# glowing eyes in masks



## blurubberlizard (Jun 15, 2012)

Hey all,

I'm working on a show where I need to have coyote masks have glowing red eyes. Any ideas on how to rig this up simply and cost effectively? I also don't want to impair the vision of the actors either. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

~Heather


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## josh88 (Jun 15, 2012)

blurubberlizard said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I'm working on a show where I need to have coyote masks have glowing red eyes. Any ideas on how to rig this up simply and cost effectively? I also don't want to impair the vision of the actors either. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> ...



I would have a couple of red LEDs in the eye opening and run wire down through a costume to a pocket with batteries and a switch. If the openings are large enough the actors will certainly see the red light but should also still be able to see what's going on around them. Shouldn't cost too much as they'd all pretty cheap materials.


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## MPowers (Jun 15, 2012)

Remember when working with animal/creature masks, the performers vision apertures do not have to be located in the same location as the character's eyes. Look at the Masks for Lion King where the entire mask is actually above the actors head. Other examples have dark cheek hollows covered with a see through mesh. I know that Coyotes don't have long necks, but when doing things like a giraffe, the actors vision holes can be hidden in the neck, again with a see through mesh. 

As for the red glow, as josh said, get a couple of bright LED's or flashlight lamps. Most hobby shops have little light kits for sweat shirts of costumes, some even have a small dimmer. A quick look will show you you can build your own for half the price. A little solder, batteries, wire and a switch, BINGO. The battery pack can be located either in the costume or in the mask head depending on the size and design.


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## Van (Jun 16, 2012)

For mask work the LEDs don't usually have to be anything special, standard voltage/output LEDs will make a great glowing appearence. one of th echeapest ways to make a small LED light source is to simply use a lithium Watch battery < CR-2032, eg> and tape the legs of an led to each side. a small unit like this can then be velcro'd or taped to the inside of a mask. If you put heat shrink tubing around the body of the LED then a dab of glue to fill in the open back end you will have cut down on any light comming out the sides or back of the LED thus cutting out any blinding effects of the light on the actor.


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## millamber (Jun 29, 2012)

I did something similar for a show a few months ago that needed glowing red eyes. I took two LED flashlights (bought out of the clearance bin at home depot for 3.99) apart, soldered some wire to them and hooked up a 9v battery which lived inside the mask. For the red part I just used some R27 cut to fit the inside of a ping pong ball and glued them over the LEDs. Worked like a charm.


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