Daytime Exteriors - Keeping Them From Not Looking Budgetless

Paul Hudson said:
Mold the available light. Silks, nets, bounce sources, reflector boards etc...
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Do a test with all the above, in splotchy lighting as similar to that of your location as possible (maybe in a park or yard?)
Make notes of results of shooting half/full stop under compared to properly exposed, then do a test grade.
Try to keep a dark background behind the talent.
Test and learn, test and learn, and have fun!
 
KyranFord said:
with ND filters/opened up, giving shallow DOF and a nice, creamy bokeh,
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Your production and look of course, but why would you hike miles out to a valley causing all sorts of other production issues to then just blur everything out? If you are going out for the location, let us see the location.

And composition is paramount.
 
> They're that good? I may have to pick some up. Just like these?

No, like these: http://www.lowes.com/pd_15330-46086...uctId=3582750&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1

Pick up four. Your budget can afford this. They have a white bounce side and a silver side on the back. Cut some into 4x4 sheets and keep the others as 4x8 for wide shots.

With no budget, planning is essential. It's all about locations and scheduling. Take the time and effort to find the most amazing jaw-dropping locations you can.

Use scheduling to the max. Depends on the look, but if it's sunny, consider getting your WS or EST shots during golden hour. The CUs and MS shots can be tweeked with bounce fill, but you can't do that in a wide shot.

Save one or two awesome WS locations for amazing lighting. Particular clouds or sunlight or whatever. Have those on stand by and when the conditions are magically right, run over and get the killer beauty shot that will define your film.

Do you have a film in mind that has a similar aesthetic?
 
The most important tool for getting a big budget look on a no budget film is to scout all the exterior
locations with your director, discuss & decide the blocking that needs to be done, and then based on
how the sun tracks across that location, schedule a time to shoot there that will work for the blocking
and get you the look you want.
If your director is not on board with this, you must convince her/him that this is key to getting a big
budget look.
Another tool you can use is scheduling your shots within one location to your advantage. This technique
will work well when the length of the scene requires you to shoot at the same location for most or all
of the day. Plan your shot list so that you shoot the long & medium shots early morning/late afternoon
when the light is usually the most flattering. Plan to shoot your close ups late morning/early afternoon
when the light is not the most flattering. Use your light shaping equipment (white cards, black solids,
scrims or lights) to reshape the light. At a minimum you must have white & black cards--3'x3' or 4'x4',
a diffusion frame & material--at least a 6'x6', and the people or equipment to hold them. It will be much
easier to shape the light on a close up, because you only have to control a small area of light.
Use the diffusion over the top of the actors to diffuse the sun(only use if the sun is hitting their face from
a very high angle--if you can position your actors so that the sun hits them from behind and does not hit
their face, you will not need diffusion), then use the cards to control the lighting
on the faces--sometimes a 4'x4' white bounce is all you will need. If you are working on an overcast day,
where the light tends to be a bit flat, use your black cards to add a shadow side to the face(or a shiny
reflector to add a highlight).
 
I'll throw in that Roger Deakins claims to never use overhead silks and feels reflectors give him a more realistic look...

If you're doing a stylized romance, that may not be optimal - something harder/edgier, just reflectors and not shooting at high noon may be fine.

When not using overheads, I like using very LARGE reflectors... basically enough fabric to create a 12' wide wall sometimes. But having reflectors too low looks fake - they to get them up high if possible so you're not under-lighting everyone. You can take two or three c-stands 5' apart, run conduit across the top. and have a 15' "frame top" as high as you can reach. Clamp fabric across the top, clamp the bottom edge to the stand risers, tied sandbags to the corners, etc... big soft reflector.

When I use overheads, I often use white polyester mesh - like cheap bridal veil material. It keeps highlights fairly hard, but knocks things down a bit and slightly softens harshness. Keep in mind that the more your overhead cuts, the brighter your background will be (if your overhead cuts 1/4 stop you may not change exposure at all - if it's 1.5 or 2 stops, your background just got a stop or 2 hotter...). Go to your local fabric store - they usually keep a list of "sewing ladies" - at least in the US, you'll find local grannies looking for extra $$. Find one who does draperies and window treatments and put her to work making silks for whatever frame system you use (if you're going PVC or whatever). I had a granny make me a HUGE velour blackout curtain for $40 (I supplied the material - she did a killer job).
 
