Making Lighting flashes (with a DSLR)

[DDirector]

So, I want to shoot a mini short, or just some random sample footage just to throw on my demo reel to show that I at least create some great shots.

So, I have this one scene setup, but it requires flashes of lighting. The flashes should eliminate the entire room of the house through its windows.
But, working with a DSLR, it seems it will be a LOT harder than it seems because of that rolling shutter issue thing.

So, here are a few questions I have about lighting flashes:

1) How to create a lightning flash with a DSLR
2) Since I want to eliminate the entire room with a flash of light, what kind of lights would I need?
3) Its a dark setting. There is one character sitting in the middle of the room with a single night stand shining at him. How bright can the flash be?

[maranfilms]

I think your just gonna have to experiment, I cant see anyway to give accurate info. I can say this though. You may be better off doing a combination of the effect live and in post. You dont need something as powerful as a flashgun. Maybe just hitting power to a 2k with a 1/2 ctb. to create the flash from outside, do the same inside, then add in post. Sorry I cant be more helpful. Or you could do it simple and use a cam with ccd's

[Egg Born Son]

photography flash gun? Much higher wattage than continuous lighting.

[DDirector]

You may be better off doing a combination of the effect live and in post.

I'm not much of a post guy, but how would you work this out in post? What would you even do? I'm pretty sure, since this is my personal project, I'll have to do the editing and sfx in post, so im curious

And usually lightning flashes arent just a single quick flash. Its usually like a flash followed by a few more smaller flashes, or something like that. They may even last longer or shorter.

A little bit off topic, but it may cause problems later, or help with thinking things out, but would lightning flashes be soft or hard light?

[Justin Kuhn]

There's a really low-tech way to do this...rig a window shutter in front of a light, and flag off the light on the sides. Operate the shutter like you're having an epileptic seizure. Switch the light on and off at the beginning and end of the lightning spell.

I augmented this effect in post by flickering the opacity on a white matte set to the "Add" blend mode...

[RickyC]

There's a really low-tech way to do this...rig a window shutter in front of a light, and flag off the light on the sides. Operate the shutter like you're having an epileptic seizure. Switch the light on and off at the beginning and end of the lightning spell.

I augmented this effect in post by flickering the opacity on a white matte set to the "Add" blend mode...

This is really the best way to do it, actually the way its done. Turning the light on and off won't work, since halogen lights such as fresnels tend to "fade out" and in, its still fast enough to make you call striking, but slow enough to look fake. Find a small window shutter, rig it on a frame infront of the light and open and close it quickly.

A cheaper method would be just getting two small flags (12x18) and doing the same shutter effect with your hands.

Check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeHCC8u1kE0

[David W. Jones]

http://www.magicgadgets.com/

[DDirector]

Check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeHCC8u1kE0

YES!

[David Parsons]

In post, you could split the clip and apply a flash transition. I used this to fake a vintage flash bulb going off and it worked quite well.

[RickyC]

In post, you could split the clip and apply a flash transition. I used this to fake a vintage flash bulb going off and it worked quite well.

Big problem with this is that you are essentially just increasing the brightness in the overall image, unless you mask, and even then you don't get the shadows you'd WANT to get from lightning. That post effect is better for flickering lights such as fluorescents in a hallway to enchance only, but you'd want to have the fluorescent fixtures flicker to make it look real

Yeah, I prefer not to deal with it in post. Masking everything would be a pain, and won't look realistic.
What's the technical name for that lightning shutter that was in the video?

Ill have to contact the rental houses in Toronto and ask if they have such a thing.

Just contact a rental house and tell them what you need, I'm not sure what I'd call it aside from a "flippy shutter lightning thing". They should point you in the right direction. Maybe they even have cheaper systems for lightning effects