Tron Legacy Costume

[YenChih Lin]

On fxguide - vfx blog - TRON: Legacy, Face off which cover the FX of TL, which is an interesting read, about 1/4 under the Disc Wars arena, the FX people at Digital Domain said, that they sometimes enhanced and altered the EL stripes to needs and wishes of Kosinski - therefor you can't be perfect on the EL lighting or completely replicating the effects, but what I saw what you all have done, it's sooo impressive!

 

[blackfeathers]

I love that dress! Great way to think outside the grid! Going to have to pass this photo onto my girlfriend.

I'm working on about 4 Tron Legacy costumes at the moment (Daft Punk, Flynn comic version, and CLU in robes). I haven't had the time to read every page of this thread, but I feel I'm up-to-dateish on what's been happening here having read a little bit each day. Now there's a lot of EL this and EL that being tossed around, not to mention Light Tape and so on. Can you elaborate a bit more on the EL Film? Is it loose and flexible? Or is it rigid? I did a google search just now and it is either trying to find spanish pages on movies (because of the "el") or its just general pages on electroluminesence. Care to share your source as well?

I'll echo the question about EL Film. Even searching electroluminecence Film got me no where

this is an over-generalized glossed-over attempt at an explanation just off the top of my head:

first off, i might use the terms sheet, panel, or film interchageably. and, i might use the term tape, strip, or panel interchangeably too, depending on the context.

e.l. aka electroluminescent implies applying electricity (electro) to emit light (luminescent). it comes in sheets/film and 'tape' strips, as well as wire.

light tape is a brand of el tape. it's stiff because they cover the electroluminescent strips in thick laminate, but is flexible enough to bend and curl to a certain limit.

all these consumer-available electroluminescent products have a coat of phospor that lights up when you apply an alternating current to it. the proper inverters are necessary because they convert a batttery's dc output into ac that is applied to the phosphor. when a current is passed across the electrodes, it lights up the phosphor -emitting the glow.

drivers/inverters vary in power with respect to the square inch of surface of e.l. you are applying it to -which could be the reason if you get a dimmer than desired result. a more powerful inverter might be needed. el wire has the least demand out of the inverter with regards to distance.

in other words & hypothetically, you can use an inverter to power 35 feet of wire. the same inverter might struggle on 2 square feet of el sheet.

e.l. in general eventually gets dim first before they die out. that's the trade-off with attempting to get maximum brightness out of the e.l.

i could be wrong about this but it is my understanding that electroluminescent sheets or tape can only bend a certain amount where a fold or a crease could create a short or not light up. the tolerances on this depend on the product and the resistance that is created fighting the flow of electrons.

wiring electroluminescent sheets, tape strips, wire (or what have you) have different methods and types of connectors which all try to minimize the resistance of the current flow in part to allow the inverters to not be worked as hard and to obtain the brightest glow possible out of them.

i've primarily used white sheets as large as a3 in size (bigger than your typical 8x11" el sheets). i've seen them as large as a2 for double the price.

specifically talking about the white luminescent colour (as opposed to other colours):
sheets not only vary in dimensions but also have wowo(white off/ white on) as well as powo (pink off/white on). powo is way more commonly found in more places such as glowhut.com. wowo is much harder for me to find but i do know they exist since i got mine from china days after out tron costume meetup. some sort of wowo stuff appears to be what they used in the movie.

electroluminescent sheets are cutable into different shapes but the catch is you must include the conductive electrode ends so that you can place an electrode connector of your choice and wire it up to introduce the current. there's many ways to do this -from conductive copper tape syuzi uses, to crimp-on & solder connectors i use, to some special conductive silver actordiver uses, to metal screws compass72 uses, etc.

whatever shapes you create or cut out, it is essential that you find a way to seal the edges to protect the phosphor from moisture and other foreign contaminants. on tron legacy, you see the black outlines on the lighted patterns, which i assume protect the edges of their e.l. panel.

also, there's split electrode versus parallel electrode. split is very common in light tape, where you might see a thin line down the middle. parallel electrode has the conductive material where you apply the power on the edges of the material and does not contain that line down the middle. both these types of electrodes exist in tape and sheet products.

basically it comes down to the shape of the material

electroluminescent sheets/panels/film -cutable flat 2d shapes

electrouminescent tape/light tape/ el strips -cutable, flat 2d strips

electroluminescent wire - cheaper & runs longer distances but in 1d or wire form as opposed to flat shapes.

i hope this doesn't confuse anybody, and hopefully this brings some things into a sort of perspective.

