some in past, and they were too dim. Where did you buy them?


Got them off ebay. We usually use work lights, but they are too bright.


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## Mystic Moon Hollow (Sep 9, 2015)

UnOrthodOx - Thanks so much for sharing the lighting tutorial. As for your props, I know I have pinned quite a few of your pictures to my Haunt board as I totally love all your props! I hope one day to create your awesome fence! I think I just saw one a few days ago concerning how to used vines and such to hide the existing fencing. Since we have animals, we have a large chainlink gate that you have to enter before arriving at our house. I am thinking about disguising it using sticks and brush from the woods. I think I might even grab a bunch of kudzu, since it is literally growing everywhere!


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## FutureFiyero (Aug 28, 2009)

What a fantastic thread! So many awesome pictures.

Over the years, I've come to the personal conclusion that *less is more* for me. For my entire yard haunt, I will use *ONE* meticulously placed blue, teal, or amber floodlight (depending on the theme of course). With that one floodlight, there will be many different shadows cast that a haunter can use to their advantage. I then fill the space with "natural" sources of light such as hurricane/railroad lanterns, weathered mason jars with candles in them, short circuit light lamps in most windows peaking through curtains, etc.
I'm also a fan of staying as realistic possible, so if one were to be more into the fantasy-world halloween, then I can see the need to use more light. But this is just what I do. Haha.

Pictures to come!


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

jdubbya said:


> Most of these shown are just using simple 100 watt floods. We like blue and amber best, with a little green to highlight certain props. The pic of the cemetery bathed in blue is using 4 blue led spots from Spirit. Very nice effect. We have since gone with more of the led spots but have achieved nice results with the floods too.


Thanks so much for this! I have tried to get this look that you show with the witches but thought it red was part of the mix. It always looked like everything was on fire and now I know why! 
So, if I understand you correctly, I need to find amber floods and no red at all. I've never seen amber floods in stores but I will look a little harder.
Love your pictures!


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## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

slanks said:


> Yes, besides electrical cords, I also have more than 1.200' of airline tubing in the yard for the 30+ pneumatic props. To further complicate it, I have dual electrical runs. The run for the lights stays on all night and the second run is for powered amps and pneumatic props and shuts off earlier.
> 
> For the LED spots I have a few 250' rolls of electrical lamp cord (Heavier gauge speaker wire can also be used) which I unroll through sections of my yard after I have the larger props setup. I then tap in into the cord with T connectors. I power them using a 12 volt walwart on each section. A Malibu lighting transformer can be used as well. Each section has a couple dozen spots on them As the end of the season, I just pop the spots off and roll up the cord for next year.
> 
> ...


Wow. That's pretty cool that you can change to spots around on the wire. That way each year you have the freedom to move props & stones around. Thanks for the info - I was really wondering how people came up with such fantastic lighting. <grabs out notebook and scribbles wildly>


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

UnOrthodOx said:


> This should get you started for your first
> 
> http://robertdbrown.com/2014/01/26/skullandbone-com-haunt-lighting-tutorial/
> 
> ...



omg!!!!all of that looks awesome.I need to steal you to do mine lol.


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

jdubbya said:


> Most of these shown are just using simple 100 watt floods. We like blue and amber best, with a little green to highlight certain props. The pic of the cemetery bathed in blue is using 4 blue led spots from Spirit. Very nice effect. We have since gone with more of the led spots but have achieved nice results with the floods too.


always perfection!!!


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## jojoboom (Jul 15, 2014)

Has anyone had luck using Rosco filters over ground staked spotlights? (These pictures all look amazing, by the way!)


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## Spider Rider (Nov 3, 2006)

I use a couple of lighting gels over cfls in hoods. A brown for the columns and the light inside the witches book shining on her face. A light purple on the dead bushes around the witches. Brown for the baboon holding the witch book. You can see these in this video. Deep purple gels hardly transmit any light and I found useless.


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## mrincredibletou (Sep 17, 2007)

This is the view of the back of my house from my brothers (lives directly behind me)


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Madame Leota said:


> Thanks so much for this! I have tried to get this look that you show with the witches but thought it red was part of the mix. It always looked like everything was on fire and now I know why!
> So, if I understand you correctly, I need to find amber floods and no red at all. I've never seen amber floods in stores but I will look a little harder.
> Love your pictures!


Yup. We don't use red , but prefer amber and blues. Also be careful not to over light your display. I see this a lot. You don't have to have every square inch and every prop lit up. Leave some dark spaces and create shadows. Leaves something to the imagination. Our spots are right near the fence and the props are placed back further in the yard so the light washes out a bit which is fine. I've seen amber floods at Lowes and Home Depot. some smaller hardware chains carry them as well.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

halloween71 said:


> always perfection!!!


