Car Shoot

[Jon Starr]

Not sure if this is more cinematography or lighting.

I recently did a shoot as DP/Gaffer for a film. I've never done a car scene and so we set up a van as a follow car. We secured the camera, had walkies, practiced, but things just weren't working. We wanted a shot from outside, just to see them in the car, driving away. One simple shot.

The first big problem was that we had a polarizing filter, however it did nothing. The reflections were just so strong, and I think it has to do with the fact that it was overcast (it's winter, so it's like that most days). I don't have much experience with polarizing filters, but the director had and said it should have worked. (gotta brush up on this)

We also had a kino car kit to bring them up a few stops, but it did very little and was very hard to hide.

So now we've decided to shoot this green screen. We have no studio that we can drive a car into, so we're planning on doing this outside. My fear is that it'll be overcast again and create the same problems. We thought of shooting with the window down as they're not moving, but we may see the front window at one point.

Is there something to attach to the windows to help reduce or take away reflection? Will this lessen the light entering the vehicle? If we get enough light into the car (with our own lights from outside) will it lessen the reflections? If I'm not mistaken, when the interior is darker than the exterior, reflections show up very dominant?

Any advice would be helpful. Oh and we have access to 2x4 bank divas, 4x500 mizars, 2x200 mizars, and a a few small open face lights (nothing that would fit into the car). We rented the Kino car kit last time, not sure if it's worth getting this time around.

 

[David W. Richardson]

What you have to understand about polarizers is that their effectiveness varies based on the angle between you, the light source and the subject. Their maximum effect will be seen when the light source is at 90 degrees from a line that runs between you and your subject. An easy way to remember it is this -- when you're facing your subject, point your arm straight out to your left. Now point your other arm straight out to your right. Bring both arms up over your head until they meet, pointing straight up. Now, if at any time either of your arms was pointed directly at the sun (or your main light), then the polarizer will achieve its maximum effectiveness. The farther off that plane the light source is, the less effect the polarizer will have.

Polarizers can provide some benefit on cloudy days, but not as much as when there is direct sunlight.

As for the greenscreen, have you considered doing it outside at night? Sounds like you've got enough light to make it look like daytime, and it will be much easier to control the light at night. You won't have to worry about the sun moving or going behind a cloud. Just an idea.

Good luck!

 

[Jon Starr]

The night shoot is a good idea, however our actress is only available during the day for the reshoot, I believe.

Great advice. So when it's light overcast, and the entire sky becomes a one light source (a giant scrim), what's the best way to use the filter? There's not really a "sun" to be 90 degrees from.

Is there anything else I can do with lights, or putting something on the windows, to help prevent this stuff? Would just getting a black cloth and flags on c-stands be effective in cutting out reflections?

 

[David W. Richardson]

If you have to shoot in the day, try to use your lights anyway. Setup in an area with lots of broad, solid shade, and use your lights as your main source. Of course, your lights will need to be daylight balanced.

When it's overcast, it's much harder to say if the filter will help or not. Best bet is trial and error. You can always figure out where its maximum effect will be by just pointing it different directions and rotating the filter to see what effect it has.

Naturally you'll want to roll the windows all the way down, which eliminates reflection issues with them. Then all you have to worry about are the front and rear windshields. And the chrome or shiny surfaces, of course.

 

[Jon Starr]

Thanks for the advice. As we're getting closer to the shoot (this weekend), the director thankfully decided on shooting in a garage (hopefully a big one - we'll discuss at prod meeting tonight), which means I can control the light.

The only concern now is to make sure we simulate the light correctly with the back-plate. We're shooting the back-plate early in the morning, and as this will be on film, we're going to be taking still photos and video for reference. We'll record everything and use the same lens and the hole shabang (though the exposure will be much more open).

Now my main concern is simulating the sun light. If it's overcast (which the 14 day trend is saying it may be), then I can probably do it with a large sheet and blast light onto it to simulate the big diffused effect of the overcast clouds. However if it ends up being sunny I'm wondering how to simulate this in a small space. I'll prob use a very light diffusion gel on the light for aesthetic purposes, but then the light may not be able to get far away enough because of space and intensity (strongest lights are 500w). So my concern is that a light close up won't simulate more direct sun very well. It'll just look 'lit'.

What would you guys suggest? What if I have a more direct light source and use the white sheet as well? Or if the background plate is moving fast enough (it's of lots of trees without leaves), can we cheat the light source and just use a large diffused light source?

Also any other tips to keep in mind?