Lighting sunlight.. without sunlight?

Evan S

Evan S

Veteran
testing13.jpg

(sorry I can't focus, it's hard to film yourself!)
testing1.jpg


Obviously one is real sunlight. and one is me trying to fake it.

It's a lot harder to fake than I thought. Plus, I dont have a monitor so I always feel mislead by the damn viewfinder.

Does anyone have any tips on trying to light sunlight in an interior?
I could just use.. real sunlight, but if we can't shoot in the daytime I'll need to make it artficially.
I'm a horrible DP lol! I think I need alot of diffusion to pull this off.
 
Last edited:
depends on how the sunlight is entering the room...that should be the source. compare your shadows.
 
Like Senor T says, it depends on how it is entering. If you have a "northern" window (or just a window with indirect sunlight coming through, then it is a diffused source the size of the window. To duplicate it, get a softbox the size of the window and attach it to a light.

For direct sunlight through a window, I have used a large softbox to replicate the window and a point light source in front of it to throw the harsh shadows.

It's not difficult if you have the tools, but you wont replicate a large, soft, diffuse light source using a fresnel with barndoors.

-GageFX
 
Ah! Thanks for that gage! I might be shooting a couple of indoor daylight scenes soon and was just debating whether to go with lots of fresnals or a 4ftX4 bank kino flo. I guess kino flo's the way for me.

On topic, I'm guessing the second grab is the real sunlight one?
 
Diffuse yes...but COLOR! Sunlight is blue, that is key. For Natrual light sources I use my large Rifa light, and slap a nice Blue Filter over it with clothespins. Works wonders and ALWAYS fools people. I tested it in my home with my family; stuck the light around the corner shinning in the hall. Needless to say my mother thought there was a large hole in the ceiling!
 
MalcolmOng said:
Ah! Thanks for that gage! I might be shooting a couple of indoor daylight scenes soon and was just debating whether to go with lots of fresnals or a 4ftX4 bank kino flo. I guess kino flo's the way for me.

On topic, I'm guessing the second grab is the real sunlight one?
Click to expand...


dont blow money on kino. on video there is no diff between kino and a regular florecent bulb. only film will it matter
 
for the shot you posted .. 1200w or 2500w HMI par out the window should do it for sun .. then some daylight bounce fill to your liking inside ..
 
Im no expert, but a light/light with gel that gives off 5600k will give a sunlight color. As for lighting, be creative... anything can look like sunlight when done properly.
 
zakaree said:
dont blow money on kino. on video there is no diff between kino and a regular florecent bulb. only film will it matter
Click to expand...

Kinos are very well constructed, down to the screw -- Rugged as hell. does the job. i say they're worth the extra 100 bucks or so.
 
there are different density tungsten color correction gels (orange and blue) to warm or cool light.


what you need is a CT Blue, they come in full, half and quarter density along with neutral density as well.
 
zakaree said:
dont blow money on kino. on video there is no diff between kino and a regular florecent bulb. only film will it matter
Click to expand...

Not always true. There are a few factors that differentiate Kinos and similar from a regular fluorescent tube.

One property is the specular distribution of the source. Kinos and similar sources use globes with much flatter spectral characteristics. They also support both 3200 and 5600 globes.

The other is the excitation frequency. This can be critical at certain shutter speeds. Mains frequency fluorescents can exhibit noticeable flicker problems with film and video.
 
It's a lot easier to mimic the type of sunlight that you're going for then you might expect... but the one thing you can't get around is the size of the source... the first poster to point out that you need a large source has given you the best advice... the size of your source determines the characteristics of the shadows in your scene. That means the shadows as they shape the actor's faces as well as the shadows that they cast.

As with so many things in life size is really important here. I strongly suggest that everybody have a little stock pile of white bounce boards. I like the thicker corrugated stuff that is used for heavy duty signage. You can buy it at a sign shop or better to go in with a few friends (with just one friend doing the buying) and make the minimum purchase from a wholesaler. I pay around $20 sheet for the really thick stuff... and only about $9 sheet for the 1/4" thick.

Some of my white bounce is cut into 4x4 and some stays huge... for a night shot where we need a lot of diffuse light I will bounce everything off a giant board.

You can never have enough lights but until you can afford to keep a crapload on hand there are ways to get around the cost. Paying for the extra cost of true daylight bulbs is a step in the right direction. Even if you can't afford Kino fixtures you can probably afford Kino tubes. Whatever your budget... take a look at the quality of the bulb you're using to mimic sunlight... then find ways to make it appear like a larger source. Bounce doesn't give you free lumens... so don't misunderstand... but it can spread what you have to mimic the shadows that you get in a room full of natural daylight spill.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top