Low light or night filming scenarios...

MadmanMarz

MadmanMarz

New member
Hello,

I'm new to the board and this is my first post here.

I just wanted to know what kind of lighting system and type of lights would be needed for night or very low light filming situation using a DVX100. I have a project that I'm currently involved with, the movie location is a heavily wooded area so at night the location will be basically pitch black other than a campfire and/or latern. Because I have no experience shooting at night or very low light I was wondering what lighting equipment would be recommeded.

Thank you for your time,

Jeff
 
MadmanMarz said:
Hello,

I'm new to the board and this is my first post here.

I just wanted to know what kind of lighting system and type of lights would be needed for night or very low light filming situation using a DVX100. I have a project that I'm currently involved with, the movie location is a heavily wooded area so at night the location will be basically pitch black other than a campfire and/or latern. Because I have no experience shooting at night or very low light I was wondering what lighting equipment would be recommeded.

Thank you for your time,

Jeff
Click to expand...
:engel017:
Hello
I have seldom done night photography.The campfire is your key and i would have
small 300 watt par cans at foot level hidden among brush or camp gear .
the moon can be represented and ill get to that '
BUT
the greatest source I ever did see which is at your fingertips is obtaiable by getting the dvd of "In the heat of the Night " in which Haskall Wexler talks about night photography ,
the short answer is
use a 1 or 2k sourc that is a 1000 watt or 2000 watt source to simulate moonlight (in a tight shot of course )
keep the light high and to the side (side lighting ) and use a pale blue filter
I dont know about day for night with the dvx use ablue filter and keep the sun out of the frame a do atest
I have heard the compression and codecs in this camera cause a terrible image degridation ,,...if your night scene is a one shot deal and you need a great wide shot showing vistas beyond the campfire cover it in film(do a day for night filtration) to make sure you getthe establishing shot .!!!!You can always degrade it in some digital process to match the dvx100 footage . :thumbsup:
Good Luck
 
You're gonna want to light this a lot. As stated above, get a 1k with a CTB gel on it to simulate moonlight. Add a tree branch in front of the light to break it up and make it seem more natural. You may want to use another light with CTO on it to help add more punch to the campfire.

If it looks too bright, you're probably right on the money... you can always darken it in post. It is very possible to get clean night shots out of the DVX, you just need to bring the wattage.
 
Nights are tricky. your biggest problem is getting depth on wide shots i.e. building, trees etc in the background. It takes a lot of lights well places with the lights hidden from view and casting just a soft wash for just a hint of moonlight. otherwise everything is just black and looks wrong.

of course you can, and many do, write the script so as to avoid these expensive and time consuming shots, for example, if the fire is right beside a building so there is no distance to light.
 
if you can, also light the background too with the same 1k light. I did a night shoot and wished I had a background light, b/c it looks weird ith just one 1k light shining on the subject. The back is completely black while the subjects are lit by the "moonlight".

and yah, CTB is key ;)
 
Hello,

Thank you all for the information it helps greatly. At least now I no what types of lights and lighting I will need for shooting at night. I will of course do some experimentation first to get a feel as to what will look best for the movie. Again thank you very much for the info it was much appreciated.

Thank you for your time,

Jeff
 
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