balancing out window light

egproductions

egproductions

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I have an interview style shoot that is going to require balancing windows to expose for indoor and outdoor. They are relatively large floor to ceiling windows. What is the standard for tinting film to throw up onto the windows? How many stops will it give me? (I figure I need about 2 stops) Can it be custom cut to fit the window pretty easily? Are their cheaper solutions..its probably cheap enough but never hurts to throw in that question =) ?
 
egproductions said:
But what's the product called?
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Neutral density gel. It cuts the light without changing the color balance. Several manufacturers supply it. Here is one link: http://www.filmtools.com/31-lee-r211.html

You can tape it up with great care or it can be cut to size and squeegeed onto the windows themselves. I try to get away with taping it up on the outside of windows because I'm cheap and gel rolls are expensive. With great care this can work. An extra set of hands are useful. You need still air so the stuff won't wriggle, crinkle and show from the inside and you need access to the windows -- ground floor only.

If shooting tungsten balanced you can get gel that combines neutral density and CTO which will convert daylight to the same spectrum as tungsten.
 
Perfect. If I don't have access to the outside of the windows, is it bad to put it up inside?

Also, the window panes are 4'10" wide. The gel rolls are only 4 feet wide. Do they sell them wider? What are my options in this type of situation?
 
I've bought ND gel in 60" roll widths, so the answer is "yes." It's not necessarily better to put in on the outside side of the window -- it just might save your having to cut the the roll. I just charge my clients for expendables when I have to cut. The squeegee method works pretty well if you cut the gel carefully to fit.

I've also had some pretty good luck just going to the local fabric store and buying sheer, black fabric. This definitely works better when taped over the outside of the window, and you have to be careful about wrinkles. In addition, some of these fabrics will create odd color effects if the sun is slanting across the fibers from a very oblique angle. Cheap though, and works very well most of the time.
 
StuOS said:
I've also had some pretty good luck just going to the local fabric store and buying sheer, black fabric. This definitely works better when taped over the outside of the window, and you have to be careful about wrinkles. In addition, some of these fabrics will create odd color effects if the sun is slanting across the fibers from a very oblique angle. Cheap though, and works very well most of the time.
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I haven't tried that, but it sounds like a good idea. I do have a big piece of bobinette that works well for this purpose. I have seen people use fiberglass window screen material from a home improvement store for a scrim and it worked fine.
 
I worked a shoot a few years ago where the grip hung a fine black mesh that came from an environmental control supply house. He said it was "soil retention blanket" and said it was the cheapest, most effective thing he had found. I've never followed up on it, but it might be worth looking in to.....
 
egproductions said:
I have an interview style shoot that is going to require balancing windows to expose for indoor and outdoor. They are relatively large floor to ceiling windows.
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You could of course ND the windows down to where you want them.

The flip side is to light your subject to match the light from the windows. Might require a fair amount of lighting, but it's doable. Which technique is preferable depends on all kinds of things, including how big the windows are and how difficult it would be to gel them down, how much control you have of time of day of filming (you'd need less light on the subject if you're getting less light from the windows, so dawn and dusk are good), whether your subject is human or not (some people are uncomfortable under lots of light), etc.

Just another alternative to think about.
 
Awesome, Found 60" roll on B&H. Here is the link for those interested:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/595833-REG/Rosco_101034236020_3423_Cinegel_Cinescreen_60.html

I'll be shooting with 6 Ikan ID 500s LEDs for the most part. They will get me part of the way and the 2 stops from the gel rolls should take care of the rest. I've tried balancing daylight in conference rooms before by just using multiple Totas and 2K Arri's. Needless to say it got quite hot and brighter than whats comfortable for the talent. I still had trouble getting an equal exposure.
 
egproductions said:
Awesome, Found 60" roll on B&H. Here is the link for those interested:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/595833-REG/Rosco_101034236020_3423_Cinegel_Cinescreen_60.html

I'll be shooting with 6 Ikan ID 500s LEDs for the most part. They will get me part of the way and the 2 stops from the gel rolls should take care of the rest. I've tried balancing daylight in conference rooms before by just using multiple Totas and 2K Arri's. Needless to say it got quite hot and brighter than whats comfortable for the talent. I still had trouble getting an equal exposure.
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Sure and the tungsten heads lose nearly two stops when you gel them to daylight because there is so little blue energy in their spectrum.
 
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