lighting indoor scene at night

[AdamTheGreat]

sorry im new to this but were shooting a scene inside and its going to be at night, and supose to be at night. i dont understand how you can make it look night timey without just having it dark and loosing quality. i have 2 500w lights, should i just use them both and use some settings on the camera to give it a darker look? or should i just not use those lights and go with lamps and stuff for more of the dark orangish look? or should i shoot it with the light kit and then use some effects in post? or is there any other tips? thanks for your hellp

 

[filmat11]

Use the search engine on this site to look up the subject..."Lighting at night" or "Night lighting"or "shooting at night". These will give you several suggestions on how to shoot/light your scenes.. Good Luck.

 

[taubkin]

Adam, what makes night night is not the ovarall exposure of the scene, but the ammount od dark (and black) areas on the frame. If you have a frame with some lit areas and the rest pitch black you still have night.

Check it out:

See how the actors are perfecty lit, but since the background is dark, we have no problem thinking it's a night scene.

I'd be worried not to let your light spill into your walls and ceiling, otherwise you are not going to be able to maintain your contrast...

Cheers!


http://images.hollywood.com/cms/300x375/2432821.jpg

 

[AdamTheGreat]

thanks

thanks

yea thanks for the quick replys. how can i light just the actors? i have 2 500w lights but they are bulbs and will light the whole room.

 

[Christopher Barry]

barn doors for light direction, or make some with something that is black so that the light does not reflect off the doors. Make sure what you use and affix the doors with does not catch fire. (not lighting advice).

 

[taubkin]

yea thanks for the quick replys. how can i light just the actors? i have 2 500w lights but they are bulbs and will light the whole room.

The only thing you can do. Putting things in front of the lights produces shadows. Use them!

There is a type of material called black foil (or cinefoil) that is very useful for making small "tents'" and flags for lights, and the good thing is they don't catch fire. You can find them in film supply stores.