lighting a night beach scene

C

c.g._eads

Veteran
I am lighting a nighttime bonfire beach party scene, likely shooting with the DVX. How would I light this? What lights would I need? How much do you think it would cost(to rent)?

I'm looking to avoid that cheapy video production look where wherever it's dark in the shot, it's noisy and ugly. I'd like an nice even blanket of light, and yet still for it to feel dark. Thanks.

c.g.
 
You'll probably need a cine generator, with a couple of 10k/12k HMIs. There is really no other way to produce that much evenly distributed light. Unless you stay in tight, then you can just set up a flicker box with a couple of 2ks to replicate the fire light, and get a couple of 1200 HMIs for the moon light. Shoot those moon light sources through some opal or tough diffusion to get the right amount of softness. Depending on how you white balance you may want to go with a 1/8th CTB (color temperature blue) gel to get the lights to right color.
 
The cost for these things will vary depending on where you live. I may be able to give you some tips, as I've shot in around a handful of states.
 
I would light it high contrast. This is opposed to the low-contrast-subtle-gradation philosophy. it would work better because you could crush the blacks to cut down on grain. People could dissapear in- and- out of the hard shadows.

See Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine" night beach scene for a good high-contrast example.

-a
 
c.g._eads said:
I am lighting a nighttime bonfire beach party scene, likely shooting with the DVX. How would I light this? What lights would I need? How much do you think it would cost(to rent)?

I'm looking to avoid that cheapy video production look where wherever it's dark in the shot, it's noisy and ugly. I'd like an nice even blanket of light, and yet still for it to feel dark. Thanks.

c.g.
Click to expand...
:engel017:
If I had to do this quickly with no notice as director of photography .Id do the following .
1) Based on available production vehicals Id get those cars at a distance and have them running and put on the lights of the cars either low or brights Trying for a Crosslight effect .
These brights would get gelled CTB of CTO depending on IF
1) I wanted those lights as moon light or
2) bon fire lights .
3) Id get a marine battery with long life and slow drop off and use sun guns 100 to 500 watt tungsten or halogen close in on tight shot to augment the key .and even at night id use the bounce board or white card for fill.
4) unless the lighting budget was real good Id avoid any HMI LIGHTS due to cost and flicker ..
5)Id still bring in bounce boards and shine flash lights with orange CTO filters
for getting fill in close ups .
This would be one appraoch that I would use .It conforms to most small budets while give you back up light and takes advantage of what Mother Nature and or Natural Light may do to help out.
Oh yes also
6) if I was the direcrtor of photography Id start shoting this just before sunset!!!!!!And id continue to repeat the take in different dimisishing light.
repeat everything as the light went down ie long shot then move in .
7) shoting long shots first and fast and then moving in for close ups .
The long shot is a crutial factor and as the light of the sun is going down you get interesting values to that light plus visual components of the landscape are still getting some detail which might add to the shot .

BBC video journalists have introduced me to some interesting fast shot methods where they pop off the closeups and then move back to get the master shot .Sometimes this works too .
Good Luck with your shot
Bruce :engel017:
 
Like most people say. You proly dont have the budget for big lights. So shoot most in mediums and CU.
Try and get a some dimmers, use them on some 200w houselights, use two or three of them and plant them to "cheat" the bon fire source, and have them dim pretty fast at various speeds, it will imitate the bon fire (which is going to be hard to maintain and your actors are going to hate it, so try and establish the fire in the master, and then let it die down a little and try not to show it in your shots.)
Then light the background with some hotspots here and there, depending on your shot (again mediums & CU), best would be some open face 2k's.
And then give a little love to your actors with some even fill. I'm no fan of the moonlight thing, so I would just shoot all regular tungsten.
Most important thing I think shooting at night is like u said not having the actors stand in the middle of darkness, you need to shoot brighter and bring it down in post by adding contrast, so since you dont have the budget you need to create some highlights in the background for visual interest.
Hope it all makes sense.
 
the problem with this is....its a scene. How can you have a scene without a master shot? I'd say the closest you could go with is a mls of the group near a fire, but even with that shot it will be cuttered to achieve the look you want. I would say build a fair size bon fire, get a few work lights, maybe 4 or 5, diffuse, and cover your surrounding sand. As for moonlight, hmi is the only way to go(imo), unless you know a few ufos that will be around in the area. :)
 
One little trick is to cut down on the expanse of beach that you have to light. I would suggest putting the bon fire in front of a large dune, hill or sea wall. You can put your "night time ambient" light on the dune. which by framing, you can limit. This will save you from having to light a mile of beach. If possible, you can put something farther back in the distance, like a palm tree, a cabana, or what ever, light it with a bright open faced light. This will give you some depth. One of the most important things for low budget night exteriors is how you frame them.
 
