Cold weather

U

USLatin

Panamaniac
I am planning a project that takes place mid winter in North Dakota and Minnesota. It will have loads of exterior including quite a bit of night shoots. We are likely to face below zero temps and wind.

I own some fluorescents and plan to get some of Richard's HMI's.
I don't know what else I will get yet.

Is there anything I should know?
 
You probably could need a lifter or raised platform to put your lights up high enough...
And maybe a balloon light, but this becomes tricky with lots of wind...
I consider HMI backlight up high with tungsten fill near subject the basic night outdoors setup, if there is no praktical in frame (eg out in the woods) I´d probably would make that fill less orange and the HMI more blue. I your flos have dayllight tubes, I´d 1/2 cto them and white balance to them, so the HMI gets blueish.

Outside an overcast day, it´s probably a combination of punching out the subject with HMI or just adding negativ fill. Choice of subject´s background is important too, of course.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions, it all sounds interesting. But I guess I didn't make myself clear, sorry about that.
I meant to ask about any problems that may arise due to the low temperatures. I mentioned the wind as added info.

On the side though: Why did you mention bringing the lights real high? You mean to expose a big area for the night stuff, right?
 
USLatinContent said:
On the side though: Why did you mention bringing the lights real high? You mean to expose a big area for the night stuff, right?
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Yes, but also to motivate the lighting as comming from the moon or a street light and to not have the backlight show up in frame in wide shots (or only slightly...)
 
Some fluorescents don't like to fire up right away when they're extremely cold. You'll need to give them a little time (but you'll need to do that with the HMIs anyway, so it's not that big of a deal).

Bring a nice, warm jacket and gloves.:)
 
-Is this a short or a feature?
-What time period does the movie take place? (modern, 40's, western, colonial, etc.)
-Are you going to be tapping into house/barn/shop power or will you be depending on generators?
-If the answer to the previous question was generators, which one(s) will you be using?
-Will you be renting a grip truck or alternately, do you own 6x6, 8x8 or 12x12 overhead sets?
-How many grips&electric crew members will you have?
-Is this fast run&gun indie or will you have time to set up the scenes?
 
The balloon will not be possible with out budget and I am planning on shooting this without a budget. Everything will be "donated" or owned by me. Some toys may be borrowed by my DP but I do not know what those may be yet.
And I am expecting to be limited to medium shots at night unless something good happens in pre-production. The look would be (and I want to stab my tongue for saying this) kind of a blair witch with mediums and close ups... however in it's defense, this look fits perfectly for those scenes. Still, because of this I am considering limiting the night scenes to a minimum acceptable.

-Feature
-Now
-Hoping to rent a generator to give me more reach into the woods and lake
-Quiet Honda, hopefully two 2000w or one big one
-No, and No... no budget at all
-I will shoot cine style with a minimum of about four pages a day
-I am hoping to be able to get three grip/electricians
 
Don't under-estimate your sand bag count! Get plastic bags to cover up your ballasts. Have sash/rope on hand if you have to tie down frames. Get some black tar paper to cover your HMI heads if it starts to snow heavily.
 
Snow is definitely a "deal killer" so treat it like you would rain. Any ballasts on the ground, generating heat would cause the snow to melt and possibly cause a puddle of water around them. And you know how water and electricity mix--NOT. Also same is definitely true at the head. The suggestion about covering the heads is definitely necessary because of the heat there melting snow and allowing water to seep inside the fixture. The ballasts will probably be okay down to zero but beyond that its tough to say what might happen.
 
Wartez, you got PM. I will be looking for 90% of my crew out there as locals may fair the climate and know how to work with it better. I am hoping to find some good talent in the various film programs in the area, including MSU's Art's College since Fargo-Moorhead will be our base camp before we move it out to a pair of cabins by a lake.

Black Tar paper huh? Wouldn't it melt if it were in contact with a hot spot on the light?

I have "built-in" ballasts on my current lights, and your lights come with the ability to hang on the stands so I should be safe there.

