Lighting for Night at DVinfo.net

Jesse Davidson · January 15th, 2005, 12:47 PM

Hi all!
I am getting ready to film a night scene for my student film. It is being filmed in a college dorm room and the only source of light would be a window if all of the lights were off. I was wondering if any of you had suggestions on how to effectively light the scene. I know that if I don't light it, the shot is going to look crummy, but when I darken it in post, I don't want the lighting to look artificial. I have a couple 100 watt work lights, as well as my standard 500 watt work lights. I also thought about leaving my lamp on in the corner to provide a little extra light.

Thanks for reading,
Jesse

Rob Lohman · January 18th, 2005, 07:48 AM

Jess: please do a search. Night and day for night etc. have been
discussed at length here already. Hit the search button above
and select "Photon Management" for the forum to search in and
search on "night" for example. Thank you.

Bill Ball · January 18th, 2005, 01:59 PM

Read up but here is a fairly standard suggestion. Get a large piece of foam core or cardboard. Cut out a series of squares so it looks like a window frame with divided lights. Put a blue gel over it and mount it on some sort of stand. Postion one or two (probably two) of your 100 watt lights behind it, AT LEAST TWO FEET back for safety. Line them up so that the light appears to be coming from a window and shines through the blue gel on to your subject. Dont get the cardboard/gel anywhere close to a hot light and keep the lights a foot from the wall or more. This will give the movie version of moonlight coming through a window. Balance that in the frame with one or two small lamps with low wattage bulbs as "practicals." I would take a desk lamp and put in a 7 to 20 watt bulb. It will be hard to get all this into a dorm room and have room to do anything more than a close up.

The 500 watt lights will be too bright for a dorm room and are way to hot to use in a confined space like that. They are a complete fire hazard and even the 100 watt lights could start a fire if they come into contact with flamable material.

Whatever you do, be safe with those lights. We dont need another Seton Hall dorm fire.

Jesse Davidson · January 18th, 2005, 02:03 PM

I will most definitely be careful. Thanks for the advice, I'll get to work on it right now.

Jesse

Jimmy McKenzie · January 18th, 2005, 03:19 PM

Can you stage your lighting outdoors? This will give you more room to work and keep the heat out. Your practicals will become your fill lights.

Bill Ball · January 18th, 2005, 03:44 PM

Yeah I was thinking maybe he could put his key light & window frame/gel out in the hall and have it shine through the open doorway into the room to get more space. This assumes he has someone to mind the lights in the hall and that the door isnt supposed to be in the shot. It also assumes quiet in the hall for sound recording which, if I remember correctly, is relatively rare in dorms :)

Jesse Davidson · January 18th, 2005, 04:18 PM

Hi guys,
The door is going to be in the shot, and I am on the second floor of the building, so I doubt I could rig my lights outside. I thing that using the gels with the "frame" will work. The room is pretty large considering that it is a dorm room. It's only two people. Here is a rough layout of the room.

---------------------door --------
l -----------------*********** l
l##bed#####]***********l
l#########]***********l
l ----------------- **0o*******l <---- The two dots are the characters in
l***********************l the love scene. The bed they are
l#l*********************l closest to is the bed she pulls him
l#l************^********l on to.
l***********camera******l
l#l*********************l
l#l*********************l
l **********************l
l-----------------************l
l#########]***********l
l###bed####]***********l
l -----------------************l
-------------window---------------

thanks for the help,
Jesse

Jesse Davidson · January 18th, 2005, 04:19 PM

Well guys,
I guess the comp. screwed up my drawing. Sorry bout that.

Jesse

edit: I fixed it.

Rob Lohman · January 19th, 2005, 05:02 AM

And the size of this room?

January 15th, 2005, 12:47 PM	#1
Jesse Davidson New Boot Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 19	Lighting for Night Hi all! I am getting ready to film a night scene for my student film. It is being filmed in a college dorm room and the only source of light would be a window if all of the lights were off. I was wondering if any of you had suggestions on how to effectively light the scene. I know that if I don't light it, the shot is going to look crummy, but when I darken it in post, I don't want the lighting to look artificial. I have a couple 100 watt work lights, as well as my standard 500 watt work lights. I also thought about leaving my lamp on in the corner to provide a little extra light. Thanks for reading, Jesse

January 18th, 2005, 07:48 AM	#2
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Jess: please do a search. Night and day for night etc. have been discussed at length here already. Hit the search button above and select "Photon Management" for the forum to search in and search on "night" for example. Thank you. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

January 18th, 2005, 02:03 PM	#4
Jesse Davidson New Boot Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 19	Thanks Bill I will most definitely be careful. Thanks for the advice, I'll get to work on it right now. Jesse

January 18th, 2005, 04:18 PM	#7
Jesse Davidson New Boot Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 19	Door's in shot Hi guys, The door is going to be in the shot, and I am on the second floor of the building, so I doubt I could rig my lights outside. I thing that using the gels with the "frame" will work. The room is pretty large considering that it is a dorm room. It's only two people. Here is a rough layout of the room. ---------------------door -------- l -----------------********* l l##bed#####]*******l l#########]*******l l ----------------- 0o*****l <---- The two dots are the characters in l*******************l the love scene. The bed they are l#l*****************l closest to is the bed she pulls him l#l********^****l on to. l*******camera**l l#l*****************l l#l*****************l l ******************l l-----------------********l l#########]*******l l###bed####]*******l l -----------------**********l -------------window--------------- thanks for the help, Jesse

January 19th, 2005, 05:02 AM	#9
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	And the size of this room? __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

January 18th, 2005, 01:59 PM	#3
Bill Ball Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: NEW JERSEY Posts: 216	Read up but here is a fairly standard suggestion. Get a large piece of foam core or cardboard. Cut out a series of squares so it looks like a window frame with divided lights. Put a blue gel over it and mount it on some sort of stand. Postion one or two (probably two) of your 100 watt lights behind it, AT LEAST TWO FEET back for safety. Line them up so that the light appears to be coming from a window and shines through the blue gel on to your subject. Dont get the cardboard/gel anywhere close to a hot light and keep the lights a foot from the wall or more. This will give the movie version of moonlight coming through a window. Balance that in the frame with one or two small lamps with low wattage bulbs as "practicals." I would take a desk lamp and put in a 7 to 20 watt bulb. It will be hard to get all this into a dorm room and have room to do anything more than a close up. The 500 watt lights will be too bright for a dorm room and are way to hot to use in a confined space like that. They are a complete fire hazard and even the 100 watt lights could start a fire if they come into contact with flamable material. Whatever you do, be safe with those lights. We dont need another Seton Hall dorm fire.

January 18th, 2005, 03:19 PM	#5
Jimmy McKenzie Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Waterloo Ontario Posts: 721	Can you stage your lighting outdoors? This will give you more room to work and keep the heat out. Your practicals will become your fill lights.

January 18th, 2005, 03:44 PM	#6
Bill Ball Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: NEW JERSEY Posts: 216	Yeah I was thinking maybe he could put his key light & window frame/gel out in the hall and have it shine through the open doorway into the room to get more space. This assumes he has someone to mind the lights in the hall and that the door isnt supposed to be in the shot. It also assumes quiet in the hall for sound recording which, if I remember correctly, is relatively rare in dorms :)

January 18th, 2005, 04:19 PM	#8
Jesse Davidson New Boot Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 19	Well guys, I guess the comp. screwed up my drawing. Sorry bout that. Jesse edit: I fixed it.