Flashlights in TV shows and movies

[benchmade_boy]

i just saw the more poular guy on CSI New York using a surefire A2 with RED leds

[FlashSpyJ]

could anyone tell med what stuff they are using on CSI and other simular shows when they are shining their lights on to beds searching for....

Is it a UV filter? and they have some kind of eyeglasses?

have got that question from friends, and I hate not knowing flashlight questions...

[Lobo]

It's UV-light. And the glasses is for enchancing the contrast. You might wanna check out this thread.
http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/show...light=uv-light
Some fun reading.

And I have some vague recollection that when it comes to blood, they spray some fluid over the area first to make it easier for the blood to show up, but dont remember the name of it now.

[elgarak]

Yup, the red LED version of the A2 is one of the major reasons for me to still watch "CSI NY" .

For UV, they mostly use dedicated UV lamps. Usually they're some big boxes, to be plugged in, and a fiber optic bundle. Sometimes they use UV LED lights; the UV version of the Inova X5 is used sometimes, but when they do not use the big box lights, it's mostly specialized (overpriced) lights out of a lab equipment catalog.

They use orange filters, either as eyeglasses, or strapped onto the business end of the light. Enhances the contrast of the fluorescence.

[elgarak]

And I have some vague recollection that when it comes to blood, they spray some fluid over the area first to make it easier for the blood to show up, but dont remember the name of it now.

It's been said already a few times, but here we go again:

Blood does not fluoresce, that is, glows when exposed to light.

There are three main techniques to detect blood which are used on the show and depicted mostly correct:

1) Using light, either white, blue or UV. White, like looking for any other form of evidence; blue, to look specifically for blood, which absorbs blue and appears black; UV, when looking for fluorescence of other bodily fluids, and the blood stains appear again black (or UV for looking for blood on sheets, to make the sheets fluoresce, while the blood appears black). Orange filters for eliminating reflected near-UV/blue light and contrast enhancement.

2) Spraying of Luminol. That makes the blood glow, without shining light on the stains, in a darkened room.

3) Biochemical detection, by swiping a stain found otherwise, and dropping some reagents onto the swab. Specific color reaction depending on the type of blood (human, animal, or no blood).

[FlashSpyJ]

ok! thanks!

seems like I have to get me a pair of orange goggles!

and now have an answer to the next one asking the same question!

[elgarak]

FlashSpyJ,

I don't know if any orange google work, or how specific the filter wavelength has to be.

There's a accessory kit for C/D-cell mags with a red, a blue and an orange filter. The orange filter works pretty well for playing around, in my experience, and is relatively large.

[Lit Up]

I didn't bother going through all 13 pages, so apologies if it's already been asked, but what light is the lady cop in the Silent Hill movie using? Is it a larger Surefire of some type?

[Size15's]

She has an M6.

[Lit Up]

Thanks.

[Sig229]

Ok I searched the threads and coupldn't find the answer to this. I was watching Dirty Jobs the other night this was the episode with the international airport, when Mike is under the furnace the other guy hands him a flashlight. What kind of light is it. It had a clickie and was stupid bright. I couldn't tell if it was incan or led, but itlookied like a fenix.

Anybody know for sure?

Bill

[PhotonWrangler]

Ok I searched the threads and coupldn't find the answer to this. I was watching Dirty Jobs the other night this was the episode with the international airport, when Mike is under the furnace the other guy hands him a flashlight. What kind of light is it. It had a clickie and was stupid bright. I couldn't tell if it was incan or led, but itlookied like a fenix.

Anybody know for sure?

Bill

I saw that episode also and noticed the light but it went by too quickly to see what it was. I'm guessing that it was something that was rated for explosive environments.

[KROMATICS]

Surefire M4 Devastator. Official flashlight of Stargate Command.











Talk about product placement!

[jtice]

Most the time Mike has a Pelican M6 incan.

[Lee1959]

Yeah he has used the Pelican in many episodes, the aligator farm, New Orleans rat hunting, the cockroaches in the mobile home and many others that do not come readily to mind.

I believe he used a headlamp when getting the specimen from the stallion, and seeing if the cows were pregnant, his hands were occupied .