Too kind! Thanks. Far from perfect but IMO there is no such thing. Go with the look that you're happy with. Play with the lighting well in advance of Halloween night and try different things to see what makes your display look the best.


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

jdubya, your witches always make me smile. I love them!!! Great lighting my friend.

UnOrthodOx, your corn stalks and the alter are awesome.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Mystic Moon Hollow said:


> UnOrthodOx - Thanks so much for sharing the lighting tutorial. As for your props, I know I have pinned quite a few of your pictures to my Haunt board as I totally love all your props! I hope one day to create your awesome fence! I think I just saw one a few days ago concerning how to used vines and such to hide the existing fencing. Since we have animals, we have a large chainlink gate that you have to enter before arriving at our house. I am thinking about disguising it using sticks and brush from the woods. I think I might even grab a bunch of kudzu, since it is literally growing everywhere!


Little known fact, I have a bit of a tutorial on the fence:

I hide the chain link with random crap on it every year. 
http://www.anunorthodoxhalloween.com/?p=1009


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## punkineater (Apr 26, 2014)

These LED hitlights, found on Amazon, I love for spotlighting. With 16 color choices, plus dim/brite,
strobe, and other functions, all by remote control. I can go around changing the lighting color without
the hassle or expense of buying 16 colored lights. And they only use 3 watts!
http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-BlueWind-Multicolor-Watt-MR16/dp/B006WAMF8C


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

punkineater said:


> These LED hitlights, found on Amazon, I love for spotlighting. With 16 color choices, plus dim/brite,
> strobe, and other functions, all by remote control. I can go around changing the lighting color without
> the hassle or expense of buying 16 colored lights. And they only use 3 watts!
> http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-BlueWind-Multicolor-Watt-MR16/dp/B006WAMF8C


I have never bought these because when you put them on a timer, the whole sequence of color starts. It says it has a memory function. How do you work that in with a timer? Also, I would love to see the fade out feature in red.

I bought these new bulbs: http://www.eflamelighting.com
They have a flicker, and are brighter than just a led candle flickering. Will let you know how it looks.


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## Mystic Moon Hollow (Sep 9, 2015)

Spider Rider - watched the video of your haunt and it looks amazing! I think I did notice some green in yours also? Since I'm doing a Swamp/Voodoo theme, I am leaning towards the greenish colors. 

UnOrthodOx - I'm pretty sure your tutorial on the fence was the one that inspired me to work on the gate. I started reading through your website, some great info there! 

Punkineater - thanks for the link to the light. I am seriously thinking of buying at least one for this year. With a limited budget, I am going to have to be careful but this looks like it would be awesome to have. 

Now, more pictures from everyone please - I love seeing everyone's ideas!!


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## brimagic (Nov 2, 2014)

Here's last year's first attempt a lighting up the house. I really liked the idea of backlighting the tombstones as well as lighting from above - so I'm going to give that a go as well this year in addition to lightning/thunder effects.


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

I dropped the usual blue lights in favor of regular lights on my mausoleum this year.


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## brimagic (Nov 2, 2014)

I tweaked my floods this year - opting for par38 LEDs which make a world of difference. I have the same amount of lights this year; but the quality is so much more crisp. The additional of the perfect storm lightning simulator and a 500W work lamp in the tree truly adds to the spook factor; can't wait for Saturday.


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## brimagic (Nov 2, 2014)

By the way Oak Lawn, I like the classic looks of the spot. It really makes your details pop - great work!


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## Leoo (Jul 16, 2012)

Very nice displays everyone !
Here are some pictures of some parts of my mini-haunt maze.
I go the ghetto way lol heat lamps with colored bulbs. 
And occasionally, some LED candles here and there.



























Please leave opinions lol


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks Brimagic !


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## Gypsygirl1976 (Oct 26, 2015)

*My witchy window*

A look into a witch's kitchen.


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## weeping angel (Oct 27, 2012)

brimagic said:


> Here's last year's first attempt a lighting up the house. I really liked the idea of backlighting the tombstones as well as lighting from above - so I'm going to give that a go as well this year in addition to lightning/thunder effects.
> 
> View attachment 260048


Are you using floods? I like this effect!


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## weeping angel (Oct 27, 2012)

brimagic said:


> I tweaked my floods this year - opting for par38 LEDs which make a world of difference. I have the same amount of lights this year; but the quality is so much more crisp. The additional of the perfect storm lightning simulator and a 500W work lamp in the tree truly adds to the spook factor; can't wait for Saturday.
> 
> View attachment 265143


DOH! There was the answer. I just had to wait for it! This upgrade looks great too! I love the lit tree!


