Lighting a church

[Guest Relentless Filmaker]

Hey just wondering if somebody could give me some advice on lighting a church stainglass window from the outside. We are shooting inside at night and I want the stainglass lit up from the outside.

 

http://www.glenabbeysandiego.com/chapel.html

 

Here is a picture of the church I am only lighting the big stainglass front. Will a 2k work? Or do I need bigger lights? If I do what lights do I need and what jenny will run it.

 

Thank you

[Laurent Andrieux]

You can use a 1200 HMI if you are power limited. They provide a stronger beam than 2 kW tungsten (whatever open face or Fresnel) and you can just plug it in a wall point.

 

The bluish cast works great at night, and you still can rewarm it a bit with a half CTO (cutting only 1/3 of a stop) if you want.

 

It would be my choice. I would have a cinepar, since you usually don't have to pay the bulb time consumption if you rent and the lenses provided should do what you want.

[Matt Irwin]

Hi Brian,

 

How big is the window? Depending on the size, you might be able to get away with using the units mentioned above if the window is relatively small.

 

Do you want to key through the stained glass window? If the window is "chapel size" , you are going to need bigger units than 1200's or 2k's. Stained glass eats up a LOT of light. I've seen a musco positioned literally a foot from a stained glass window with little effect on the inside (on a day interior, that is)...

 

If you aren't keying through the window, maybe some 1k pars to create some shafts? What kind of look are you going for?

[Guest Relentless Filmaker]

What kind of look are you going for?

 

I just want to light up the window so it has definition, because without light coming through it, it just looks like a black window, I just want to see the glass.

[Marcus Frakes]

I just want to light up the window so it has definition, because without light coming through it, it just looks like a black window, I just want to see the glass.

 

If you just want definition, that's much easier...maybe even with a couple of 1K's. Can you shoot in the late afternoon? If it's "supposed" to be a night scene, my thoughts are the stainglass should look illuminated by an artificial source (street light, flouresent, tungsten w/color, etc) rather than trying to match daylight.

[Laurent Andrieux]

Because of the different colors of the glass itself, I think one can hardly tell if it's "day", or whatever "street light" that lights it.

 

The HMI is a good base - at night - for imaging that the moon or a street light is lighting it. You can do what you want with, with a bit of gel... I think it's a good base for low consumption and high beam...

 

If you want to light the inside as well, for sure you also need light inside.

[oscar jimenez]

On the photos you have showed, I guess that 2 4k HMI pars will do the job perfectly, Or you can shoot during daytime, have the glass lit by the sun, and then create your lightning inside with HMI or Tg lights.

[Guest Relentless Filmaker]

Thanks guys, I think I can afford a 1200 Par HMI with a jenny. I hope that does the trick... The problem with that church is on the sides it is all windows plain glass so the light pours in the church during the day, and since the walls are white it is not that attractive, I want to wait untill night so I can sculpt a little more and create a mood.

[Laurent Andrieux]

Hang on, if you can have a jenny, you may use more than one 1200... Besides, a 1200 doesn't need you to have a jenny, you can plug it in a wall...

 

what power do you plan to use ?

[Chris Fernando]

What does the shot look like? Is the window just bg, or is it an insert of some type of the window. If just bg, how much DoF are you playing with?

[Guest Relentless Filmaker]

The church has old wiring so I need the jenny to squeeze out more power, the window is on the first post in as a link. I hope it works