 

[protokev DMD]

Very informative. Now to compile a list of online stores for it.

Im just going to have to order several things to test a few methods before i start.

 

[games001]

Very informative. Now to compile a list of online stores for it.

Im just going to have to order several things to test a few methods before i start.

^that^ This Dec's costume was not only my 'first' Cos Play item, but also my first use of ELWire in any way. I would so much rather put 'Bands or strips' of light in the hood and under/inner hems of my jacket to complete the look, so any info helps give me a better idea of useful EL items.

 

[lrenhrda]

Cool find! Im definitely preferring this method, since the results can be extremely screen accurate. I just need to do a little more researching before I jump into anything.

I'm going to be attempting to do a Quorra helmet using the oil clay method, followed by some vacuum forming. I've never sculpted before beyond modeling in Rhino 3D (shame I don't have access to CNC machines, hehe), but hopefully some of that expertise will find use with these real-world materials. I'll try to get some pictures online so you can see how I'm sure to crash and burn, haha! :lol

I just bought a starting supply of clay today and some appropriate tools, so once I find a good head form to build off of I should be set to get started. From there I'll probably move on to the armor, since thats going to be a bit more complex. :confused

 

[Jem]

Only dumb if one does not ask

If I have a 1 meter by 2 meters el sheet am I able to cut my strips out of it and be able
to light them all...or would you get one usable strip out of it all and the rest is junk?

I do see the black outline as said on the siren costume(what i am making)

What is the best way to seal the cut edges?

Could one sew somthing on it to protect it, like a sleave with a clear front so the light can shine through?

Thank you

 

[blackfeathers]

Only dumb if one does not ask

If I have a 1 meter by 2 meters el sheet am I able to cut my strips out of it and be able
to light them all...or would you get one usable strip out of it all and the rest is junk?

I do see the black outline as said on the siren costume(what i am making)

What is the best way to seal the cut edges?

Could one sew somthing on it to protect it, like a sleave with a clear front so the light can shine through?

Thank you

1. to answer your first question, it depends on how you cut them out to maximise the most use out of the sheet.
as long as you include the conductive edges of the sheet in your strips, you should be able to cut them to whatever shape you want.

something like in this picture (from the systm episode below):

wire them in parallel, not in series. this means to wire each panel piece to the inverter individually via wire. this will prevent one panel or short from taking out everything along its path.

also, i've heard that series puts more of a load on the inverters. if you imagine the electrons like water flowing in a plumbing system, they flow better across several 'e.l.' pipes at once. in contrast, they require more pressure to push along one longer pipe because there's more resistance. same idea applies.

2. as we're all experimenting here, i don't think there is a best method of sealing the edges per se but there are many ways to do it depending on the appplication.

for my shoes' back lights, i sealed the el by sandwiching it between a neoprene layer & black polystyrene shaped into hexagons, this was bonded with a silicone adhesive. i also kept the top plastic protective film on in addition to the laminate underneath.

some other ideas worth considering are colour-matching black duct tape, or black gaff or gaffers tape (as was recommended by actordiver).
in my arm sleeves i used the pattern template to trace onto the duct tape top layer to make a sort of black outline and sandwiched that with another bottom layer of duct tape cut to an outer shape.

avoid electrical tape at all costs. the adhesive doesn't last long and turns to a syrupy mess. i used heat shrink tubes instead. before i apply the heat shrink tubing, i coat the solder or conductive area with a drop of hot glue or silicone or even clear nailpolish -depending on the application.

another method i've considered was using shelf contact paper with an adgesive backing to sandwich the pre-cut electroluminescent sheet'se top and bottom, which then could be cut to an overall size. i haven't applied this to anything but was done in a testing phase but i noticed it might alter the colour from the e.l. sheet.

on youtube there's a video somewhere about weather-proofing a strip of el with silicon, a clear palstic channel, and a black plastic end cap.

i would be reluctant to puncture holes for sewing in the electroluminscence other than crimping or screwing in connectors because this can introduce an exposed area that could short or interfere with the current going through it. but i would suggest a non-conductive glue or sealant as well as a cover, such as tape.

sewing a sleeve or a channel for the el to go through sounds like a great idea. what comes to mind is that frosted raincoat material she wears in that one scene.

but, apparently, i've never done a siren costume so adapt what we've learned or done with what you need to do.


an old podcast i used to watch, called systm has a great 101 on electroluminescence. you can watch it here:
Videos - Free video downloads and streaming video - CNET TV

hope this helps.

