Shooting in a car - blowouts?

awelgraven

awelgraven

Well-known member
I have an HVX200a w/ SGpro Rev.3 adaptor that I'm attempting to use inside a moving car. However, if I expose the actors faces correctly, the environment outside the car is horribly blown out. If I stop down to get away from the blowouts, the actors become nothing but silhouettes.

I can only assume that in professional movies, the inside of the car is lit, so the camera can be stopped down enough to properly expose the inside and outside of the car.

But we don't really have the budget/equipment to light inside a moving car.

Any suggestions, or am I just sunk :) ?
 
I guess the best advice I can possibly give would be to find a car with a sun roof and bounce as much light as you can at each actor. This may keep the background from being really blown out. I have seen it done several times. Otherwise maybe you can get some neutral density filters for the widows. Cut them to size and have the windows rolled up. Keep the sunroof open and bounce that light. Perhaps that would work? Anyone else have any ideas?
 
Or use a car with tinted windows. Wouldn't help with the windshield, but that will end up being your key anyway
 
tape ND on the window behind the actor and bounce light in the windshield.

If it's bright usually just the ND works.
 
I use After Effects to correct the light behind the actor to a nice blue sky or green screen it :)
 
what happens if you click your cameras nd filters on and then open the iris more? would that work?
 
I say Greenscreen. I've had pretty good results. Even had an effects guy see my work and he didn't know I greenscreened until I said something.

Get After Effects, A Good greenscreen, shoot in the shade if possible and light your greenscreen and actors seperately. Then take like a diffused 150w lamp and have a grip every once in a while move the light on the talent. (This simulates the fact that light changes as you drive) You can do the same on the highlight/rim light.

I wasn't able to get super deep when I did it. I just got the screen outside. Added a reflector for my talent. And shot. My greenscreen looked from chroma green to forest green and I had to do some work to pull the key, but it worked. It works best with HDV or higher codecs. I had a hard time with Mini-DV.
 
For documentaries and even top-rated shows like Top Gear this is normal. But their outside-of-car shots are a complete different story.
 
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