make swimming pool look like a big lake

[edwinderwael]

Hi everybody,

 

I am preparing a shoot for a short movie. Actually we are just preparing the tests,

we are gonna make a little teaser just to check everything out.

The whole movie is shot on a kind of wooden raft in the middle of a lake (you dont see anything else then water).

For the underwater stuff we go to a swimmingpool.

 

IT IS A NIGHT SETTING! The only light source there is , is a fire torch on the raft.

The fire has no effect on the underwater shots, we want to create something abstract cause it is a fantasy world.

I was thinkin about making a circle of back/top light around personage for when he is on the surface (FILMED IN LAKE)

And for the underwater shots take that idea but make it harder.

 

[NOW MY QUESTION IS:

 

how can I simulate a lake like feeling in a swimming pool?

I think it is gonna be an indoor pool so i can make everything dark and make a rigg or something over the pool with a couple of hmis in back top or maybe working via mirrors. I just want to make sure it is not a clear blue pool look, and I want to make sure we dont see the end or the floor of the pool. You think putting black cloths underwater on the floor and walls is a good idea to get the infinite feeling?

 

If you want to have a better vieuw about what i mean I can send some parts of the storyboard.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

WIM

 

Any suggestions are welkom...

I heard about the milk additif you can use, I dont know yet If we may do that

[JD Hartman]

How about using miniatures? Will all the filming at the enclosed pool be done from below or alongside the raft? You can use Aquashade (trademark), a non-toxic chemical used to darken the water in ponds and fountains. Depending on the camera angle, the biggest issue maybe tricking the eye with a forced perspective.

[Rupert MacCarthy-Morrogh]

We did this last year for a commercial, we rigged large black drapes on two sides of the pool extending about 10' under water and about 16' above the water line. We used a strong backlight (4k HMI) and bounced a 2.5k HMI in from behind the camera for the key, and another to side light the rain. The pool is normally used for survival training so has a wave, wind and rain machine built in (nice...)

 

Here is a behind the scenes photo I took of the the action and this is an example of the result. This is a the pool normally looks like.

 

Regards

Rupert Mac

[JD Hartman]

Rupert Mac, very nice result.

[Rupert MacCarthy-Morrogh]

Rupert Mac, very nice result.

 

Thanks JD. It was a fun shoot (Lots of big boys toys to play with )