Need advice PLS, how to light a bathroom?

[Simona Analte]

Hello!

 

I am soon going to shoot my first short project for my CV. It's a 30-60 second lactose intolerant commercial.

The story takes place inside a bathroom. A woman lays inside an old tub filled with milk. There will be a wide angle and few close-ups.

Shooting on Canon 5D.

 

Im having a bit of hard time deciding on how to light this scene.

The bathroom does not have windows. It's night time. Plan on lighting it soft with subdued muted tones.

 

How can I light to create that mood? What could be the motivating source?

China ball hanging out of the frame? Boost practicals with photofloods?

 

What would be the advantage and disadvantage of using a tungsten Kinoflo, fresnels or chimera...?

 

 

Any advice and help would be very much appreciated :)

 

Thank you!

[hans gruber]

when you say old bathtub, is it like a trainspotting bathroom, like a seven bathroom, or like a trumanshow bathroom? ^^

i mean, rotton and dark, more or less clean and dark or clean and bright? the last one is quite simple, just use a china ball or bounce a open light against the ceiling.

[Simona Analte]

when you say old bathtub, is it like a trainspotting bathroom, like a seven bathroom, or like a trumanshow bathroom? ^^

i mean, rotton and dark, more or less clean and dark or clean and bright? the last one is quite simple, just use a china ball or bounce a open light against the ceiling.

 

Im sorry I didn`t make it very clear when I said an old bathtub.

The bathroom is quite big. Very clean, crisp and sophisticated looking with muted dark green/red colour scheme. It definitely wouldn't be brightly lit, in mid-range tones I would say.

[freddie bonfanti]

if you're on your own, without a gaffer or someone who can rig safely, forget overhead rigs, polecats and things you see in fancy cinematography posts. Just be clever and use what's already there, maybe boosting the pracs. if there's a mirror light already, or a fluorescent fitting, or something like that, look into buying a brighter stronger version of it. you're shooting on the 5D anyway.

 

see where you're at exposure wise with your pracs and then start from there

 

Since you're in a limited/hazardous space, try using small easier lights that don't get too hot (kinos, LEDs if you can afford it), and obviously being a bathroom be very safety conscious!

[Josef Heks]

I would agree with freddie, especially considering you'd be rigging over water, with the talent in the water. Dangerous.

What you could try depending on your shot, is to shoot a lamp from the floor and bounce into the ceiling (or if the ceiling was not the right colour, use white card, sheet or thin poly attached to the ceiling). Then attach some black cloth, plastic or blackwrap to the roof as a skirt around the bounce area. This will give you a soft, contained top light, with soft falloff. You could then supplement this with wall lamps, practicals etc to make your lighting a bit more source driven.

 

Freddie - I'm an electric from Sydney too.. judging from your IMDB, you look like your new to Australia? You've done some pretty cool projects. Hope the works going well for you here...

[freddie bonfanti]

I would agree with freddie, especially considering you'd be rigging over water, with the talent in the water. Dangerous.

What you could try depending on your shot, is to shoot a lamp from the floor and bounce into the ceiling (or if the ceiling was not the right colour, use white card, sheet or thin poly attached to the ceiling). Then attach some black cloth, plastic or blackwrap to the roof as a skirt around the bounce area. This will give you a soft, contained top light, with soft falloff. You could then supplement this with wall lamps, practicals etc to make your lighting a bit more source driven.

 

Freddie - I'm an electric from Sydney too.. judging from your IMDB, you look like your new to Australia? You've done some pretty cool projects. Hope the works going well for you here...

 

hi Jo,

 

yes been here for 6 months only, got 6 more to go. working mainly with Shaun Conway these days. Sydney is a great place, very skilled technicians too!