Sean Conaty Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 I'm shooting a commercial in a few weeks and, for budgetary reasons, I'm told we have to do day for night. We are also shooting in a forest. Does anyone have any great examples they can recommend? -Pan's Labyrinth is the most recent film I can think of but I was unimpressed -Lawrence of Arabia and John Ford films just look so artificial What are some things to look for? Best conditions, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Keller Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 FWIW, I spent fifteen minutes trying to convince the folks who saw Pan's Labyrinth with me that it really was day-for-night. Those who are trained in cinematography can see it, but the typical audience member can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted November 19, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted November 19, 2008 (edited) FWIW, I spent fifteen minutes trying to convince the folks who saw Pan's Labyrinth with me that it really was day-for-night. Those who are trained in cinematography can see it, but the typical audience member can't. I fail to see how the DFN in Pans Labyrinth wasn't some of the best DFN you're ever going to see. I didn't notice until my second viewing. It also helps that a lot of that movie takes place from dusk to night and from dawn to morning so the exact time is often unclear. Edited November 19, 2008 by Chris Keth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Smith Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I watched "The Proposition" yesterday and have a very good DFN scenes. but have some post production work though. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Conaty Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 Awesome. Thanks for the suggestion. Someone also recommended 28 Weeks Later for the London night scenes. I don't really remember these. Any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Søren Viuf Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I'm still waiting for some wise soul to share the optimal conditions for DFN... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Hyslop Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I'm still waiting for some wise soul to share the optimal conditions for DFN... Well, I can't claim to be a wise soul (I'm often called a wise guy, but I think there's a difference ... :-) Anyway, I'm taking a cinematography class now, and we did a quick DFN setup. We used tungsten film, and underexposed 2 stops. HTH! -- Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanveer mir Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 The best time to shoot day for night is the magic hour.....wn u have kind a even spread of light....u can go down by 2 stops to get the look......... in rang de basanti they shot in mid afternoon one bike sequence which they later worked in D I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Søren Viuf Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I've always heard that any time of day is okay, as long as there is a hard sunlight creating shadows. (not overcast) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted November 24, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted November 24, 2008 Magic Hour and overcast would produce a similar DFN effect, very soft bluish light -- just that at Magic Hour, the light levels are low enough for practical sources to expose brightly, and you'll probably have less depth of field. Shooting DFN when the sun is out generally looks best in backlit or sidelit (if you need to use a Pola to darken a sky) in early morning or late afternoon when the sun is low and producing long shadows -- though in reality, moonlight can come from any angle including straight overhead. It's just that when the sun is lower and the scene is back or sidelit, you get nice shadows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member John Sprung Posted November 24, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted November 24, 2008 The main thing with DFN is to avoid the things that give it away. Car headlights, for instance, can't possibly compete with the sun. Polarizers can help with the sky, but you're better off avoiding it entirely. Being in a forest, that may be a good way to go. -- J.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Conaty Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 If anyone else is curious, i would definitely recommend the DFN scenes in "The Proposition". The best I've seen. Other good DFN's I've found in my research are "Black Robe" and "Mississippi Burning". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hayes Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 The Deep had some pretty good day for night. Especially when the boat leaves the habor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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