HVX plus M2 low-light settings

[Eric Sparks]

I have searched the forums for anything related to the best low-light settings for the HVX but have not found a low-light specific thread. I am about to shoot a comedic short set at night inside a car. I will be using the HVX with an M2 and Nikon lenses. I would like the cleanest image possible, so boosted gain is not an option. Also, since the setting is inside a car, the lighting options are limited. I figure I'm going to loose about 2 stops between the M2 and the Nikon lense. Can anyone recommend what settings would be best on the HVX in this scenario? I'm also interested in any creative ideas on how to light inside a car without it looking like you have lighted the inside of the car. Thanks....

Eric

[esperman]

no way you'll shoot in a car at night with a M2 adapter, unless you have ALOT of concentrated light on your subjects.

But why shoot with a M2 at night anyway? It's not like your going to see much in the background..use that to your advantage.

[smelni]

you definitely can shoot in a car at night with the M2 - you just need the correct lighting - and 2 stops is generous - if your lens is 1.4 - then you are at just over 2 stops of loss.

What lights do you have available? is the car moving - can it be stationary

if its stationary an HMI (or high wattage fresnel) can be a far side key with a blue tone and then fill with another light - moving or stationary kinos inside mounted on the dashboard will read like dashboard lights

just some ideas - but you will need to overlight as compared to without the adapter

[Eric Sparks]

Thank you for your suggestions. The car will be moving and stationary depending on the shot. I'm going to try and light with whatever I can and see how it looks. If it looks bad, I'll try the shots without the M2. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again....

[pureHVX]

Kino Flo makes a car kit (mini flos) that plugs in to the cigarette lighter (or attaches directly to the battery). They're great for dropping in light on the actors and come in tungsten and daylight balanced. A little tape and you can stick them anywhere.

[Eric Sparks]

The only power we had for any of the shots (exterior and interior car) came from the car cigarette lighter. The mini-flo's ended up working very well for the car interior shots. They did not give off enough light for the exterior shots, so we ended up using some florescent shop lights I picked up from Pep-Boys and then white balancing. This created an interesting effect of normal color on the actors, but a pink tint on the surroundings cast by the street lights. I was not able to get the M2 to work in the low-light conditions. So, we ended up using the HVX without the adaptor in order to stay on schedule for the shoot. I need a lot more practice with the M2 before I will be able to use it in an actual shoot. I also have a Brevis on order to use in low-light shots. Thanks to everyone who provided suggestions.