Lighting a night wooded scene.

[Azmyth]

I'm shooting a teaser for a new feature I'm starting in 2012.

The scene is of a young native american girl, who has been through something "horrible" just by looking at her appearance, and is in the midst of trying to escape whatever this unseen force thats chasing her is.. she's in hysterics, and its late at night in the middle of nowhere in some dense forest. Her clothes are tattered, she's bruised, battered, and tired. I need to set up lighting so I can show short clips of her hauling tail through the forest. I want it to be very contrasty and have that very "Evil" mood to it. I have the Lighting for film and TV dvd, and the first idea that comes to mind is the scene with the guy digging a grave in the woods.. and you can see red haze behind him, and he's got a very contrasty look, with a rim around him.

I'm going to be using several foggers, to fog up the area, and several high powered lights to illuminate each shot of her running. how would you light this?

 

[David Jimerson]

That segment is actually on YouTube:

What do you want to do with your shot that's different? Describe it, and we can go from there.

 

[Paul Hudson]

I would use one, very big source. It will light the most area and create the most contrast.

 

[Azmyth]

That segment is actually on YouTube:

What do you want to do with your shot that's different? Describe it, and we can go from there.

Well, one thing that will be different is that I'll be shooting it from several different angles. Most of them will probably be fairly close shots though. Also, The subject is going to be moving fast.

Here's an example of the overrall "feel" I'd like for the scene to have. Something along the lines of this, in terms of mood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M08rMMrl2ZI

There's a few shots of her outside at night that convey what I'm talking about almost perfectly.

Here's a similar scene. I tend the one I am shooting to be a bit more close and in your face and alot more frantic though..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xN1vtqtarI

Shot similar to this.. but at night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnHVDgUwL5I

Here's a perfect example.... the only thing different, is you won't see whats chasing her. and the shots will be alot closer for the part..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksaB81GlLfM

 

[David W. Jones]

I tend to agree with Paul. A large source will give you the best start as a red gel will cut your output down considerably.

 

[Erik Olson]

Especially in the woods, where the canopy of branches above would obscure much of the moonlight from penetrating to the forest floor, you can get away with pools of light here and there within the frame. How sharp or powerful you want them is up to you. Also, let your talent emerge from these shadows into the light for close ups where you can see her fear. What is behind her is in the shadows, and therefore unknown to the viewer.

I've done a larger wooded area simply with a Joker 800 in its beaker suspended from three points of trickline into a large china ball. If you're looking for a huge, soft moonlight effect, nothing beats big sources like an AirStar or diffused (double 250 or heavy quiet frost) HMIs from a condor.

 

[Wave of Light]

2 maxi brutes in a condor. Use blue gell and heat shield.

Note: You will need bug spray in the condor.

 

[Chris Santucci]

Yep, a big specular source far away from the side, or a big source overhead and diffused. Luckily, these days we can get away with far less light than what they needed for the original Chainsaw Massacre so you can cover larger areas if desired pretty easily.

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Totally not helpful, but man the filmmaking techniques of the horrors that are linked to are so cheesy. This is one of those genres that i have no idea why people pay attention to. (remember i said it won't be helpful)

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Totally not helpful, but man the filmmaking techniques of the horrors that are linked to are so cheesy. This is one of those genres that i have no idea why people pay attention to. (remember i said it won't be helpful)

I don't think people 'pay attention' in any aesthetic sense... But, it seems there is a market for material that is rather 'marginal' in production values... and so, fits nicely into a no-low/budget film.

With me... I'd try to make a 'chainsaw' movie with what I have around the house... but I think people would laugh when the chainsaw's electrical plug pulled loose...

But how much hair and makeup does a hockey mask really take...

What I see these efforts being really, is training for people to write and produce a film.

With that in mind, I'd say, use car lights, or those big rack lights some people put on trucks and offroad vehicles, and point it at a big 20' bounce screen... probably for less than $100 at Home Depot...

Sure if someone has the wherewithall for a 'crane' and a big light and ball... but a couple of nights' rental would be most of the budget.