Sounds to me like Fresnels are the way to go for most of what you want. If you have to light a larger area (far away from the source) you want fresnels. I was shooting in the middle of the night in someone's front yard and I wasn't the camera to be able to see the house across the street so it wouldn't look like that kind of soap opera night where you have so much falloff it looks like you are simply in a neutral black background. First I pointed a 600 open face across the street and it wouldn't even show up on camera. Than I pointed a 650 Altman Fresnel (basically an Arri without the brand name) at the house and it showed up and I was glad that they bedroom was around back or they would have surely woke up and told us to turn that off. The fresnels have a lot more punch for distance, espically if you want to gel them blue. I'd say use 1/2 blue or 1/4 blue since CTB will take off like half of your light. If you could get some 1k or 2k fresnels (the largest that you can plug into standard outlets) you can rent some 5k or 6k generators from home depot for reasonable prices but make sure you have lots of thick (like 10 guage) extension cable so that you can put the generators away from the shooting (google voltage drop to see how think you might need for whatever distance from the generator)

Fresnels are also good for when you want to cut the light with a defined edge, for your high contrast. Walter Graff makes a cool flicker box but it only works on 100 watt lights, not bigger fresnel lights but it could be good for close ups. You could also try geling some lights with some orange (for 1/2 or 1/4 orange experiment around for what looks best) and have someone wave a cookaloris (or foam core board cut into one) infront of the light.

http://www.bluesky-web.com/new-pagemerchandise.html
 
I have to amend my suggestion in #6 .
IF I COULD SHOT AT A TIME OF DAY TO INCREASE ADVANTAGE OF AMBIENT LIGHT I WOULD CHOSE NIGHT INTO MORNING AND JUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT
IF YOU ARE ON THE WEST COAST THE SKY IS STILL DARK OVER THE SEA
AND THERE WILL BE SUN LIGHT RISING IN THE EAST .
THIS COULD WORK FOR GETTING A NICE MASTER FOR YOUR BEACH SCENE
,
SCOUT YOUR LOCATION
AND DO WHAT THE PAINTER CLAUDE MONET DID
WHEN HE PAINTED THE HAY STACKS
HE HAD SEVERAL CANVASES SET UP TO PAINT AT DIFFERENT MOMENTS OF THE SUNSET .

TAKE THE DVX AND SHOT INTERVALS AS THE LIGHT GOES UP OR DOWN AT DAWN OR SUNSET IN A PARTICULAR LOCAL SUITED FOR THE BEACH SCENE .

NATURE WORKING WITH YOU (INSTEAD OF USING EXPENSIVE OR COMPLICATED LIGHTING KITS ) IS AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE .

ON THE FEATURE MOVIE " DAYS OF HEAVEN '" THE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ASKED FOR THE CHOICE OF SHOTING AT MAGIC HOUR(WITH VERY FEW LIGHTS ) AND THE EFFECT CAN BE SEEN AND THE JOURNAL OF THAT SHOTING TECHNIQUE IS AVAILABLE THROUGH AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER .
GOOD LUCK
BRUCE
 
c.g._eads said:
I live in Los Angeles. How much does it cost to rent 10k/12k HMIs? Anyone want to suggest a rental house?
Click to expand...
If it does not have to be hmi ,,,if it can be tungsten(constant burning source )
then I would contact Ray Wolf at Pyramid Films in the the san fernando valley area for rental or purchase .He also sells hmi and may rent them .

For the easy expensive way to rent start with Mole Richardson at "MOLETOWN " on i think highland or la brea in Hollywood U S A!!!
Bruce
:shocked:
 
Also contact Ray Wolf at Pyramid films listed on the web for rental price comparison on
tngsten and hmi lights .
good luck with your project !
Bruce
 
How about renting one of those construction lights you see on the highway during road construction. They come on a little trailer and have their own generator for power. They are bright as I don't know what but I am also told they are noisy as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top