• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

Trying to create some moody indoor lighting

J

John.D

Hi all,

I'm working on my first video with my 5dmk2, and i'm trying to get some moody lighting in an old shacke/barn-like room, with light streaming through the windows and cracks in the walls. The room will have an old appearance with world war 2 era props lying around, so i'm trying to achieve something to add to this look, maybe catch some dust floating around the room, that sort of thing. I'm guessing it's best to go on a sunny day so I can get the light coming through the windows, but is there anything else I can do to achieve this look? Maybe in regard to camera settings, extra lighting, metering?
I have a photography background so i'm familiar with flashes but have never made a movie before, so am not sure about continuous lights etc.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
You'll want to make sure you can place the lights outside the walls and that the walls have large enough gaps to let the light through in shafts. Then absolutely there needs to be particulates in the air to catch the light, either fog for a constant thing, or some "fuller's earth" sifting from the cieling every once in a while... this stuff will likely be breathed by your actors, so warn them and make sure they're OK with it (and have them sign a release for it).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hi,

OK i've managed to track down to hire a haze machine and generator. I don't know much about generators though (I would need one as i'm shooting in an abandoned farm). Do they need charging or refilling, i'll be picking it up from the hire shop and then heading straight out to shoot you see :/

Also, i'm about to head out to buy some cheap lights, would the generator also power these?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Electricity can kill you.
Also, you need to match the generator to the ammount of electricity you need. Get your lights together and tell the rental follks how many watts each light needs etc. Dont forget to include the haze machine.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
John.D said:
Hi,

OK i've managed to track down to hire a haze machine and generator. I don't know much about generators though (I would need one as i'm shooting in an abandoned farm). Do they need charging or refilling, i'll be picking it up from the hire shop and then heading straight out to shoot you see :/

Also, i'm about to head out to buy some cheap lights, would the generator also power these?
Click to expand...

Oh boy. Generators are generally gasoline or diesel driven, depending on their size. There is an absolute limit of how much power they can distribute at any given point in time, and if you ever plan on exceeding that limit, you need more than one genny. Also, you need enough stingers to get them far from the shot for audio. Bring lots of sound blankets and a few extra stands. Hang the blankets as buffers around the gennies. This helps, but they still need to be far away.

My recommendation is to find someone who understands electricity and have them be your genny operator. Also consult with them about how much load can be put on a given generator.

Hopefully that person will also be able to point you in the direction of lights.

I don't mean to be mean; it sounds like you have the creative juice down for this project, but like Wheat says, electricity is Serious Business (tm), and repeatedly overloading your put-put is going to put a damper on your day. And, if I can be frank, if you are asking questions that basic about a generator, then well, it's in your best interest to get someone on your crew with more knowledge on the subject.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
We visited the hire shop but the generator would have been impossible to manage. So I made do with relying on the sunlight and using smoke pellets from outside the old hut, and guess what, it worked wonders! :yes:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top