Lighting in moving car (night)

PaPa

PaPa

Major Contributor
Just looking to see what you guys would recommend to light inside of a moving car.

Looking for something either tungsten, or daylight (preferable) to light actors sitting in both the front seats and the back seats. Could be multiple lights, or whatever. Just really never investigated and I'm sure there is a good amount of info floating around for those with experience doing this.

Not so much worried about during the day, mostly night time shooting where ambient lighting is not enough.

Any information or products you could share would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
Has no one answered?

People sometimes point to Collateral, with Tom Cruise, and the light panels they had all over the taxi cab. Personally, I thought it looked horribly fake and overlit. Still, it was a good movie. They actually put velcro on all the panels, and could stick them on just about every surface of the cab.

I prefer light that enters through the windows from the sides. More natural. Actually, Taxi Driver is a fantastic look in my opinion. On grainy film. That's got bite, and I would go for that look in a heartbeat.

There are several ways to cheat when lighting a car scene. Look up "poor man's process" among others.

One way is to put the car up on a U-Haul car carrier, and drag it behind a pickup truck. You can bounce and aim lights on it as it is hauled around. This gives several benefits, particularly when lighting from the front, and in getting the dialogue without engine noise.

Stationary filming with green screen, to be replaced by moving blurry road images is also pretty popular. This is the ultimate in easy filming / sound recording. And you can light it and record very precisely. You have to be very careful with your camera angles, and sometimes replacing the backgrounds seems a bit mismatched, particularly if the lights don't move across the actors' faces in sync with "reality." But, then again, what the hell is "reality," especially in a movie?
 
light panels is a good option, but probably quite expensive.

Light entering from the sides is something i've done before, but im really looking for something while the car is in motion.

Don't own a pickup truck, so that's really not a solution for me, but a good alternative for those looking for an option.

I'm really looking for practical lighting that I can purchase and wanted to know what options i had that was within budget. I'm a little surprised this thread hasn't gotten more attention. I'll just be a little more patient.

and regarding green screen.. well... Unless im shooting with a low compression camera and high color space, I really wouldn't see it as a viable option.

Common folks...

Thanks for your reply though.
 
Yes! I was just going to say. I love little stick on lights or flos for this. You can hide one to bring up the levels without being too unnatural. I'd try and get the shot without moving (for audio reasons mostly) and use a rig of some sort to get the moving lights. Or tow it but make sure you're familiar with your local laws on towing a car with someone in it.
 
thanks Deniz, i appreciate your comment, but im really asking quite a specific question.

im looking for specific tools to put inside of a car to light the talent. forget towing, forget when it's stationary.
 
I just did a shoot last month where we used a whole lot of those fluorescent tubes from the hardware store (the kind that run off AA batts) as keys for the actors. Then I put a couple of those push-to-turn-on nightlights (the round kind) in unused seats and the rear of the SUV we were in to bring up the level just enough to where you could start to see detail. It gives a nice effect that isn't over-lit.

Of course we were shooting B&W so I wasn't paying attention to how off the colors were.
 
William_Robinette said:
I just did a shoot last month where we used a whole lot of those fluorescent tubes from the hardware store (the kind that run off AA batts) as keys for the actors.
Click to expand...

That's what I did for a short student documentary I did a few years ago. It was a kind of a short three-tube fluorescent lamp light bought at the hardware store for use while camping or if you're doing some work under the car. I propped that under the car stereo, behind the gear stick, pointing up towards the subjects. So it was out of sight and it looked like the light was coming off the dashboard. Anything else I tried was way too dark.
 
i think you guys gave me some very good ideas. Thank you for your posts.

Do you have a link for those push on lights?
 
A cheap but acceptable way to go is to use UFO LED camp lanterns for night car lighting. They're ten bucks or less, run on AA cells and are very blue. Very usable though and small enough to fit on the dashboard, visors or elsewhere with just doubled 2" gaffer tape. I find the middle of the three position switch setting is usually the brightest.

Use Google images for "ufo led lantern." I usually buy mine in the 60 LED variety on eBay.

I think I heard about them here some years ago.

Oh, and I'll try some of Paul's little Harbor Freight beauties :)
 
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Shot using ipad light :D Read more here (with video)

I'm sure at least two or three of your friends have ipads, simple and cheap solution.
 
Lol@ the ipad. Don't know another that owns one. That ufo light however any clue what color temperature that's set at? Many interesting options here.
 
I've been wondering the same thing. So what my friends and i tried was using a strand of white xmas lights and just taped them to different spots inside the car and on the steering wheel and stuff. It worked out pretty well after we color corrected everything.
 
With those UFO lights its not so much about the color temperature as it is about the color: its just not there. Here is some footage I have using such a light after white balance:

This is from back when I was at uni and it was for the school newspaper so it worked for that, but for anything else I would probably think a while on if it worked for the scene.
 
PaPa said:
Lol@ the ipad. Don't know another that owns one. That ufo light however any clue what color temperature that's set at? Many interesting options here.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried these....but how about some type of light that will plug into the car's power---or use a power converter and plug in a strand of white Christmas lights. You can alter the brightness
by the # of bulbs you use. Just a thought.
 
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