how to light a room at night
 

how can i light a room to make it look like it isnt lit as if some just woke up in the middle of the night and walked out to the living room. Im shooting on a sony hvr a1u.




-Jack

Very indirect, maybe from another room, like the light is drifting in. How do you want it to look? Maybe the TV was left on?

Mike

i guess im wondering how many foot candles is a computer lcd screen with a white internet page up?

Unless he is sitting directly in front of it----not enough.

The PC may not be enough to light for a video shoot, but if you walk through the house at night, you know it gives you enough to avoid most obsticles. All you need to do is show the glow coming from the screen, and you have introduced a believable lightsource for the viewer. You are then free to use other lights to fill in more detail. Just watch for reflective surfaces giving away your set lights.

One way:
Get a fairly powerful light (1K/2K tungsten, or 575W HMI) and gel it very blue. Bounce it off the opposite wall- this will give you blue fill / ambient light.

If talent is sitting in front of computer, the LCD should give nice soft light.

Use other lights to add some shadows/patterns on the background walls. Blinds patterns or tree leave patterns would be motivated... although you can use stylistic slashes of light too.

thanks guys will do.

if you're on the ground floor, you can shoot a light through the window (gelled blueish...or a blue party flood) to simulate moonlight - low angle, hard shadows. then a warmer light from in side and lower the brightness and raise the contrast slightly in post. Over light and under expose.