Spotlight on tombstone, or other suggestions

[thebaronn]

Alright, so I have consluded that I am an idiot/incompetent.

I Plan on having several tomstones in my front yard and would like to light them up with a floodlight or something like that. I need something that plugs into the LOR box, right now everywhere i go (lowes/home deopt) try to sell me the battery opereated landscaping lights!

I would prefer LEDs and keep the amps down.

Or would I be better off outlining the tombstone with lights??

Any help.ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

Eric

[halloweenqueen]

These floodlights are usually seasonal items at the big box stores. You can usually find them in the Christmas aisles. You may have to wait until it gets closer to October.

I know that some Walgreens carry staked floodlights.

[Brad]

I'm actually working on this today. My plan is to make a frame with 1"x3" wood strips, with a notch cut for a front panel and rear panel to slide into. The front panel will be white light plexi from HD and the rear will be cheap paneling. I'm going to use the RBG system and install three small light fixtures (with cord) in the base. This way I can create almost any color I wish by adjusting the intensity of either the RBG channel.

[Donald Puryear]

Great idea, love to see pics.

[Tom L.]

Hi Eric,

I purchased 16 desk lamps at Walmart for $4.00 each. They use the small sockets (c-7 size) and I use 25 watt bulbs. attached is a photo of one of my (unfinished) talking tombstone with the desk lamp. The desk lamp box is trianguler. The manufacture is "mainstays".

I then spray painted the lamps both inside and out with flat black paint. They work great.

Tom L.


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[rstephenrrtx]

Desk lamps. Brilliant!

rns

[Santas Helper]

I use floods (Par38, Par56 & Par64) with colored gels for my grave yard.




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[Santas Helper]

One more.

Tom


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[ShowProKevin]

For my Halloween setup I use two types of lighting. I have the cheap plastic green stake floodlights I purchased around Christmas (cheap but highly effective). The Lowes in my area sells a metal, more durable version of these year-round. They also sell the floodlights in the essential Halloween colors (red, blue, green, yellow too) year-round. I recomend these for you tombstones.

Also, I have black PAR38 cans with color gels and frames. The cost per fixute incuding gel and frame is high relative to the above method, (about $30 on ebay) but worth the investment.

PAR Can w/ a CTB Color Correction Gel on a LOR controller makes for a great strobe effect that can be synced to thunder effects.

[Texan78]

I just use flood light bases with stakes that you find during Christmas. I made sure I bought extra last year as they were like $3 a pop. That is why it is good sometime to buy for next year if you think you might need it.

Par cans are good for what SantasHelper is doing and looks awesome but it will be a major overkill in a residential yard setting. Not to mention they take a lot of power. You want to use the least light has possible and have them arranged to where the throw overlaps. Blue floods and a far distance work good for moon effects. Green is just that green and gives it that erie feel. The one color overlooked is yellow but not much maybe like 1 or two depending on how big your yard is. It will really tie everything together. you really want to try not to highlight anything directly but rather throw the light in a direction and have it accent it from a distance. This makes for the best effect. If I can find my diagram on lighting for Halloween I will post it.

[Texan78]

Here is that site with the lighting diagrams I was telling you about. It is a great wealth of information on how to position your lights. As you will notice it will tell you pretty much what I was trying to explain and the throw and wash. Just put your lights back as far as you can and allow the wash from the throw give the effect. You will notice it will cast the shadows which is what you want and nothing to overpowering.

http://skullandbone.com/tutorial_01.htm

Here is a good site for explain what colors to use here. Ambers are nice to use but just for accent. behind headstones, coffins etc.

http://www.yardhaunter.com/halloween_lighting_flood.html

Here is a good example of the two, but a little overkill on the amber.

[Tom L.]

Texan78,

Great info on the web sites, Thanks - Tom L.