What color to paint interior walls of house?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
I might film a supernatural horror thriller using my own house for most of the location. My walls right now are all white. Any advice on what color to paint the walls for proper exposures (HD DSLR) when filming, and for genre (supernatural thriller) mood?
 
Paint them whatever color will best serve the story. Proper exposure deals with light and can make any colored wall workable.
 
Experiment on one wall with water based paint, or hang various coloured rented sheets and shoot some tests in various lighting.

Cheers.
 
I painted mine dark red (for a film) and then the wife nearly killed me
 
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I painted my walls for Superseeds and have been living with some pretty ugly wall color ever since. LoL.

One of the things I want to figure out is how to avoid painting walls altogether. I think in the end, if I couldn't just cover the wall up with say massive sheets, I would just leave it white and hang tasteful pictures, add furniture to break it up and light accordingly.

Lessons you learn after the fact, I guess. =P
 
Kholi said:
...One of the things I want to figure out is how to avoid painting walls altogether....P
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I thought of that too, I wonder if just playing with cast color from the lighting, bluish maybe, or playing with those white walls in post would work; i doubt it; white is probably the worst color for filming so I will have to paint those walls, maybe a tinted green given the genre is supernatural horror.
 
I would paint them blue-grey... cool colors and desaturated (grey-ish) colors tend to recede so that will create depth in the image. Also people are warm/orangish so it creates depth/contrast against the talent. Also, its appropriate for a horror film.

destatured/greyish would take gels and color grading well wont they?


or think about what overall hue u want for the grading/photography and go from there

unified color makes a picture a picture and not home video
 
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If you're committed to repainting them anyway mess them up, stain them with interesting colours, oils etc. Paint mould, rising damp and other gross stuff. Hang wall paper, age stain it then tear it so it hangs down. Then when you're done strip it back and repaint it the colour you want to live with.
 
Randall_Oelerich said:
I thought of that too, I wonder if just playing with cast color from the lighting, bluish maybe, or playing with those white walls in post would work; i doubt it; white is probably the worst color for filming so I will have to paint those walls, maybe a tinted green given the genre is supernatural horror.
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I think it's somewhat true that white is not very awesome in regards to capturing an image, but you also have to consider that it's also not awesome to have just a blue wall or a green wall or any other color. You still have to dress that wall either way, unless it fits your content, with pictures or furniture or posters or blood or even better, texture.

Cracks, peeling paint, character.

Also, and I'm really just noticing this as of say a year ago or more, there are a LOT of white-walled sets in so many features and television. The Walking Dead's season 2 (I think that's the one where they're on the farm) is pretty much ALL white walls and because it's shot on film, and of course lit appropriately, it was never bothersome.

It first hit me that I was harping on white walls too much, though, when I rewatched Swingers. Again, lots of white walls, no budget, film. Before any of those guys were really the kind of stars they are now, but good acting and dialogue trumps white walls.

That's what made me really yearn for a camera with a heap of dynamic range, and another reason I'm stoked about Blackmagic. I can dress a wall easily, but painting it is time consuming and likely costly in a number of ways.

Start watching some movies and look for white walls... you're gonna be surprised.

Not saying they're the best of course, again, I would rather have texture over anything else, but if you have to do it you'll be fine.
 
Kholi said:
..., lots of white walls, no budget, film. Before any of those guys were really the kind of stars they are now, but good acting and dialogue trumps white walls. ... I can dress a wall easily, but painting it is time consuming and likely costly in a number of ways. ..., I would rather have texture over anything else, but if you have to do it you'll be fine.
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Me likee. :) Yes it would be a lot of work and $ to have my interior walls painted, and this is for a micro budget. And I want to sell my house and move, so funking up my walls is not food for showing to potential buyers, I think they like white so they can paint it over with whatever color. I just do not want to blow out the footage as it will be shot HD DSLR; I'll have to keep an eye on those zebra lines.
 
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