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How bad is it to film at night?

Hey guys i'm about to film a short and I was wondering, if I get a china ball and someone to boom it and follow the actors can I film at night or will it come out very bad? I was wondering if i should film before sun down but I would have to e restricted in not showing the sky and add all the street lights in post. I just need to see the actors expressions and face and the theme is him walking home at night. any tips?
 
I have a little tip that can help you.

I already did a night look using very low cost flashlights of 1.000~1.500 lumens in a microphone stand/pedestal. Most of them have zoom adjustments that allow you to design how you want the light to shine on actors.

You can change the color temperature using colored transparent paper. Good flashlights have an average cost about $30/$60 .

I highly recommend the Z6 flashlight for this kind of use.
 
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Go test it! :)
That way you'll discover the limitations or hurdles you need to take.
Lighting with a china ball can look very nice and with a boom it gives you more (or different) control than 'beams' of licht from a fixed postion.
 
I have a little tip that can help you.

I already did a night look using very low cost flashlights of 1.000~1.500 lumens in a microphone stand/pedestal. Most of them have zoom adjustments that allow you to design how you want the light to shine on actors.

You can change the color temperature using colored transparent paper. Good flashlights have an average cost about $30/$60 .

I highly recommend the Z6 flashlight for this kind of use.

Thanks for the tip I will look into this!
 
Go test it! :)
That way you'll discover the limitations or hurdles you need to take.
Lighting with a china ball can look very nice and with a boom it gives you more (or different) control than 'beams' of licht from a fixed postion.

That's always a good method ;) Is there a way to light a china ball wireless or Do I have to attach a power-chord inside the local restaurant that I'm filming outside of?
 
Go test it! :)
That way you'll discover the limitations or hurdles you need to take.
Lighting with a china ball can look very nice and with a boom it gives you more (or different) control than 'beams' of licht from a fixed postion.

Hey Walter, these flashlights don't behave like "beams" if you open the zoom. You can drive them away several feet of the actors and they generate a very interesting light that you can move while shooting, even in the pedestal - like a tripod.

I know it is not a professional solution, but is low cost, easy to carry and don't need power line. I liked the result, but each case is a case. I am buying an extra one lol.

Bad that i don't have online any footage using this, except the video test i did just for test, and it include artistic nudity, not appropriate to the forum i think.
 
Can you post a private link with password and a warning?

I've been considering this method for a good two months, would love to see what you pulled off.

Or, if you could upload some private footage from the other shots you used it on.
 
Can you post a private link with password and a warning?

I've been considering this method for a good two months, would love to see what you pulled off.

Or, if you could upload some private footage from the other shots you used it on.


Look, I'll post it because i really believe it is not aggressive.
I made this video turning off any lights, at night, and making scenes with closed and opened zoom of the flashlight. This flashlight is about 3x inferior to the Z6 i linked before.

http://vimeo.com/40401210

If there is any wrong about this video, please let me know and sorry.

PS: the video contains nudity because was a test about a nudity and low light scene of a film.
 
Works well for tight shots. But, it may be a little much for this specific community. Haha

Thanks for the test. I need to go and buy a fistful of highpowereds to test out.
 
Works well for tight shots. But, it may be a little much for this specific community. Haha

Thanks for the test. I need to go and buy a fistful of highpowereds to test out.

The flashlight used on this video have about 300 lumens. The Z6 have 1.000. Is quite cheap getting 2 or 3 with extra batteries. But it is just an alternative that I personally adore. I am using this to reinforce the lights of the public lamps in a park at night, matching the same temperature.
 
That was my plan as well.

I looked at flashlights with rechargeable replaceable batteries that had crazy lumens.

About a knot of four in a soft box could create interesting lighting situations at night.
 
If there is any wrong about this video, please let me know and sorry.

Don't worry, Fernando. That was pretty PG -- at least by my standards. :yes:

@OP, biggest issue I see in low-budget night shooting is inattention to the background. In other words, the subjects tend to be lit, while the bg is allowed to go black, maybe with an occasional streetlight or window. That's not typically how our eyes perceive things, so it's distracting onscreen.

Take a look at this shot:
Sheila%20%2B%20Eddie%20in%20mooring%20basin%20web.jpg


This was shot at night, but we spent about 4 hours lighting it. Everything you see in the frame was lit by our equipment -- the only existing light was from the two mounted practicals you see between the actors. Imagine what this shot would look like if we'd only lit the foreground.

If I were shooting something where I didn't have sufficient equipment, I would probably shoot the wide during magic hour (the hour immediately following sunset) and try not to show the sky. That way you have no shadows, but still have some background illumination along with your various streetlights, etc. Then do your close-ups as it gets darker, when the bg won't matter as much.
 
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I don't know what is so bad about shooting at night? Take advantage of existing lights by staging your shots so the lights work to your advantage, not the other way around. Run in some aux 12volt lamps running of car batteries to add a touch of light here and there to enhance the image.

Footage shot at night all cut together easily -- most everything matches -- none of that time of day or location mismatch problems. Your editing suite is full of tricks to make it all look good.

More than half my feature was shot outdoors at night. Think outside the box and make it work to your advantage.

Good luck.
 
Yeah, ditto here. Amazing how much a few flashlights like this helps the image.
Here is the same light for $16 ???

http://www.amazon.com/Ultrafire-502...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335321840&sr=8-2-fkmr0

This is the T6 502. Is from T series. Not bad, but Z and X are much better for film looks.

There are also flashlights which use two or even three batteries at the same time, consuming them quickly and providing an enormous amount of light. But it warm up a lot and it is a bit expensive. Begins to run away from the main benefit of using flashlights, and at this point make more sense to adopt most appropriate solutions.
 
I like working at night. Try a lot of different no budget, lighting ideas... here are a few no-expense-spent 'lighting' ideas from 2003, using minimal lighting, (like 3 car's headlights through stretched bed sheets at different angles and depth and flashlights). We had no electricity on locations! All were shot AT NIGHT OR IN THE DARK! I love shadows!

Sorry for small size clip -- what it is... for fast downloading and ease of buffering.

Night Scenes

"Always knew these flashlights would come in handy..."
 
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