beams of light

[Guest nabers]

I am shooting a music video. We are going to put dancers on platforms which will have holes drilled into the top. I want to light them from underneath the platforms. my desired effect is to see many distinct beams of light shining underneath them. What is the best way to acheive this effect?

[Jeremy]

If you want to see beams of light, you need to have something in the air for the light to bounce off of. The best way to do this is to smoke up the room. Get a fogger / hazer and pump the room full of fog, waft it around so it's even. Make sure there aren't any air leaks for it to be able to escape.

 

It also works the best when the light is coming towards the camera. If the haze is backlit, it will be more apparent. Rent a fog machine and play around with it before you start on the music video. You should be able to get some good beams if you know what you're doing.

 

Best of luck with the project.

[Eric Steelberg ASC]

Be careful with the amount of fog you use for atmosphere. If you use too much you'll wash out your image.

 

The kind of lighting is more improtant. For best results, use an open face light (a light without a lens) or a fresnel with the lens off. Use a few of them to get criss-crossing beams.

[Joseph White]

1k or 2k xenopro's are really good too - really sharp looking beam lights, just depends on how much punch you need and how large the holes are. fog will help for sure, but yeah definitely be careful you don't wash out your image. depending on your format, if you're shooting 35mm, i'd reccomend getting really super sharp lenses, like ultra primes or primos, as you'll be able to get the most definition in your image while using fog.