Shooting EXT and INT at Night... Basic required lights?

M

Matt Choules

Active member
Hi Everyone,

I have been asked to film a short film to take place over 4 or 5 consecutive nights (great), but the first time director understands that although it's nighttime we will need to light the scenes otherwise it will look aweful.

He's asked me for list of basic lighting needed to pull this thing off.

As far as I can tell the locations will be in a fairly rural village about 12 miles from the nearest city so its likely to be quite dark, there will be alot of shots outside, there maybe some light from lamp posts, the interiors will be shot in houses and pubs in the area, and there will be some shot inside a car.

From what I understand the director is getting to the end of his budget but has friends in hire places he might be able to get to help with the lending of equipment.

Suggestions for bare essential lights on a budget would be ideal, and also "would be better" lighting if he manages to talk round his friends into letting us have better kit for cheap/free.

Cheers.
Matt.
 
Depends on what you're shooting on. The lighting package you'd need for a 50-ISO HMC40 would be very different than the lighting package you'd need for a 500-ISO HPX170.

It also depends on what type of shots you're talking about, what do the outside shots need to look like? Screenshots from comparable films would certainly help us sort through this.

Best way to kill a budget is to write EXT - NIGHT in your no-budget screenplay. If it's truly microbudget, you might want to look into day-for-night, which is frequently awful but hey, it came about for a good reason...
 
Barry_Green said:
If it's truly microbudget, you might want to look into day-for-night, which is frequently awful but hey, it came about for a good reason...
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Right, and if you leave the sky and far distance out of your shots you can easily pull it off.
 
Shooting on a Canon 7D.
Sorry, should have mentioned that before!

I reckon I could go as far 1600 ISO, but I don't really hope to go that high.

As for the style, I really cannot say. Our Director wants "a natural response from the cast and crew" so he is telling us very little. I know. Useful right?

This is why I am having to be generic to you guys.

Rumple.
 
Barry_Green said:
Best way to kill a budget is to write EXT - NIGHT in your no-budget screenplay.
Click to expand...

GOSPEL right there...

I did my "EXT Night" shots at 15 minutes before sunrise. Just enough ambient light to read properly, and a dark enough sky to simulate moonlight. Didn't even have to worry about keeping the sky out of frame. But you had better get it right in 2-3 takes or you're going to be re-shooting on another day.
 
Barry_Green said:
It also depends on what type of shots you're talking about, what do the outside shots need to look like? Screenshots from comparable films would certainly help us sort through this.
Click to expand...

And it's THIS kind of necessary information that makes me demand storyboards. That would answer what the master looks like, what's going to be in my frame, where the light is going to be motivated from (nearby houses, moon, car headlights, etc.) and what the heck is going to be needed and what makes sense.

I woudn't even know what to tell you for a start.

If it's moonlight you need, then get a 20k HMI and a condor. If it's someone outside in a village, then light the village houses to give the ambient, and use a 2k with diffusion to give some ambient.

Get the director to give you photos of the location if possible, or go see it for yourself. If you don't bring in the gaffer on location scouting, I don't know how anyone expects decent results.
 
Good advice. The only thing most of the people I light for know about sunrise is that it's something that happens while they are passed out from a late party or a long night's shoot :)

Did one of these at sundown the other day though and it worked out pretty well. Most people never noticed and don't believe how narrow the time window is. Like the slightly earlier "Golden Hour" it's nowhere near 60 minutes.
 
I go to see all locations tomorrow evening, so I will post images and try and get as much out of the Director, but he's being a little difficult about all this.
 
Matt Choules said:
As for the style, I really cannot say. Our Director wants "a natural response from the cast and crew" so he is telling us very little. I know. Useful right?
Click to expand...

I've only ever heard that phrase used when people don't know what they're doing and are just hoping to make it up as they go along.
 
PerroneFord said:
If it's moonlight you need, then get a 20k HMI and a condor. If it's someone outside in a village, then light the village houses to give the ambient, and use a 2k with diffusion to give some ambient.
Click to expand...


you mean 12k not 20k right? 20 k seems overkill.. unles you want to light the whole forest.
 
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