High Power Laboratory Laser: For the SMALLVILLE Episode: "ONYX"

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The goal of this assignment was to produce a large and powerful looking laboratory laser... but inexpensively.

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As it appeared—on set.

The laser is mounted upon a vintage studio television camera pedestal.

PROPOLOGY provided both the laboratory laser & practical lighting effects for the kryptonite crystal.

Closeup of the beam emitter.

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Luckily, many of the components for this build were already on hand.  Several of the detail items were harvested from past SMALLVILLE builds.  The main housing... the Prop Department's WATER COOLER.

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​As is often the case, much of this build needed to be an amalgamation of existing resources.  This would reduce cost, by avoiding the extra labor normally incurred if the item were to be built entirely from scratch.
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This, coupled with the expectation that the device look "larger and powerful" made for certain creative challenges.  Moreover, it also had to feature practical lighting effects.

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Major Component Breakdown

Design Process

​Thankfully however, the "Seed-Object" for the main body of the laser was sitting, quite literally, in the corridor between the SMALLVILLE Prop Department offices....  their trusty water cooler!
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​Most of the other major components were either inexpensive purchase or rental items (see breakdown below).

The completed prop featured dimmable LED lighting, a telescoping "laser-emitter assembly", and  height/position adjustment.

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​While tightly budgeted, this outcome was made possible by PROPOLOGY's creative amalgamation of carefully chosen "Found-Objects".*

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*At the time, PROPOLOGY was doing business under the parent company name, Molnar Motion Picture Props, Inc.