Complicated daytime exterior schedule

[Rick Shepardson]

Greetings,

Before I start-here are some technical aspects

 

super 16mm

Kodak 200D, vision 2

 

I'm going to be shooting a short film in late september/early october. The film takes place almost entirely in daytime exteriors and transpires from early noon to afternoon on a sunny summer day.

Because the main character is an eight year old boy, we must strictly adhere to SAG protocols. Meaning, we'll only be able to shoot on weekends since we can't supply the child actor with the nessisities he'll need to miss school.

This creates a big problem for me. Is there anything I can do if one day ends up being overcast while the other is bright and sunny?

Because our budget doesn't give me the luxury of havivng big lights-I'm going to have to light nearly the whole thing with bounce.

I've noticed that even on overcast days-a large mirror can do plenty to increase contrast. Would it be feasible to use mirrors or another highly reflective material to make a overcast day look sunny?

Of course, there will be issues with color shift-but I think that will be easier to fix than issues with contrast.

I imagine that my burdon could be eased through scheduling. Perhaps shooting most of the wide shots on back to back days then moving in for closer shots later on in the shoot. However, I think that this would be asking too much of the director and actors to split up scenes like that.

We do have two interior scenes which we can use as back up locations in case rain sets in. Perhaps those will have to be "cloudy day" locations in general.

Also, has anybody had experience with ultra bounce? I've heard it's incredible-but it is very hard to find.

By the way, I'm shooting in Savannah, Ga-where late september can still pass for summer.

 

Thank you,

Rick Shepardson

[Matt Read]

Since you don't have the budget to make a cloudy day into a sunny day, why not make a sunny day into a cloudy day? Go buy a couple cheap white sheets and use them and some C-stands (or whatever, really) to build a tent around the windows. This will diffuse the light from outside, just the way clouds diffuse the sun on a cloudy day. Just make sure that you let your windows blow out some so you don't see the sheet outside. You'll probably want to do some tests to see how far away you'll need to make your tent. You might end up just needing to drape the sheets over the windows fro the outside and not have a tent at all.

[J. Lamar King IMPOSTOR]

Well the fact of the matter is you really need sun if that is the look you are going for. Even if you do have lots of lighting power it's still better to shoot with real sun. If you are forced to you can certainly light closeups in overcast weather with a couple of 1200 PAR's and fool the viewer. It's hard to find a suitable background and depending on your setup you may not find one at all. Also don't forget about negative fill it can be your best friend on overcast days. A 12 by T-bone is easy to roll around on one stand.

 

Ultra bounces are the bomb. You can fill in and entire house front with great subtle soft light with a 12 by. Doesn't work that great in heavy overcast really. I recently used a 12 by under a freeway overpass it was very dark under there but with lots of ambient push from hot sun outside. I got an ok edge on one person from about 4 feet away.

Edited August 8, 2008 by J. Lamar King