Cloudy atmosphere

David Gascon · September 27, 2004

Hi everyone!

I'm doing to shoot a film wich is supposing to be a rainy and cloudy day. I want to be well prepare, so did any of you had to shoot a cloudy mood scene when is sunny. If yes, what good trick can you suggest me to get the best result?

And if I want the scene look a bit bluish, I was thinking to use a tungsten film outside with a filter. My question is, from your experience, what would be a good filter to use if I still want some red tint in the skin?

Thank you.

DavidSloan · September 27, 2004

What do you mean by "red tint?"

Michael Nash · September 27, 2004

You could use a partial color correction filter, like an 81EF or 812, or a light grade or Coral (anywhere from 1-3, maybe). But you could also color-correct to the desired amount of blue even if you shoot straight tunsgten or staright daylight balance. It's not an extreme correction.

Regarding lighting, just try to avoid direct sunlight! Be prepared with large overheads like silks for the actors, and solids for the backgrounds. Any areas of overexposure will start to kill the overcast look, so instead create contrast by using negative fill.

David Gascon · September 27, 2004

Thank Micheal, but what do you mean exactly by negative fill?

And David, what I mean by red tint, is that i want the picture look bluish, but I want to keep an acceptable balance of red in the face to get nice color of skin. I think it something I could correct after at the telecine. But if any of you have another good combination, just let me know.

Thank

DavidSloan · September 28, 2004

Gotcha...I just never heard the term "red tint," before.

I think what Michael said sounds right: coral filters to pratially correct the blue, might help. Test it if you can, even on stills, and please let us know how the image came out. I'm also considering using a coral on a picture I'm shooting.

@Michael: have you ever heard of the Harrison blue/grey filter? Spoke to a guy that runs Filter Gallery in NYC, he says it's a great filter to get a mildly cold/muted tone, look. It's supposed to be a new filter that hasn't really hit the market, yet.