I guess I can't do much about the ballasts that may act up at extreme temperatures but this is built into the list of things that will "pay" for the stunning visuals of being out in the real deal. So if it happens I'll just move the schedule around and hope for warmer days/nights.

I guess a good point to make is keeping as much flexibility as possible which is always important when shooting on location or with low budgets, but I guess even more so when you are trying to do something crazy like this.
 
USLatinContent said:
Black Tar paper huh? Wouldn't it melt if it were in contact with a hot spot on the light?
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You cover the back of the lamp with it where the ventilation is not in front of the lamp lens. It's heat resistant so it doesn't melt but don't clip it so tight that the light can't ventilate its heat.
 
If you were shooting closer to me, I'd love to help out. Moorhead is a little too far away from me, I'm afraid. Good luck with the shoot, though.
 
bcheong, thanks for the info... that stuff looks like it should do the trick and it is nice and cheap

Horse, wow dude! hehe... I didn't know you were in MN till now! I was there for the holidays and got to scout a few locations... I am extremely exited about the look of this project!

Yea it is a ways away from where you are, a good 3 and a 1/2 to 4 hours north maybe. Michelle and I should be in Minnesota in June or July holding castings and meetings for the crew so if you feel like coming by and having a cup o' coffee with us let me know. I would love to finally see your ugly mug. :)
 
USLatinContent said:
Michelle and I should be in Minnesota in June or July holding castings and meetings for the crew so if you feel like coming by and having a cup o' coffee with us let me know. I would love to finally see your ugly mug. :)
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Let me know when you'll be around and we'll try to make it happen.:beer:
 
You ever use "warp screen" ? That's what I call it. Instead of tar paper, I use a wire mesh screen coated in a thick resin that we use over lights in snow and rain.
I second the use of extra sand bags and rope, especially for taller stands outdoors.
 
A few other ideas...

Get a S$%T-load of those shake-up hand-warmers and tape them to your camera, then wrap it with a thick coat. Cameras do not like the weather here!

Also, if you have a choice use good extension cords, not the Home depot kind. They will freeze up and be impossible to wrap up.

Keep yourself and your crew warm with good clothing and a steady flow of coffee and hot coco.

Good Luck!

Wilson
ps - If you need to rent gear, this is the only guy up that way:
http://mikebullockproductions.com/production.php
 
Thanks for bringing up wind dangers and then reiterating it guys... I sure will have plenty to tie to in the woods! And I bet air can move fast over a frozen lake and hit the shore with an attitude! :thumbsup:

Cords freezing up?!? hehe... this is gonna be a blast! :)

About the cast & crew.
I am stating to all and making sure that it is nice and clear --also will e-mail it to all-- and likely will begin each day by repeating, that if you are cold you just go! We will operate at all times within 100 yards of the cabins.
Also I am planning on having a portable heater at all times... it is one of these mounted like this and on a furniture dolly like this... unless I can get the nicer patio heaters to mount on a dolly safely as those might work better for a bigger group...
Also I am looking for five or more GREAT soups which I plan to have running 24-7 on a crock-pot in the cabin.. "the soup is one of the most important things!" keeps jumping into my head over and over again... :)

Finally, I am trying to get most of my cast and crew locally and remind them over and over before we start production that without proper clothing I will send them home and try to find a replacement for them for the next day. I know this sounds like I am an arsehole... well I might be... :D but the truth is that safety is what's most important, period.
Still, second comes insurance and liability which will fall squarely on us, and only then everything else...
 
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First off, get two or three of those heavy duty propane heaters. Not the tiny kind, but the kind that look like two large dinner plates and bolt to a barbq size propae tank. You don't want your cast and crew miserable. I shot in the winter and a friend recommended I buy some. I bought one and then wished I had bought 3.

Second, at least get a 6x6 frame with a silk and a claycoat (white on one side, black on the other). You can get these three pieces for not too much if you shop around. You can use the silk for diffusion during the day and the white for bounce at night.

You should also look into Par64s with Narrow and Very Narrow spot globes for night shots.
 
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