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

UnOrthodOx said:


> This should get you started for your first
> 
> http://robertdbrown.com/2014/01/26/skullandbone-com-haunt-lighting-tutorial/
> 
> ...



Very cool ! I love the presentation !


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## Attic Hatch (Sep 12, 2015)

*Lighting Giant Creatures*

*I try to do as little direct lighting as possible.
Generally each prop gets two different colored flood lights; one on each side.
Since there aren’t tombstones, I make “blinds” to hide the lighting and to keep them out of passers-by’s eyes. 
Especially critical for the spider across the sidewalk in the tree.*























*I mostly went with red and green.
Blue floods just didn't get as much coverage, so I mostly used them for subtle ambiance and where red floods would make red light-up eyes seem white. *










*I mount the roof lights on PVC pipe rigs that lie in the gutters. This allows the gutters to still run water.
There was no choice but to go more “frontal” with the bat. 
Because it moves with the wind, three lights are required. 
Also there are two rear lights for the bat on the other end of it's “teeter boom”.









A nice side –effect: those rear mounted floods really washed over the maple tree.*


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

I use very cheap lighting(I'm thrifty, not cheap). The housings are $3.00 dollars each pus the light itself. 















I made several light covers out of plywood to keep the light on target and not blinding myself while walking among the tombstones.


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## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

Hooray for lighting! 

Thanks to everyone for their input on this topic....lighting remains an underutilized element of haunting, and more information is great.

Personally, I like mixing LED, and CFL, and to use both white light and color. Color for mood, ambiance, and drama, and white light for detail, and bringing out the props. 

I'm still layering lights in this year, and probably won't finish until our 'dress rehearsal' on Thursday (we're getting a lot of rain from what is left of Patricia), but below are some photos utilizing the approach above:


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

I discovered these new bulbs this year called eflame lights that cast a warm orangey glow, but brighter than your typical candle or c7 light. These things cast a wonderful hue as an accent, I have the fire and ice shining on the house ( I have three) . Then a very dim cool white led coming from the right shining his face for detail. The eflame light is in my lantern.


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## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

matrixmom said:


> I discovered these new bulbs this year called eflame lights that cast a warm orangey glow, but brighter than your typical candle or c7 light.



I'd never heard of these 'eflame' bulbs before, but am researching them now....the light they produce looks fantastic, and beats the pants of my old 'flicker bulbs'.

Too late for this year, but these will be going on my Christmas list. 

Thanks, MM!


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Your welcome. Best flicker warm glow I have seen so far.


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## Jottle (Aug 17, 2006)

Bumping this old thread. Anyone have more lighting pictures/tips they'd like to share this year?


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## spinachetr (Nov 12, 2009)

I've used more LED's this year than I have in the past.


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## Zombie4* (Aug 29, 2015)

I switched to floods this year


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Finally got some decent pics of this year's haunt. I used green LEDs on a stake behind each bush, a green fire and ice behind the coffin, a yellow rgb flood uplighting the front of the coffin, a RGB LED hidden behind my resurrecting skeleton's leg that shines up to the witch's face, an orange LED on the front inside of the witch hut's roof to illuminate the potions and spell book (used black spray paint to "frost" the LED bulb some to reduce it's brightness), a green CFL in the cauldron in the hut, a red fire and ice on the back roof line of the witch hut pointed down at the ground behind it, a green LED flood in the cauldron creep's cauldron, and whit'e LED floods on each front corner of the yard to illuminate the graveyard overall. My overall color theme is very green.


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## Jottle (Aug 17, 2006)

These are some awesome new pics. Thanks! Can some of you link to some of the newer led floods you've been buying? I'm thinking of picking up one of the lower wattage 10W ones that change color and have favorable reviews here on the forum. I realize these aren't nearly as bright as 100w floods, but it's nice to have something that's halfway between a spot and a flood. I'm looking for recs. on new outdoor floods, especially amber colored ones!


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## radu (Sep 26, 2009)

Very nicely done. The long shadow casts from the tombstones are great. Really like how it all feels like one scary location.


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## radu (Sep 26, 2009)

Here's what we did this year. Since we have a tree dead center of our cemetery we put it to good use...

We have a few spot lights on the ground for focal points. The images are brighter than how this appears from the street.
On the front left side of our cemetery the city placed a yellowish streetlight directly across the street. So, we don't bother lighting this side. It's a little darker than the right side but I like the way the yellow cast drapes over the pumkin creatures.


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## Yankee911 (Sep 12, 2016)

matrixmom said:


> Here's one from my nuclear fallout theme in 2013
> View attachment 259365


How did you do the window boarding and managed to have it hold in place without damaging the window frame and shutters?


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