Made by Neon Cowboys
Pieza para la cabeza con gemas de diamantes de imitación LED
Hundreds of crystals across the brow and down the face, lit up in color so it reads from the back of the house.
$475 USD
For prop masters and costume designers on a fantasy shoot: we design and build light-up swords, staffs, crowns and wardrobe with LEDs built into the piece, color by remote and rechargeable packs hidden in the hilt or costume. Custom work is quoted. Email info@neoncowboys.com with “Production inquiry” in the subject.
What can we build for a fantasy film or series?
Fantasy productions come to us for light that lives in the prop or the costume itself: a sword that glows in the actor’s hand, a crown that lights the throne room, a line of fae dancers who all change color on the same beat. We design and build four kinds of pieces:
- Hand props from scratch: light-up swords, staffs, wands, orbs, relics and crowns.
- One-off wardrobe: a lit gown, cloak trim or armor piece for a lead.
- Multiples: our pieces in your custom color for a court, an army or a dance number.
- Set pieces: lit thrones, doorways and altars that read in the wide shot.
Every piece has LEDs built in, color by remote, programmable patterns and a rechargeable pack hidden in the hilt, the base or the costume. Neon Cowboys is a designer-led light-up fashion house founded in 2014 by Asia Hall, a computer science graduate and the daughter of couturier Kevan Hall.
Light-up swords, staffs and wands
Swords, staffs and wands are hand props, and we build them from scratch. The light sits inside the blade, the wiring runs through the guard, and the rechargeable pack hides in the grip or pommel. A remote sets the color and the pattern: a steady glow for a dialogue scene, a slow pulse while a spell builds, a flash on the strike.
The industry moved this way for a reason. On Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the prop lightsabers contained lit blades for the first time; earlier films used metal rods with the light effect added afterward (source: Reactor). J.J. Abrams said “the interactive light that you see on the actors was so significant” (source: Fandango). That light on the face is what a practical prop gives your cinematographer, and what post has to fake when the prop is dark.
Staffs and wands follow the same build: light in the tip or along the shaft, and the pack in the handle.
Hero, stunt and background versions for a fantasy shoot
| Piece | Hero (close-up) | Stunt (action) | Background (BG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sword or staff | Full light in the blade or tip, remote patterns, detailed guard and grip | A softer build for action; we tell you plainly how much light it keeps | Same color and silhouette, simpler light, seen at a distance |
| Crown or circlet | Hand-set crystals, color by remote | A lighter build for movement | Matched color for the rest of the court |
| Armor or harness | Lit lines on the lead’s costume | Flexible straps with no rigid edges | Multiples in one color for the army |
| Orb, relic or wand | Light inside, programmable pulse | A soft double for throws and drops | A steady glow for the shelf or altar |
Order doubles of every hero piece for continuity and reshoots, and tell us which scenes are close-ups so the budget goes where the camera is. Your stunt coordinator signs off on every stunt version.
Crowns, armor and lit wardrobe for courts and armies
Royals need a crown that reads from across the hall. Our LED rhinestone gem headpiece sets hundreds of hand-set crystals across the brow and down the face, lit in color-changing LEDs on a rechargeable pack, and we make custom colorways when a whole court needs one look. For a spirit army or a skeleton king, our LED rib cage harness runs LEDs down every rib on black patent straps, so a battalion of extras can glow the same color in a dark battle scene.
Multiples are our home ground. We made Missy Elliott’s hat plus 20 matching dancer hats, and we’ve outfitted Beyoncé’s dancers on tour. We’ve also built one-off pieces for artists, including a custom LED hand harness for Beyoncé and a light-up suit for Machine Gun Kelly. A fantasy ensemble is the same job: one look, in your color, on every body in the frame.
Made by Neon Cowboys
LED Rib Cage Harness
A rib cage harness in black patent straps and silver O-rings, with color-changing LEDs down every rib.