 

[Wave of Light]

What I see these efforts being really, is training for people to write and produce a film.

With that in mind, I'd say, use car lights, or those big rack lights some people put on trucks and offroad vehicles, and point it at a big 20' bounce screen... probably for less than $100 at Home Depot...

If you want to learn how to produce and or wright a film, get a job with someone who has experience doing it, and study what they do. Hands on makes a difference. It might as well be on someone elses dime.

Reading can only do so much. Learning how to do something inefficiently that produces poor quality will slow you down in the long run and can even cost you quite a bit of money.

OP did not say he is doing a low/no budget film, so it makes sence to tell him how I would do the job. I'm not saying this to belittle you. I'm telling you how I have experienced a night time shoot with high contrast in the woods, over night. That is what OP is actually asking for.

BTW a 20x20 bounce will reduce most of your contrast.

 

[MPB]

i'm not into watching horror films, but i'd love to shoot one. seems like you'd have a lot of room to play around.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

If you want to learn how to produce and or wright a film, get a job with someone who has experience doing it, and study what they do. Hands on makes a difference. It might as well be on someone elses dime.

Reading can only do so much. Learning how to do something inefficiently that produces poor quality will slow you down in the long run and can even cost you quite a bit of money.

OP did not say he is doing a low/no budget film, so it makes sence to tell him how I would do the job. I'm not saying this to belittle you. I'm telling you how I have experienced a night time shoot with high contrast in the woods, over night. That is what OP is actually asking for.

BTW a 20x20 bounce will reduce most of your contrast.

You are right that I don't know what the OP's budget is, nor what he already had as 'highpowered lights'.

The example that he gave in a later post:

Is not something that was done with a couple of 'high powered lights'. There's lights in the background with fog, there's a light coming form back/behind the camera for a number of shots, and in some shots appears to be 'soft', in others 'harder'.

Further, in a 'woods' shot, one would then also have to consider portable generators to power the 'high powered lights'.

The biggest problems I've had lighting for stills in 'black/high contrast' situations is not getting the edge light... but getting fill light. Otherwise, having silver rimmed silhouettes often does not yield the results one perhaps had in mind.

In the above example, there are shots which appear to have a softer light than hard.

 

[Azmyth]

I know horror movies aren't everyone's cup of tea. I personally hate art films, and documentaries.

Anyway, to be more specific on what I am trying to do. My first film was very low budget (despite alot of people telling me it was a waste of time or that I couldn't do it). I proved that theory wrong. I not only made a feature film on a shoe string budget. I've already made more money than I spent, and its not even on DVD yet. We were on FANGORIA yesterday (Holy grail of Horror publications) and I've got several distributors interested. If we have to self distribute this one, It will still be a success because I walked away from it with more experience, and I also made some spending $$$ and 500 people have already seen it. Thats more than most can say for the 1000s of films that never even leave the shelf after they've been made. Its not a oscar winning movie, its just a fun horror movie I spent alot of time and dedication working on. Maybe someone will go hey "That guy has the dedication, and the creative mindset to do something great.. lets give him some $$$ and see what he can do". If not, no worries.. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and have fun while I'm at it.

Anyway, I'm starting preproduction for my next one and I'm sticking with horror because.

A. I'm a fan of the genre.
B. If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Because of the semi success of film #1, I've already got people interested in backing my 2nd project. So that means, my budget is going to go up this time around. That means actually building a set or 2, and hiring better actors, renting better equipment.. the whole 9. I have an entire city backing what I'm doing, so I have access to what most people would have to pay 1000's of dollars to get. My first film has Chemical Labs, Ambulances, Police cruisers, Schools, and a multitude of other things I didn't spend a dime on.

I'm shooting this new one on 2 CANON DSLR's, and I'm planning to rent some high end prime lenses. I've already built up a pretty decent lighting kit, comprised of tungsten open face fixtures, and a slew of CFL's. The good thing about the DSLR's is that I can use MUCH less light than I had to use on my last film.