 

[CB2001]

So far, all of these are impressive. I'm just waiting to see if some poor crazy guy is going to do Jet's in-system outfit from the "Tron 2.0" video game.

 

[Ares5000]

So far, all of these are impressive. I'm just waiting to see if some poor crazy guy is going to do Jet's in-system outfit from the "Tron 2.0" video game.

I'd just UV paint it and have someone follow me around with a black light :cool

Tron Legacy Concept Art would be a fun build too:

 

[Rinzler]

Woohoo finally found a store that I got Rinzler, Clu, Kevin Flynn (White) & Sam Flynn disks, now to learn to mod them ($25 AU each though :S)

 

[finalcombatant1]

Hi Everyone!

I'm brand new to the forum and this is my first post! TRON is my favorite movie, saw the original in the theater when I was 11 years old. I can't wait for the sequel!

I've never put together any kind of costume, but I'm thinking of attempting to make one modeled after Sam's suit for the TRON: Legacy release in December. (Maybe Halloween, if I can finish it by then!) I too had checked into LightTape, which is ridiculously expensive. So a cheaper alternative is most likely in order. I had also thought about the custom cuttable EL sheets as they are more cost effective.

One thing I thought of was if you got the POWO (Pink Off - White On) sheets, maybe you could use backlight film that you could print out with a blue tint to overlay the sheet with to make it appear blue? Since you are cutting the EL sheet into a strip, you could attach an overlay strip of blue tinted backlight film over it. I don't know how well that would work, but it might get the blue tint you're looking for.

Another idea along those same lines would be to use several strands of high-bright blue EL wire sewn together side-by-side and then have either a white or blue backlight film overlay on it so that it diffuses the light from the EL wire strands. Again, I don't know if that would work or not, but I thought I would throw it out there.

Another area I'm struggling with is how to achieve the rubberized armor look. I assume it's some sort of latex rubber overlay attached to some type of hexagonal patterned undersuit. I've never worked with latex rubber, so I was thinking of maybe using layers of craft foam, but I'm not sure how well that would work. Finding fabric with that hex pattern is proving to be very difficult as well!

I guess as a newbie, I sure picked a doozie to start with! LOL!

hey dude im currntly working on two tron legacy suits (a caster/zuse and now a rinzler/tron )howeve,r craft foam i found is good to work with as long as the piece your making isnt too bulky if it has to be bulky like there back armor to hold their discs: use foam board for rigidness apparently using a gloss spray paint also gives a rubbery look when applied to the foam ... one more thing is ,if you do make big armor parts out of foam do two layers one that is just a block silouette and another with holes where the wire will go that wat you have a bedding for the wire to sit in and it makes it look more flush with the armor ill be pisting some pics of my costume as soon as my camera is fixed thumbsup

 

[finalcombatant1]

I'd love to dress up as Castor. That cane is so awesome

im currently working on that costume as we speak so when its done ill deffo post some pics i shoud have i done by the weeks end if my stupid el wire would come in the post already:angry but hey ho

 

[lsaacClarke]

I've posted in a few threads that I'm making a Clu suit, and I'd like to get some more info out there and get a little more info from the main guys that have been working on suits. First of all, I've never really made props or replicas of anything before, but I've always had an interest in working with sculpt/mold able material and I've enjoyed working with tools and metal and electronics at previous jobs and stuff. That being said, if this suit comes out really good, I'll definitely look into a career involving this sort of thing, I can see myself developing a strong passion for it.

Anyway, onto the suit details I'm planning to go for. I want to make a mannequin of my body, then sculpt with some sort of clay the body armor as screen accurate as possible onto my mannequin. I then want to make a mold of this, and cast the armor in a urethane or silicone rubber (or some sort of latex as I think I read somewhere). I'll then attach the molded armor to the suit. I may lay the lighted patterns in the mold somehow, still thinking about that. I'm looking into vacuum forming the helmet. Not completely sure what to do for the robe/cloak yet. Any ideas or suggestions?

I'd like to add I read all 60+ pages before registering (in default view)

 

[Annisse]

aelynn000, thanks for the kind words! Glad you like the dress. Here's a pic in better light, where you can see some of the details better. You can see the lighting on the back in the reflection in the window.