[Lee1959]

Special Unit 2 used a Stinger the other night.

[jch79]

Surefire M4 Devastator. Official flashlight of Stargate Command.

What the heck are they doing talking to Gandalf for?

[ScumNL]

What the heck are they doing talking to Gandalf for?

ROFL!

[Size15's]

I believe it's fair to say that the SureFire M4 is the most often used flashlight in modern tv shows.

[Lightcrazycanuck]

What about Video games?Just bought a copy of Condemned:Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360.The guy uses a flashlight the whole game.Don't know what it is though.Looks like a Maglight.I would post a screenshot but my profile says I can't use the attachments option.Maybe someone else can figure it out.

[PhotonWrangler]

It's funny how the camera messes up the rendering of the color temperature of the lamp. It makes it very difficult to distinguish an LED from an incandescent sometimes, unless the lamp is dim enough that the shape of the bulb is discernable.

[Burgess]

Watched "Objective Burma!" (1945) last night.

When the Walkie-Talkie radio gets smashed in battle,

one can plainly see the distinctive, vertical black & white stripes

on the Burgess dry-cell batteries.


Have always had a soft-spot in my head for Burgess.


They finally closed-up for good in the mid-1960's.

But i still remember 'em, even though i was a pre-teen.


When it came time (2006) to select my CPF username,
this was my first choice.

Was really quite surprised that it was still available.

Guess mosta' you CPF'ers can't remember that far back.

And, of course, a special recognition goes to AreWeThereYetDad,
who probably deserves this username even more than i do.

[PhotonWrangler]

I remember Burgess batteries very well! And if I recall correctly, the locomotive scene in Back to the Future 3 showed Doc Brown and Marty carrying walkie talkies with Burgess batteries strapped to them.

[Gunner12]

Does any one here notice that in "Digging For the Truth" on the History Channel, the host Josh only uses a MagLite. I think that the History Channel should supply their main workers some better lights like a Surefire or something. Half the time they are filming in remote areas where if anything major goes wrong, they would be in big trouble.

Someone should send them an email to enlighten them about the improve in lighting technology (I wasn't able to find a way to directly inform them). So Surefire could be a little pricey and the batteries are hard to find, Get a Fenix, Lumapower, or at least upgrade the Maglites.

Just my opinion, no use getting angry or anything.

[PhotonWrangler]

Someone should send them an email to enlighten them about the improve in lighting technology (I wasn't able to find a way to directly inform them). So Surefire could be a little pricey and the batteries are hard to find, Get a Fenix, Lumapower, or at least upgrade the Maglites.

Digging for the Truth is produced by JWM Productions. Their contact info is:
JWM Productions' Washington DC office: www.jwmprods.com 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 600
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Tel: 301.891.1769
Fax: 301.891.1644
Email: lorig@jwmprods.com

[Gunner12]

Thank you PhotonWrangler

[Lee1959]

There was what looked like an Inova T2 an archeologist was using to examine an actuary (sp) from an tomb on Discovery channel last night.

[Lee1959]

An FBI agent on Nightstalker rerun this morning was using an Inova X5, and it was either blue, or the white LED was EXTREMELY blue.

[elgarak]

An FBI agent on Nightstalker rerun this morning was using an Inova X5, and it was either blue, or the white LED was EXTREMELY blue.

Film and most video cameras are/were mostly white balanced to show 5500 K color temperature as pure bright white, since this was the only way to illuminate things when film was developed (with incans). LEDs appear much bluer on standard white balanced film than to the naked eye, especially the much bluer 5mm LEDs like in the Inova X5. That's why they are not more used in film and TV.

Things are changing. White balance corrections are much easier with video cameras and digital formats nowadays than with chemical film in the past. Also, a lot of cinematographers and directors push the appearance more towards higher color temps than in the past, cause it looks cooool.

[Burgess]

Regarding post # 384 -

Just read an article which sez' that Josh Bernstein,
the host of "Digging For the Truth" on the History Channel,
is leaving the show.

He's going to the Discovery Channel, beginning next month.

No doubt they've offered Josh a better grade of flashlights.