Hi, quick question for the grip-heads... I have a shoot soon and we've decided to rent a 12x12 1/4 stop silk overhead (and ties so it doesnt fly away). I picked 1/4 stop because I need *just* enough diffusion so that we can get away without additional reflectors, or maybe 1. I have not much experience with grip - Would a 1/4 silk diffuse the Sun enough that it wouldn't particularly shape or mold the face, so the position of the sun wouldn't be as crucial...? I was aiming to get the close-up shots earlier(4pm-), and the wide shots in the golden hour, for simplicity and the best look. Another thing - does using an overhead mean that you can't backlight? That'd be unfortunate, it would be nice to have a backlight on our female.

can the 1/4 silk be also used as a bounce? *edit-the owner gave us an additional polysilk for free so we had our bounce*
 
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A 1/4 silk is a fine mesh, like a sheer, or chiffon, & direct Sun will punch right thru it with minimal diffusion.

It's also not a good choice for a bounce.
 
My solution to shooting outside without using any reflectors, silks, HMI's, etc is to shoot at magic hour. Perfect lighting for about 2 hours a day, great lighting for another 2 hours. . Yes the time is limited so you have to work fast.
 
mainstreetprod said:
My solution to shooting outside without using any reflectors, silks, HMI's, etc is to shoot at magic hour. Perfect lighting for about 2 hours a day, great lighting for another 2 hours. . Yes the time is limited so you have to work fast.
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What time exactly is magic hour? Sunset/dawn?
 
> What time exactly is magic hour? Sunset/dawn?

Different people will tell you different things, but for me it usually is only about 20 minutes long once the sun has slipped below the horizon - and then it's gone. Location and weather will changes that of course. I try to avoid magic hour at sunrise as it tends to cause me physical grief.

My advice is that if you have to ask, then you should test for yourself.
 
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j said:
> What time exactly is magic hour? Sunset/dawn?

Different people will tell you different things, but for me it usually is only about 20 minutes long once the sun has slipped below the horizon - and then it's gone. Location and weather will changes that of course. I try to avoid magic hour at sunrise as it tends to cause me physical grief.

My advice is that if you have to ask, then you should test for yourself.
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I actually have shot at "magic hour", I just wasn't sure what it's technically defined as.
 
Here in TN I've found it lasts the full hour before the sun drops below the horizon, with the previous hour looking pretty nice also, but not quite there. Same thing in the AM , but good luck getting everyone there that early.

Example (first 15 seconds shot an hour before dusk, no color correction) It's also sometimes called "golden hour"

tommygdawg said:
I actually have shot at "magic hour", I just wasn't sure what it's technically defined as.
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^^^So, you're saying the golden hour is before the sunset? "j" says it comes for a brief period after it dips below the horizon. My personal thoughts are that it's about an hour before sunset, when shadows are long yet still defined, and it becomes harder to shoot as the color temp drops... Then once it's under the horizon, I suppose I can shoot, but it will give a very different feel since the color temp will be much higher.
 
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snipe2k5 said:
^^^So, you're saying the golden hour is before the sunset? "j" says it comes for a brief period after it dips below the horizon. My personal thoughts are that it's about an hour before sunset, when shadows are long yet still defined, and it becomes harder to shoot as the color temp drops... Then once it's under the horizon, I suppose I can shoot, but it will give a very different feel since the color temp will be much higher.
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Yes, the long shadows and golden color temp are what makes it great for shooting. I haven't found much use for the extremely red color temps after the sun drops.
 
The duration of MH changes - in winter its longer cos the sun is not direct overhead at midday

In finland (?) sometimes its 24hours a day as the sun is not rising or setting

What is it ? - I would define it at the point when the talent is flatteringly lit and not squinting when facing direct sun

I dont know if its a myth but car ads are best shot after the sun has dipped over the horizon.. there used to be a season where car shoots would occur in iceland/finland because they had that light 24/7..

S
 


A few reflectors and some c-stands with a silk/net/flag kit will go a long way. We shot the above scene with an UGLY mid-day sun, but we're able to get decent enough results. In the end we were actually a couple stands/silks short of being able to make it look really good...but you have to do with what you have on a super low budget.
 
Oh and for magic hour, get an app for your phone. I use sun seeker on my iphone and it's great to see where the sun will be for any given hour when I'm scouting locations.
 
Been a while since I've been on here. Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I'm going to take into account everything that everyone said.

Rob, thanks so much for the app recommendation!
 
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