Outdoor Lighting?

svf1972

svf1972

Active member
I'm looking to film an outdoor shot of a person running through the city streets followed by a scene of the same person in a subway station. I obviously don't have the budget to light a subway station nor the city street scene. Will the ambient light in these area suffice or is there a trick to getting these scenes to look great with the DVX controls? Another problem is getting the two scenes to look the same without proper lighting. Can anyone help?
 
Re: Outdoor Lighting?

If you are in NYC you will not be able to shoot in a subway. YOu can sneak it but you may get caught and they take is seriously. As for the same look, why would you want the same look? White balance for outdoors then white balance for the subway. They are different places and will not look the same.
 
Re: Outdoor Lighting?

Not exactly the same. I'm just worried about the two scenes looking like different films. Thanks
 
Re: Outdoor Lighting?

With outdoor scenes, you can often get away with existing light or using reflectors or white foamcore to fill in any unwanted shadows.
 
Re: Outdoor Lighting?

When I first got my DVX100a I shot some test scenes in our subway ( actually a large underground rail station which is brand new). Stainless steel and concrete architecture. To the eye it felt dark but the results were amazing. There was a mix of color temperatures due to the sources. Overhead "tubes" bring in daylight, vapour lights and tungsten bill boards, LCD platform info screens. The mix looked incredible and I got solid blacks thru to clipping peaks. I checked out levels on DV Rack vaveform monitors and they were perfect. Detail thru the images was incredible and it surprised and amazed me.

I will try and post some grabs - need to check how to do this in frame grab section 1st.

Go shoot a test in your locations is my advice.

I also shot street scene tests same day. Results excellent. Wide shots in the streets wont be a problem for you but use reflectors and light control for your close ups if any. Keep wide shots more contrasty ( because you can not control them anyway apart from exposure) and the closer you go to subject - reduce the contrast by appropriate fill light.
 
Re: Outdoor Lighting?

Wait til after it rains.. then shoot the scene. You'll have the streets wet which makes your shot look even better with that glittering look from below.
 
Re: Outdoor Lighting?

You can actually shoot in NYC subway stations if you're careful about the time and location. Most of the stations out in brooklyn are completely dead at night (especially since they've removed station attendants in some locations), so you can sometimes set up a camera and a couple of battery powered lights. The L train stations are pretty vacant at 3-4am.

Still, you're going to get your ass ground up if you get caught, or robbed...depending on the station. :P

as with anything, you should assess the risk seriously and decide if it's worth the shot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top