Filming at Night when there are no practical lights

[ShockingMind]

I'm messing with a sequence at the minute that will occur during night.

Man asleep hears a burgler goes down to investigate etc...

What are peoples tricks and tips for filming at night, in the dark... Going to be lots of close ups of the Man as he hears sounds, reacts gets scared etc...

So how do you light a character when there is no practical light??

Have watched a few 'Day to Night' type tutorials but I'm not overly convinced...especially for an indoor shoot.

First attempt was using a spot using the flags to create a thin line of light across the characters face...need to experiment a bit more with that as the shadows were screaming "THERE'S A LIGHT IN THE ROOM"

So..Do with lights or do it in post??

 

[dlevanchuk]

I would say put 45watt ligh (use blue gel if your lightbulb is 32k) and put a diffuser to eliminate sharp shadows. Lights from the window side for light from exterior. Maybe throw a curtain to create a cool pattern as if street light/moonlight shines through the window

 

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

If there is a window put the light outside and shine it through the window as dlevanchuk said. You can also light the entire scene with diffused light then stop down the camera.

 

[ShockingMind]

Thanks!! Good advice will give it a go!!

 

[jax_rox]

Yeah, in the past I've shone big lights through a silk and then through a window. Balancing to tungsten means you could CTB a large tungsten fixture, or use an HMI for a real blue moonlight. You could also use an HMI with 213 and 205 to create a different kind of look.

It all works really well, as does backlighting your character with the same colour. Remember, it's night - so it's allowed to be pretty dark!