$425 USD
Practical light the camera can see
Fantasy has put real light on stage for more than a century. In the first stage production of Peter Pan in 1904, Tinker Bell was not played by an actor: she was a darting spot of light, made with a small mirror held off stage reflecting a little circle of light from a powerful lamp, and the later musical kept her as a darting light (source: Tinker Bell, Wikipedia). On film, practical light gives the cinematographer a real source to expose for and gives the actor something to play against.
Our pieces have been filmed for real campaigns: Apple used one of our LED cowboy hats to showcase iPhone 13 Night mode low-light photography, and Google put our Out Past Midnight boots in a Google Lens commercial and on six-story billboards. Every set is different, so talk to us about your camera and lighting plan before we build.
Made by Neon Cowboys
Vestido con lentejuelas y flecos LED: RESERVA
A fringe sequin dress with LEDs you switch between colors and light modes with the included remote.
$249 USD
Who signs off on a fantasy prop build?
| Role | What they approve |
|---|---|
| Prop master | Swords, staffs, wands and orbs, and how many hero, stunt and BG versions |
| Costume designer | Lit wardrobe, crowns and armor, the colors, and the fit on each actor |
| Production designer | Light-up set pieces and how they sit in the set’s palette |
| Stunt coordinator | Every stunt version before it reaches a fight |
| Cinematographer and gaffer | Brightness and color against the lighting plan |
| Line producer | The quote |
Put us on one email thread with all of them. One quote can cover props, wardrobe and set pieces, so nothing gets built twice.
Request a production quote
Email info@neoncowboys.com with “Production inquiry” in the subject line. Send us:
- Script pages or a mood board, plus sword, staff or crown sketches
- How many hero, stunt and background (BG) pieces you need
- Cast sizes, including doubles and stand-ins
- Colors, with the costume designer’s references
- Your shoot date
- Your camera and lighting plan
Custom work is quoted, and the pieces are yours to keep after wrap. Send us your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits. Agencies and brands can also start at our brand partnerships page; music-video and tour teams, see artists and performers. For the full range of what we build for productions, see custom light-up props and LED wardrobe for film and TV.
What do customers say about the LED Fringe Sequin Dress?
The LED Fringe Sequin Dress holds a 5.0 out of 5 rating from 11 customer reviews. A few of them, unedited:
“Obsessed! So beautiful and a perfect fit!”
— Bia P.
“Fantastic dress! Wonderful way to light up my performances. I’m in love!”
— Jessica C.
“As a bigger chested girl soooo happy with the busy area. The sequins are also sewed on really well and gove very good quality/construction”
— Kéren A.
Frequently asked questions
Can you build a light-up sword for a film?
Yes. We build light-up swords, staffs and wands from scratch as hand props, with LEDs inside the blade or tip, color by remote and a rechargeable pack hidden in the grip. Hero, stunt and background versions are quoted.
Can a light-up sword be used in a fight scene?
We build a softer stunt version for action alongside the hero for close-ups, and tell you plainly how much light it keeps. Your stunt coordinator signs off on every stunt piece.
Can you match our costume designer’s colors?
Yes. Our pieces change color by remote, and we build multiples in custom colors, so a whole court or army matches the designer’s palette.
Do we keep the props after the shoot?
Yes. We build and sell every piece to the production, so they’re yours for reshoots, sequels and press.
How long does a custom fantasy prop take?
Send us your shoot date and we will tell you plainly what fits. Custom work is quoted.
Will the glow show on camera?
Our pieces have been filmed for Apple’s iPhone 13 Night mode campaign and Google commercials. Talk to us about your camera and lighting plan before we build.
See also: custom light-up props and LED wardrobe for film and TV, sci-fi movie props and light-up costumes and light-up theater and stage props.
Sources: Reactor, Fandango, Tinker Bell, Wikipedia.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Peter Pan and their characters are named for reference only. Neon Cowboys has no affiliation with the studios, theaters or productions behind them.
Questions: info@neoncowboys.com.
