That twinkle in her eye... at DVinfo.net

Craig A. Butler · March 23rd, 2007, 11:09 PM

Hey all! I'm working on a film noir style short right now and have been looking at the first day's results. I like almost everything about the lighting setup except that we failed to get light in our actress' eyes. Here is a frame so you can see what i mean:

Link

I noticed this problem while we were filming and tried to correct it with my trusty Surefire™ flashlight, but alas it was too bright. I was wondering what low-budget ideas you guys have used to get just a little twinkle into somebody's unlit eyes. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Liam Hall · March 24th, 2007, 03:02 PM

Take one large lighting assistant, add a piece of board with your choice of scrunched-up silver or gold tin foil stuck on it, add a light source directly to the foil and reflect into female artiste's eyes. Simple.

Ralph Keyser · March 26th, 2007, 05:19 PM

Yeah, there are a lot of ways to solve this problem. The mysterious slash of light across the eyes is a classic noir look. Now that you know about it, you will be unable to watch film noir without seeing it.
A couple of layers of ND gel over the Surefire will tame it down, or you could go with a mini Maglite instead. It takes very little power to get an eye light if the source is in the right place to reflect in the eyes. Liam's reflector suggestion is another great idea. You could even get by with a small production assistant if your budget is really tight and you can't afford a large lighting assistant :)

David Mullen · March 26th, 2007, 09:42 PM

Yes, any light can be used -- you just have to be able to control the brightness, either with scrims, ND gels, diffusion gel, or putting the light on a dimmer.

I sometimes use an Inky with a snoot, plus scrims or ND, maybe even a dimmer. Or a Dedolight with a blackwrap snoot, or the projector attachment, again with scrims or ND gel to control the brightness.

Or for a softer light, a 2' 2-bank Kinoflo, diffusion over the doors, over or under the lens. Or a mini-Chimera softbank on a Tweenie.

Or a little silver reflector or even a compact mirror (perhaps dulled down) reflecting some other light on the set.

Or a flashlight...

Many, many methods.

Craig A. Butler · March 28th, 2007, 11:59 AM

Thanks for all the ideas guys! I was already aware of the "slash of light" approach, but that wasn't what I was looking for in this shot. The flashlight ideas sound promising, as well as the reflector idea. I appreciate all the input!

Reed Hewitt · March 30th, 2007, 12:36 PM

In the Lord of the Rings DVD extras they talk about how they got that sparkle in Galadriel's eyes in the Lothlórien scenes. They hung a panel of white Christmas lights in front of her, producing all of those sparkly little points of magical light in her eyes. Of course the whole story may be much more complicated than that, with digital enhancement and all. I've never tried it myself, but it sounds like a cheap and easy trick.

Good luck on your project!

March 23rd, 2007, 11:09 PM	#1
Craig A. Butler Tourist Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 3	That twinkle in her eye... Hey all! I'm working on a film noir style short right now and have been looking at the first day's results. I like almost everything about the lighting setup except that we failed to get light in our actress' eyes. Here is a frame so you can see what i mean: Link I noticed this problem while we were filming and tried to correct it with my trusty Surefire™ flashlight, but alas it was too bright. I was wondering what low-budget ideas you guys have used to get just a little twinkle into somebody's unlit eyes. Any ideas would be appreciated!

March 24th, 2007, 03:02 PM	#2
Liam Hall Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: London, England Posts: 969	Take one large lighting assistant, add a piece of board with your choice of scrunched-up silver or gold tin foil stuck on it, add a light source directly to the foil and reflect into female artiste's eyes. Simple. __________________ Writer-Director-DOP www.liamhall.net

March 26th, 2007, 09:42 PM	#4
David Mullen American Society of Cinematographers Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 123	Yes, any light can be used -- you just have to be able to control the brightness, either with scrims, ND gels, diffusion gel, or putting the light on a dimmer. I sometimes use an Inky with a snoot, plus scrims or ND, maybe even a dimmer. Or a Dedolight with a blackwrap snoot, or the projector attachment, again with scrims or ND gel to control the brightness. Or for a softer light, a 2' 2-bank Kinoflo, diffusion over the doors, over or under the lens. Or a mini-Chimera softbank on a Tweenie. Or a little silver reflector or even a compact mirror (perhaps dulled down) reflecting some other light on the set. Or a flashlight... Many, many methods. __________________ David Mullen, ASC Los Angeles

March 26th, 2007, 05:19 PM	#3
Ralph Keyser Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA Posts: 287	Yeah, there are a lot of ways to solve this problem. The mysterious slash of light across the eyes is a classic noir look. Now that you know about it, you will be unable to watch film noir without seeing it. A couple of layers of ND gel over the Surefire will tame it down, or you could go with a mini Maglite instead. It takes very little power to get an eye light if the source is in the right place to reflect in the eyes. Liam's reflector suggestion is another great idea. You could even get by with a small production assistant if your budget is really tight and you can't afford a large lighting assistant :)

March 28th, 2007, 11:59 AM	#5
Craig A. Butler Tourist Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 3	Thanks for all the ideas guys! I was already aware of the "slash of light" approach, but that wasn't what I was looking for in this shot. The flashlight ideas sound promising, as well as the reflector idea. I appreciate all the input!

March 30th, 2007, 12:36 PM	#6
Reed Hewitt Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 46	In the Lord of the Rings DVD extras they talk about how they got that sparkle in Galadriel's eyes in the Lothlórien scenes. They hung a panel of white Christmas lights in front of her, producing all of those sparkly little points of magical light in her eyes. Of course the whole story may be much more complicated than that, with digital enhancement and all. I've never tried it myself, but it sounds like a cheap and easy trick. Good luck on your project!