Night in day at DVinfo.net

Philip Younger · May 27th, 2008, 11:15 AM

Is there a way to set up my A1 in such a way that allows me to shoot during the day but the result appear as though it was shot at night / dusk?

Thanks

Ray Lindsay · May 27th, 2008, 11:56 AM

Not sure about capture settings that would allow this, but I would think that adjusting opacity settings in post-production woud give the look or effect of nighttime.

Annie Haycock · May 27th, 2008, 12:41 PM

Using a dense blue filter might do the trick, plus a bit of under-exposure.

Edit - sorry, I'm still thinking about what I did in the days of film (stills) and forgetting about digital white balancing etc.

Bill Pryor · May 27th, 2008, 02:34 PM

The basic techniques of shooting day-for-night in film also work out nicely for video--

-Shoot everything backlit
-Underexpose about 3 stops, or expose for the highlights
-Shoot with 3200K white balance
-Make sure there's nothing in the background reflecting sunlight. For instance, if you're shooting a person in a parking lot, the building in the background needs to be in shadows; if the sun hits it, there goes your illusion.
-Avoid cars, streetlights--they will be off in the daytime
-Avoid the sky

There may be a few more things, but those are the basics. I've had some things that worked out well in doing day-for-night, and others that didn't. It depends on how much flexibility you have in picking backgrounds and all.

Then after you get in the ballpark in camera you can tweak it more in editing.

Philip Younger · May 28th, 2008, 05:09 AM

[QUOTE=Annie Haycock;883973]Using a dense blue filter might do the trick, plus a bit of under-exposure.
QUOTE]

Thanks all for your input.....just getting to grips with all this.
Thanks Annie, yes I remember from the old Standard 8 days (yes I'm that old) and shooting a student film during the day - a bright summers day! with a dark blue filter.... I might try it and see if it works with HDV on manual settings

May 27th, 2008, 11:15 AM	#1
Philip Younger Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 207	Night in day Is there a way to set up my A1 in such a way that allows me to shoot during the day but the result appear as though it was shot at night / dusk? Thanks

May 27th, 2008, 12:41 PM	#3
Annie Haycock Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pembrokeshire, Wales Posts: 734	Using a dense blue filter might do the trick, plus a bit of under-exposure. Edit - sorry, I'm still thinking about what I did in the days of film (stills) and forgetting about digital white balancing etc. __________________ Canon XH A1; Canon XF100; Nikon D800 Last edited by Annie Haycock; May 27th, 2008 at 04:22 PM.

May 27th, 2008, 11:56 AM	#2
Ray Lindsay Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Parkville, MO Posts: 30	Not sure about capture settings that would allow this, but I would think that adjusting opacity settings in post-production woud give the look or effect of nighttime.

May 27th, 2008, 02:34 PM	#4
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	The basic techniques of shooting day-for-night in film also work out nicely for video-- -Shoot everything backlit -Underexpose about 3 stops, or expose for the highlights -Shoot with 3200K white balance -Make sure there's nothing in the background reflecting sunlight. For instance, if you're shooting a person in a parking lot, the building in the background needs to be in shadows; if the sun hits it, there goes your illusion. -Avoid cars, streetlights--they will be off in the daytime -Avoid the sky There may be a few more things, but those are the basics. I've had some things that worked out well in doing day-for-night, and others that didn't. It depends on how much flexibility you have in picking backgrounds and all. Then after you get in the ballpark in camera you can tweak it more in editing.

May 28th, 2008, 05:09 AM	#5
Philip Younger Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 207	[QUOTE=Annie Haycock;883973]Using a dense blue filter might do the trick, plus a bit of under-exposure. QUOTE] Thanks all for your input.....just getting to grips with all this. Thanks Annie, yes I remember from the old Standard 8 days (yes I'm that old) and shooting a student film during the day - a bright summers day! with a dark blue filter.... I might try it and see if it works with HDV on manual settings