Glad I did this test.

S

Snapper123

Well-known member
So in one of my projects, the script calls for a scene where the camera is positioned in front of the front door in the living room, sort of at an angle where the whole room comes into view along with the characters coming in from the door. There's a bright window to the right of the door, and generally, the scene is supposed to have a very dark, contrasty, moody feel - very dirty, rustic, and noisy, with of coarse the blown window.

Now, a scene from Eyes Wide Shut really struck out to me as almost identical to what I'm picturing my shot as looking like. Quite honestly, this is what I like to call a $1 shot - there just no artificial workings put into a scene like this and generally, it calls for having the right settings in camera.

http://evanerichards.com/wp-content/gallery/eyes-wide-shut/eyeswideshut349.jpg

I don't believe that ANY artificial lighting was used for this shot. Here, I made my own "quick version" of this shot with my cat (for better or worse); no artificial lighting used, only sunlight:

http://i887.photobucket.com/albums/ac77/buttercupblessing/IMG_2554g.jpg

Now, the shot for my project is going to be at a different location entirely, but I'm almost astonished at how identical my shot looks to this shot from Eyes Wide Shut - same blown window, same noisy feel, same contrast, and generally I probably needed more saturation and such. I even naturally aligned the bed and window at the EXACT same angle as in Kubrick's shot - I didn't even mean to do this! =]

Any issues that may come up in a scene like this, once I get around to making it?
 
The picture for eyes wide shut doesn't work...

Is it a long scene? The sun moves you know. :)
 
....I am sorry to tell you this, you believe it wrong. This ARE artificial lighting working. Your shot is nothing identical with that screenshot.
Lighting - to create a mood with lights in a scene without an artificial look if it doesn't call for it.

First of all I can already point out at least four lights are working.
The background light, it creates a really nice pattern on the wall.
The background room light, light up the table and chairs.
The outside of the front window light, it points straight to the back of the actor's head.
A key light from screen right, it lights up the actor face, the side that is away from the camera. You can even see that hard shadow on the red sofa...so you tell me..if that is a light or not??

SUN will be a problem, like Ryan points out. You got to go to location to find out the Sun path. Use your iPhone app or Compass.
If you have the right sun direction, you can use the sun to get that background room light and the actor's head light.
Sun will move, so you got to move fast. Get Mirror board or Reflector board will help re-direct sun light into the window. Go there early and get the interior lights ready first.

or you can shoot at night time or block out all the window for more control, don't need to worry about sun move. But then the front window needs some sort of box structure, so you can still put a light shoot through.

Let us know what you think now.
 
Snapper123 said:
Now, a scene from Eyes Wide Shut really struck out to me as almost identical to what I'm picturing my shot as looking like. Quite honestly, this is what I like to call a $1 shot - there just no artificial workings put into a scene like this and generally, it calls for having the right settings in camera.

http://evanerichards.com/wp-content/gallery/eyes-wide-shut/eyeswideshut349.jpg
Click to expand...

Look at his hands -- if there were no key light coming from the upper right, they'd be in shadow. Look at the glints on his watch and on his ring.

Look at the shadows on his sweater -- they're cast by a light coming from that same direction.

Look at the highlight on the far side of his face -- same light.

Note, too, that the shadows from the "window light" in the far room run in a different direction from the ones in the main room.

What concerns me, Snapper, is that you spend a lot of time trying to convince yourself that all kinds of movie magic can be made with $10 and judicious camera settings. You would be far better off concentrating on learning what actually goes into making what you see. You really are doing yourself no favors by insisting on thinking everything can be done for, and with, nothing.
 
Snapper123 said:
Now, a scene from Eyes Wide Shut really struck out to me as almost identical to what I'm picturing my shot as looking like. Quite honestly, this is what I like to call a $1 shot - there just no artificial workings put into a scene like this and generally, it calls for having the right settings in camera.

http://evanerichards.com/wp-content/gallery/eyes-wide-shut/eyeswideshut349.jpg

I don't believe that ANY artificial lighting was used for this shot.
Click to expand...

It's a studio set so you are mistaken. Even the 'sun light' through the window is artificial.
 
Sorry OP, looks like there is lots of artificial light in that pic. Look behind the talent, to his left on the couch. That's his shadow. If the "sun"(I agree with Martti, that's fake sun) was the only light in the room, the talent's shadow couldn't possibly be behind him with his back to the light source.

So there is a soft fill(flos?) from the talent's front-left(his left) and one or more "sun" sources.
 
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