@Scoopicman you did this really well with your
Hag in the Hills, any ideas?
Thanks! Since we were already using an on screen lantern, I just added one LED light for simulated moonlight. I put a blue gel over the LED. It's just a $30 light, but it worked well. I used a stand and put the light as high as I could. For the woods, you want the lights pretty high, so the trees look natural. Yes, you can put blue gel on the Lowes lights.
I love all the cheap Tac flashlights that are available now. Having the actors shining those around can light up the scene.
Light coming from one direction (the moon) will create important shadows on one side of your actor's face. Visible highlights and dark shadows can make a night scene. I've done a few:
I was in my garage, standing in front of a greenscreen, for this test shot. Light was kind of close, but illustrates what I'm talking about:
Fog will catch light and spread it around. Again, light from one direction:
It doesn't have to be blue gel, depending on the supposed source, such as streetlights or porchlights. I actually used some Lowes lights outside the windows of these scenes. Coming through curtains or blinds, they look pretty nice.
For your forest closeups, you can even hold a branch (with or without pine needles) in front of the light to cast shadows or break up direct light.