Annisse, EL film is not Light Tape (which, I assume, is EL tape). But it's basically the same thing, but in rectangular sheets instead of a long strip. I used 7/16", but after seeing the movie I might end up making it narrower, since Quorra's narrow strips look pretty narrow in the movie. I used the film at 1 1/4" width.

You're right about perfectionism! I look at the dress and all I see is all the things I wanted to do, but didn't have time for before the movie. It's a curse. :lol From the looks of your awesome work, it's obvious you know what I mean!

BTW, don't get your EL tape from All Electronics! I tried some of their stock, and it's crap. They sell used EL tape, which must be at the end of its lifespan, because it is very dim.

Thanks for your reply Jinyo! I see so as blackfeathers helped explained in his postings after yours here, El sheet and FILM are basically the same thing. I know, I have been looking up El Film with absoutely no luck.

Well, keep up your awesome creative work. I seriously think you should pitch that dress to Disney. Find the right dept. and person to talk to. You have a money maker on your hands here with your Quorra dress. It is too fascinating and really think you can market your dress to sell.

Was thinking in the Tron Pop-Up store but I believe that is gone now, but, Disney does have their Tron couture line... think about it

 

[Annisse]

I don't think this has been asked already here but since we are on the never ending topic of El Wire and lighting and how it works, I was wondering, how can you connect El tape to El sheets in sequence?

Example: I want to use El Tape to make the long straight lines for Quorra's or Sam's lights and use El Sheet to make the circles and 90 degree angle shapes. Where my El Tape line ends, how do I connect the El Sheet to the El tape to continue the lighting all together which will then lead to be connected to the inverter?

Or can you even mix El Sheet with El Tape together like that?

 

[kaiwalkerz]

I posted this days ago, but I guess nobody looked at it. It might help you...
Take a look at the costume sculpt pictures, best reference ever.

Tron Legacy Concept Pictures - Tron Car and Costume VFX Pictures - Popular Mechanics

Best of luck, I wish I could go this way, but my skills have a limit....

I've posted in a few threads that I'm making a Clu suit, and I'd like to get some more info out there and get a little more info from the main guys that have been working on suits. First of all, I've never really made props or replicas of anything before, but I've always had an interest in working with sculpt/mold able material and I've enjoyed working with tools and metal and electronics at previous jobs and stuff. That being said, if this suit comes out really good, I'll definitely look into a career involving this sort of thing, I can see myself developing a strong passion for it.

Anyway, onto the suit details I'm planning to go for. I want to make a mannequin of my body, then sculpt with some sort of clay the body armor as screen accurate as possible onto my mannequin. I then want to make a mold of this, and cast the armor in a urethane or silicone rubber (or some sort of latex as I think I read somewhere). I'll then attach the molded armor to the suit. I may lay the lighted patterns in the mold somehow, still thinking about that. I'm looking into vacuum forming the helmet. Not completely sure what to do for the robe/cloak yet. Any ideas or suggestions?

I'd like to add I read all 60+ pages before registering (in default view)

 

[lsaacClarke]

Those are some good refs for Sam's suit, and the back where the disk sits helps me out, thanks. I've actually got a really good reference pic for Clu

 

[kaiwalkerz]

Oh you said CLU, true, sorry. I thought it would help you about the molding process.
I know something about that, and it's very tricky...but if you succeed, that would be the most accurate version ever.

Nice CLU pics, where did you find them? I haven't decided yet about going Sam or Rinzler/Tron suit. If you have some Rinzler pics like that it would help, thanks a lot.

Those are some good refs for Sam's suit, and the back where the disk sits helps me out, thanks. I've actually got a really good reference pic for Clu

 

[lsaacClarke]

Not sure where I found it, I was scouring the internet for reference pics

I could try to find a similar picture for Rinzler. I'll keep an eye out for most main characters in case I come across some really good pics.

 

[finalcombatant1]

Hey everyone, new to the thread. Been reading loads of great ideas and techniques. Thank you all for sharing and being so helpful.

After seeing the new movie (loved it!) and knowing that I am all about costuming to my body type, I'm going to make a Castor.

I'm not that tall, thin, have a high forehead and narrow chin.

Anyway, was wondering what you all think about the material for his suit and also what would be the best method to make that chest plate thing?

Looking forward to costuming with any or all of you in the future!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
hey there ive started and am half way through my castor costume which i will have finished without lights hopefully by the end of this week so by the new year ill have pics up for sure i will aslo post pics of the costume with lights when its done out of interest what are you gonna do for hair and make up ??