"Hot" and rich color style...

[Spartacus]

I´m trying to emulate the warm and rich colors look of CSI:MIAMI with the HVX for my next project and am a little unsure how to approach this.
It´s an indoors in a basement shot, probably all lit by practicals, but with a lowkey final look.
Actually I don't watch CSI, I only remember it from zapping through the channels and this Caruso guy having a sunny face all the time.
I wonder if the colorful look is achieved by geled lights, choose of stock (daylight for indoors...?) or CC - probably everything...?
I will have flo equipped practicals as the main light source (key = neon at the ceiling) and they will be in frame.
However, when I used fluos as practicals so far, they were always white or blueish/greenish, opted for a cold, clean, dead look - may they also look warm?
I also want the shadows to be greenish or maybe really green, as in many R`n B music vids in the last years.
The space really is confined, so I don´t think I can use green geled tungstens from off frame.
I´m also not sure yet if I can paint the walls, set design and controlling colors in the picture is a big issue for me in other projects.
And: should I maybe tweak the colors in the HVX or use a "wrong" white balance...?
Would you overlight for the HVX, because of certain noise issues...?
Any suggestions appreciated!
PS I also posted this in the HVXtechnical section, due to the camera specific part of the question...

 

[Boy]

just white balance off something a bit blue to warm things up, or for a more quantitative approach, use the color temperature setting in scene files (i assume this would be the same as on a DVX).
if memory serves me correctly, i've always noticed that CSI is notorious for using backlights in what seems like every single shot.
the color balance of a shot is most easily noticed but placement of lights is another bit more subtle quality that will have a major impact on how your shot looks and feels.
as for the green shadows: not sure the exact look you're referring too, but this could be achieved in post in a bunch of different ways, depending on your NLE.

 

[GageFX]

Is this something like what you're looking for?

If not, here's a site with tons of caps from the show. Let us know what you're looking to emulate - it's easier to figure out the lighting when you have an example to go by.

http://csi-caps.com/index.php

(I dont say that condescendingly, I only say it because I'm a photographer for a living and it's almost impossible to not determine how a photo is lit by looking at it. There might be a kicker here or there that you didnt acurately read or a stray background light you didnt catch, but the main lighting is right there in your face.)

-GageFX

 

[Spartacus]

Basically yes,
I´m looking for this "darkness with soft bright spots" look, dark but not dark if you know what I mean, just lowkey...
for the main colors I want orange (for the actor) and green (for the shadows), maybe like here:
http://csi-caps.com/displayimage.php?album=51&pos=143
or
http://csi-caps.com/displayimage.php?album=30&pos=331
but my biggest concern is more aesthetical:
if I have fluos in the frame as practicals - can I CC them to orange?
I can only remember fluos in movies being white, bluish or greenish - not giving a nice warm light, but the opposite...
thanks for the caps site!

 

[GageFX]

It all depends on the lights you're using. I've seen fluos that range from sub 3200 to high 6500+ so anywhere from very warm to very cool to green. The best way to figure it out is to just try it. If you have fluos and tungstens, it make sense ot pick up a set a gels anyway, so get some gels and experiment. Personally, if it were me, I'd whip out my 1DsII, set the WB to "daylight" and take some stills. You'll see exactaly where those lights fall Kelvin-wise - at least aesthetically. Gell em and take another photo. (I assume you have some sort of digital camera you can use.

Back in season 2 of 24, DP Rodney Charters would use his Olympus E-10 digital SLR to meter the scenes. It wouldn't surprise me if he was using those stills for more than just a meter reading. And I'm sure he's still using his digi-stills on set. BTW, your vidcam can be used the same way, I'm just a still guy first so that's where I default. I keep in mind that a film is just a still photo - 24 per second - so when I set up a shot, it's set up as a photograph.

Oh, BTW, I cant tell you what kind of lights they used in the shot but it would be easy enough to emulate it.

That shot can be made with 3 lights. A large softbox as the mainlight ("key" in film, "main" in still. sorry. I am what I am.) Look at the catchlight in his EYE (singular) it's a large light source. No fill. A hard, directional kicker from behind/above. And a light on the BG.

That SINGULAR shot is easy to light. Now to zoom out and have him walking around.... it gets more complicated. But again, take your still frame and light it.

-GageFX

On second look, it looks like there may be a light #4, a lower powered blueish kicker/rim on the left side of frame. My bad. It's all there, you just have to see it.

 

[Rogue Crew]

Yeah, I say three lights, but without using a Key, or rather using the Fill as the Key. The Fill is aimed right at his eye and my guess is that's a 650 fresnel set back about 12' with narrow focus and judicious use of barndoors and maybe a diffusion gel (just look at the size of the specular highlight in his eye). Light #2 is a Backlight with a cookie , shot straight onto the wall, and light #3 is a narrow hair light aimed directly at the back of his head, and probably set low to the floor, otherwise there would be spill over onto his right shoulder, which is in shadow.