I plan to supplement what I have, with a few more fixtures that I intend to build. (going to make several homemade kino flo type fixtures) and rent whatever else is needed on a "as needed basis".

I'm shooting a "teaser" in 2 weeks for my crowd funding page as well as to show to the backers who are talking about helping fund the project. I already have one guaranteed backer, who has been on board since before my first film ended. The teaser is only going to be about 30-60 secs long.

I'm shooting a young attractive girl who is frantically trying to escape something thats chasing her through the woods at night. (I'm aware its been done before.)

Here's some more example shots of the "Look" I'm wanting to achieve with my lighting. I already have the location scouted, and it looks similar to how this area looks in these photos.

 

[starcentral]

My favourite genre as well

As for recreating the look in the frames you posted, I'm working on a similar concept for a film right now and have studied that look quite a bit. What I can tell you is to stick with what appears to only be one main single source of light in your shot, and use other lights to carve out of darkness your subjects and provide hair lights or subtle fill a few stops under what you would normally expose skin for.

Lighting in all horror movies when you "pause" it to a frame and look at it, is always "fake" if you notice. Some kids out in the middle of a forest or a field camping around a fire getting into a heated argument as something in the forest is watching them and we see its POV.... "pause" - then you see an immense streak of crazy light coming from the left frame lighting up part of the background and some more light onto the front of the actors. So FAKE but that's how it is. We accept it and usually the dialogue and music helps detract from the fact it does not look real.

In the frames you posted I see a lot of back lighting. So lights far away but pointed downwards and towards camera. Sometimes fog is good to create a background layer as others have suggested. Then for the foreground or subjects there is some subtle light on the actors faces. Very directional and again it looks like single source from far away. Softlight (you mentioned CFL) may work for some closeups and possibly medium shots but for anything wider soft light is just going to illuminate a large area and that's if it is even bright enough to begin with. I'd almost go with all hard lights which can be easily focused into a narrow beam and flagged with barn doors to limit spill. This will let you shoot wide, medium and for closeups sure you can soften it up a bit with diffusion but still maintain consistency between closeups and wides.

You can maybe get away with using tungsten here, but it depends on how much wattage you have to begin with and also if they are fresnels.

 

[Azmyth]

You are right that I don't know what the OP's budget is, nor what he already had as 'highpowered lights'.

The example that he gave in a later post:

Is not something that was done with a couple of 'high powered lights'. There's lights in the background with fog, there's a light coming form back/behind the camera for a number of shots, and in some shots appears to be 'soft', in others 'harder'.

Further, in a 'woods' shot, one would then also have to consider portable generators to power the 'high powered lights'.

The biggest problems I've had lighting for stills in 'black/high contrast' situations is not getting the edge light... but getting fill light. Otherwise, having silver rimmed silhouettes often does not yield the results one perhaps had in mind.

In the above example, there are shots which appear to have a softer light than hard.

WoW! how did I miss this?

This is exactly what I am trying to achieve. The biggest difference is that you won't "see" whats chasing the girl. and I'd like to have it just a TINY bit more lit than what you've done here, but this is in a nutshell the look I'm trying to achieve. mind doing a detailed breakdown of the gear you used, and its placement? The location I'm using has power a mere 40 feet away. So power is not an issue.

 

[Erik Olson]

In your third grab, a relatively small single source is lighting the entire shot. The others appear to be small HMIs keying as backlight with bounce between the talent and the camera.

It looks like they used a fogger instead of a hazer - the latter is preferable for creating an even atmospheric haze.

 

[Azmyth]

so, here's a screenie from the shoot. I had 6 count em' 6 foggers.. and only one of them worked.. and it only worked sporadically.. so the fog idea didn't work as intended.. probably need to try to rent a hazer.

anyway, here's a cap from the shoot last night. I think it turned out pretty good.

 

[starcentral]

looks good, but might look better with light in far background either coming from behind trees (light facing camera) or a light coming from one of the side on the trees in far background.