Lighting an uninteresting background

[Huy Vu]

As we all know, production design is hugely important in making a shot looks good. But sometimes budget or time or the location doesn't give you a lot to work with. I've found that one way of making a background more interesting is to create streaks of light across it. In this example the background is just a blank white wall, not very interesting, and this is how the final shot came out

And this is the lighting diagram

In this case the combination of color temperature makes a dramatic difference. I've never like just shining a tungsten temperature light directly at the talent to imitate the sun as this cause a warm skin tone that's too aggressive. But I still want that golden hue in my "sunlight" so I white balance to daylight, which increases the warm tone of the background fresnel while allowing the key light to give me a more natural skin tone.

In the second shot, I wish I had use another light for the background instead of the 300w. It was basically an open face light that makes it difficult to create the light streak, and so that area was more flatly lit.

 

[PerroneFord]

cuckaloris might have helped create a soft pattern on the wall also. Pretty cheap and easy...

 

[Cool Lights]

I was just going to say that too. What about a cookie? You might like a nice shutter pattern to use and of course, nothing to stop you from using the color streak plus a cookie as well.

 

[Ulophot]

Check out Walter Graff's tutorials. He does a lot with very little, under all sorts of circumstances.

http://www.bluesky-web.com/new-page6.html

 

[Huy Vu]

Cookie requires additional stands and frame, but you guys are definitely right, it would be the way to go.

 

[PerroneFord]

Cookie requires additional stands and frame, but you guys are definitely right, it would be the way to go.

Come on... a wire hanger a piece of foamcore and some duct tape and you're golden. Yea it's el cheapo... but whatever it takes to get the job done...

 

[flnstudios]

Check out Walter Graff's tutorials. He does a lot with very little, under all sorts of circumstances.

http://www.bluesky-web.com/new-page6.html

Thanks for a great resource Ulophot! I bookmarked the site and am sure that I'll spend more time getting ideas.

 

[coldheartproductions]

where are you guys getting you lighting diagram models....I noticed the same design used a few times is it a piece of software or what? Also I am going to start posting mine soon. More for advice and links to killer lighting books are welcomed I read painting with light and blain brown's lighting. I feel like I grasp the concepts but I am lighting with three 1k moles so that produces a great deal of challenges when lighting simple objects or lighting close ups. I think I am going to buy a china ball because it's cheap and super handy. I was on a set this weekend and the director loves his 1k china ball to death. Also to Huy Yu, I thought your shorts were really good especially TGFY. This lighting picture seems washed out to me. Do you add a lot of contrast to your images in post? I also use the streak method on boring apartment white walls but I think the streak works best if you can't see the front of it. It usually indicates in my mind a imaginary window of some kind. Do you use a light meter or another kind of method for reading light stops in the scene? Thanks for posting I have been learning alot!

 

[cardmaverick]

My first thought was this:

Don't light the walls.

 

[Texanite]

My first thought was this:

Don't light the walls.

My first inclination for the above lighting setup would be to completely cut/flag that 650 off the wall behind the futon. Leave it as the 2nd guy's key, because I like the angle, but take it off the wall. And then move the fluorescent fill around so it's not hitting the wall so directly straight on.

It's all subjective, and I think the far back wall is fine and the fall off works well, although I would have also raised that 300 up. It's a bit low, IMO. But that's just my opinion, there's no single right answer and everybody lights differently.

 

[RyanT]

My first inclination for the above lighting setup would be to completely cut/flag that 650 off the wall behind the futon. Leave it as the 2nd guy's key, because I like the angle, but take it off the wall. And then move the fluorescent fill around so it's not hitting the wall so directly straight on.

It's all subjective, and I think the far back wall is fine and the fall off works well, although I would have also raised that 300 up. It's a bit low, IMO. But that's just my opinion, there's no single right answer and everybody lights differently.

To me it seems like you could just use the 150 for both people in the scene, lose the 650 and cut the 150 off the wall. I also would have thought about maybe coming with the 300 from the other direction as it'd be a good way to get some rim on Huy on the right. Even that might be a bit much though...This works though, I think the wall is a tiny hot, but you know. Few scrims here, some blackwrap here, you've got yourself a masterpiece.