yellow and blue lighting at DVinfo.net

Sean Skube · July 9th, 2007, 05:17 PM

I've been noticing the nightime lighting scheme of using yellow and blue lights, like in a lot of the night scenes of Munich, and in the trailer for You Kill Me. Does anyone know how this is accomplished? Do they use special yellow bulbs, or do they gel the lights? the yellow is an almost greenish yellow, so it doesn't look like your typical reddish orange tungsten lighting. Granted I'm a total lighting noob, and I'm working on HDV with store bought lighting, so that probably has a lot to do with my failures. :)
I've attached an example pic from the You Kill Me trailer.

Emre Safak · July 9th, 2007, 05:21 PM

This is so easy. Just get some gels and have fun.

You can also use lights with mismatching color temperature (e.g., HMIs with tugstens), but in general the answer is to use gels.

Heiko Saele · July 10th, 2007, 11:20 AM

You need like an hour only to look through all the gels from Rosco... they have colors you didn't know even existed ;)

Using a mismatch of color temperature between lights is a quick and dirty way to add color to your footage, but it's not very controlable. I'm very sure the frame you posted was lit with gels and it certainly went through a post production/color grading process as well.

Quote:

'm working on HDV with store bought lighting, so that probably has a lot to do with my failures. :)

That's not true. You can shoot the above scene with HDV and home depot lights (well except for the shallow DOF, I guess you'd need an 35mm adapter or a very long lens on a 1/3" HDV to do that). What you need is gels (white diffusion, color correction, ND and all the different colors you like), something to control your lights (flags, blackwrap, reflectors) and grip gear to bring your lights in all possible and impossible places.
It becomes a lot easier to set up when you have fresnels with barn doors instead of worklights and still easier when you also have softboxes and or kinoflos.

What I want to say is that a Varicam and expensive lighting gear alone won't make your footage better. Don't worry about "un-professional" gear, what's important is how your footage looks, not how professional your softboxes look :)

Sean Skube · July 10th, 2007, 01:26 PM

Thanks guys. I need to look at getting some good gels I guess.

Emre Safak · July 10th, 2007, 02:19 PM

If you are not in a hurry, you can get used ends from ebay, like I did. At the very least, be sure to get CTO, CTB, and diffusion in various strengths. Those are the staples.

July 9th, 2007, 05:17 PM	#1
Sean Skube Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 156	yellow and blue lighting I've been noticing the nightime lighting scheme of using yellow and blue lights, like in a lot of the night scenes of Munich, and in the trailer for You Kill Me. Does anyone know how this is accomplished? Do they use special yellow bulbs, or do they gel the lights? the yellow is an almost greenish yellow, so it doesn't look like your typical reddish orange tungsten lighting. Granted I'm a total lighting noob, and I'm working on HDV with store bought lighting, so that probably has a lot to do with my failures. :) I've attached an example pic from the You Kill Me trailer. Attached Thumbnails

July 9th, 2007, 05:21 PM	#2
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	This is so easy. Just get some gels and have fun. You can also use lights with mismatching color temperature (e.g., HMIs with tugstens), but in general the answer is to use gels.

July 10th, 2007, 01:26 PM	#4
Sean Skube Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 156	Thanks guys. I need to look at getting some good gels I guess.

July 10th, 2007, 02:19 PM	#5
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	If you are not in a hurry, you can get used ends from ebay, like I did. At the very least, be sure to get CTO, CTB, and diffusion in various strengths. Those are the staples.