Thread: Setting up LED Spotlights

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We're making lots of LED spotlights using 5 LED's inside 1" PVC pipe to light our pirates in the graveyard this year. In the past we have used small blue or orange flood lights which seems to always spill to areas you don't want it. We're hoping that the spots give us the effects on the props we want without creating all of the extra light that the floods do. If anyone has experience with using these little lights I'd love to know how you conquered issues with things like locating the lights, mounting the lights or with ambient light or anything else you didn't expect. All tips are welcome!

buckaneerdude, check out this site:

-Skull And Bone-

I read that and it's good info. What I learned from reading that is to avoid using too many lights. We've tried to light each key prop and there are at least 10 of them, in a relatively small area. The spill from the floods we used tends to wash out the effects of other lights. I'm hoping that we can get away with just using the LED spots we're making to get more of an eerie look. It's going to be tricky. I hope someone in the forums has experience with these little spots and can offer some advice. If not, I'll just have to make time to experriment. Hopefully I won't have to go out and buy different lights to mix with the LED spots.

We made those last year.
I don't have any pics of them in use but there is a sweep of them on the video we made.
I wanted to use them to spotlight the tombstones.
As you can see in the video, the blue ones seemed to work the best.
The tombstone in the back with the peeper behind it had a red led spot and it was hardly noticeable.
They were pretty easy to make. After seeing how they looked in the dark, wished we would have put more or stronger leds in them.
The tombstones with the led spots are about 2 minutes into the video.

The Laboratory 2007

MsM

Most of the ones we're making are UV. Blue and orange light seemed to work well last year when we were using the floods so we should probably make plenty of blue ones and maybe some orange. The intensity of the lights is something I'm concerned about at the moment and I'm thinking I could bundle several together to light the subject from one location, or I have figured out a way to cut 1" thick wall PVC so it clamps onto 3/4" PVC to make a light tree. The spotlights are connected to the "clamps" and you can fully rotate and pan each light to put it just where you need.

Aside from the new props this year, lighting I think will be our biggest change. If anyone else has input, it's much appreciated.

Hey, so just a thought outta left field...

I am planning to experiment with inexpensive LED tealights by removing the fake plastic flame from over the light. Then I intend to replace the LED's with higher intensity coloured LED's and bend them to point approx. 40 degrees sidways. I would place these right behind tombstones and other props pointing them at the props behind. Not only do you get various eery colours throughout the graveyard but also the flickering effect!

I just don't know if the flickering would be overkill? I certainly would not have a light for every prop but each light shining towards a small group of props at a time.

Any thoughs???

Originally Posted by Shadow Man

Hey, so just a thought outta left field...

I am planning to experiment with inexpensive LED tealights by removing the fake plastic flame from over the light. Then I intend to replace the LED's with higher intensity coloured LED's and bend them to point approx. 40 degrees sidways. I would place these right behind tombstones and other props pointing them at the props behind. Not only do you get various eery colours throughout the graveyard but also the flickering effect!

I just don't know if the flickering would be overkill? I certainly would not have a light for every prop but each light shining towards a small group of props at a time.

Any thoughs???

Hmmm, a flickering UV on say a ghost or some other UV reactive prop could make it more interesting.

LED spots are great, as most LED's have a fairly limited cone of light (unlike an incandescent, which radiates light in all directions). I can usually highlight a piece with an open LED, and keep the light on just that set.

If you're really concerned, try seating the light cluster a little deeper in the PVC pipe, and that will act as a light baffle.

Also, I've found the UV LED's have a pretty rapid fall off of light (I think most UV light does), so they usually won't bleed over onto other sets.

Hope that helps.

One option I am going to play with this year are some cheap Harbor Freight LED flashlights I picked up when they were selling 2 packs for $3.99.

I figured I would be hard pressed for time and materials to come up with something cheaper than a $2.00 flashlight which I can put most anywhere and even do away with the batteries and run wires to a power source.

Originally Posted by uncle

One option I am going to play with this year are some cheap Harbor Freight LED flashlights I picked up when they were selling 2 packs for $3.99.

I figured I would be hard pressed for time and materials to come up with something cheaper than a $2.00 flashlight which I can put most anywhere and even do away with the batteries and run wires to a power source.

How many bulbs are in the light? The ones I'm making have 5 LED's in them and they put out a pretty decent spot. I've figured that the cost is about $3 each and it takes me about 15 minutes to make one. The cost would only be $2 if I wasn't installing switches on them. I did switches because the switch makes it easier to save batteries and they also have springs on the sides that hold the switch in the bottom of the tube and keep the battery from falling out of the tube.