| Fenix Tactical Flashlights in the Movies
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| Meet
the Fenix PD35, the Star Flashlight of Blair Witch |
| Breaking
news: Fenix flashlight once again appears in Hollywood movies |
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Seventeen years after The Blair Witch Project spooked audiences at the 1999 summer
box office, a sequel to the horror film Blair Witch has been released on 16th September.
Directed by Adam Wingard, made and distributed by the Simon Barrett-penned film, Blair Witch was
reported by some relevant media, before its release,as Hollywood's biggest dark horse this summer, and
it really earned great acclaim as expected. |
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Horror films are, for the most part, filmed in darkness, and Blair Witch is no
exception, so it is very important to choose good lighting equipment. Recently a columnist from the
Wall Street Journal, Mike Ayers, wrote an article about why the director Adam Wingard and the
photographer Robby Baumgartner chose the Fenix PD35 for lighting these dark environments in the
thriller sequel to The Blair Witch Project, and how well it performed in this sequel.
Following is the link to the original article of Mike Ayers, and the discussion of how this light was
chosen:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2016/09/15/meet-the-fenix-pd35-the-star-flashlight-of-blair-witch/
In Blair Witch, the present-day sequel to the 1999 low-budget horror breakout The Blair Witch
Project", viewers are once again taken on a found-footage romp through the backwoods of
Burkittsville, Md., in search of the supernatural entity of the title. Over the course of 90 minutes,
six characters find themselves in various states of panic and terror. Most of the action takes place in
pitch darkness, which gives way to an unsung hero of the Blair Witch resurrection: The Fenix PD35
flashlight. |
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| This LED light, which retails from $75 to $139.95, depending on the type of battery
you get, was an integral part in bringing Blair Witch to life and a tricky one, too. Director Adam
Wingard and cinematographer Robby Baumgartner tested close to 20 different flashlights before settling
on the Fenix PD35.
We had to go through a ton ofdifferent flashlights and brands until we found one that didnt create a
consistent flicker [on the camera lens], so we had a clear image, Wingard says. |
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A Character who uses Fenix PD35 in Blair Witch |
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| Blair Witch was shot on location in 32 days near Vancouver, British Columbia.
Baumgartner estimates that 25 days were shot at night, with more than 80% of those nights lit on screen
by the Fenix model. The flashlights thus served a dual purpose: to illuminate the shots, but also be a
part of the narrative since the characters brought them into the woods as camping tools. |
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A clip of Blair Witch where PD35 is used |
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With actors essentially lighting the background, themselves and each other, it was
paramount to get this right or the film would look like shit, Baumgartner says. It took a bit of
trial and error to figure out how to make the best of a tricky cinematic situation.
Baumgartner and Wingard had to spend time teaching the actors how to use the flashlights. Its not a
talent that comes natural, Wingard says. Ive seen actors that have been able to pick this up right
away, Ive seen actors that get annoyed with it. Youre constantly telling them not just to shine here
and there, but sometimes youre lighting up your fellow actor thats standing next to you.
The filmmakers also developed on-set tricks to help illuminate scenes. Baumgartner created a vest-type
cloth that the actors would wear off camera and would help the on-camera actor know where to point the
light.
We had a week of rehearsals before,because the shooting style was so different, says Wes Robinson,
who plays Lane in the film. It felt really raw and creative. It didnt feel like youre making a
studio film.
Wingard says the original Blair Witch cameras could barely handle shooting at night time, but that,
in fact, helped create a realistic feel that grabbed audiences. If you go back and watch that film,
you can see that they are barely getting any exposure,which is actually scary in itself, the director
says. It makes you feel like theres more darkness around you and feels realistic for the experience
of being out in the woods.
Not only was the flashlight a big star on set, it also made its way into the script. Screenwriter Simon
Barrett, who has worked with Wingard in the past on V/H/S and The Guest, says he put notes into the
script about what he envisioned. Usually I tried to indicate in the script what I saw lighting the
scene, Barrett says.
For Fenix, this isnt the first time the trusty PD35 has been featured on screen. The flashlight has
made appearances in The Walking Dead, The Blacklist, Prometheus and the latest Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles film. Its the companys best-selling flashlight and is used in a wide-range of
professions, from law enforcement to janitorial services. According to Fenix, they’ve never been
paid a sponsorship fee or product-placement fee for a movie. “The thing that were really proud
of is that we dont promote it and they find us, Fenix says.
Actually, in the big family of Fenix, there are some other flashlights that became famous stars in
Hollywood movie. For example, with its unique modeling of science fiction, Fenix TK45 involved in many
big shots, like The Last Day on Mars Prometheus Fringe, etc.
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The Last Day on Mars |
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The Last Day on Mars |
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Prometheus |
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Fringe |
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| Adhering to the design concept - Tank (king of the battlefield) ...... the Fenix TK
series flashlight fully meets the special requirements of hunting patrols, search-and-rescue, military
and law enforcement. In addition to TK45, other products in the same series such as TK16, TK35UE,
TK41C and TK75 are also popular with many science fiction and action movie directors. |
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Overheard |
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Arrow |
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The Blacklist |
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The Lost Door |
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Unforgettable |
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