Lighting in daylight in a forest

[Thomas Fossgard]

Hi everyone!

 

I have been lurking in these exellent forums for quite some time by now, and the time has come when i have to apply some skills in the field of lighting, for a short film shot on DV, here at my filmschool in Denmark.

 

Here is my challenge.

 

A short film shot on three days in april, in a spring forest without much green in it yet. The director has asked for a consistent look, and also want a golden look similar to Kieslowskis "A Short Film About Killing" from Dekalog, although not that extreme.

 

Here is my thoughts about equipment setup.

 

Mirrors, reflectorboards, diffusion filters, and molton to draw light from sides of faces.

Camera filters include, grad filters (to make the forest look more interesting and less flat), Tiffen gold 1, and maybe a promist. (Some shots call for beautiful images of the forest, and i thought a subtle pro mist coult enhance the highlights.)

 

I would like to try to avoid electrical lights, becouse of budget strain with the renting of a generator + we have only studio lights up to 2k available. (My thinking is that it is a lot of hassle and that a 2k with ctb and diffusion would loos a lot of punch in daylight and might be applicable only for obscure closeups, and that i might be better off without the trouble)

 

I am going to do tests at location in a couple of days, and one of the more interesting things is how well will the DVs latidue handle the extreme contrast of a sunlit forest?

 

What do I do if the weather changes to overcast?

 

What would you think about this reasoning? As I said I have limited experience and rely heavily on theory here :) Do you have any tips or stories about what i should look out for lighting wise on this shoot?

 

All tips and help would be greatly apprecciated!

 

Regards

 

Thomas Fossgard

Denmark

[Rolfe Klement]

I shot a test on film end of last year

 

Breise Light tests

 

My advice (more film based) is to use all the kit you mentioned.

I was able to rent a generator for less than £100 for the weekend with cables etc so it might be an option... especially if you are trying to maintain a look (lighting ratio). And a 2k close up can throw quite a bit of punch in CU

As with all locations make sure you get there early, make sure talent are ready first thing (even if it means 4am call times)

Make sure you shoot the wides first - all in one go - cause it is easier to fake looks in Close Ups - later in the day

The biggest problem was getting permission to bring cars and generators into the forest.

Use promists for beauty - but remember "you can't polish sh1t" so make sure make up and talent look amazing to the eye before filming.

Use overhead diffusion for CU beauty shots

Be careful about using negative fill - because it is tough to create in a wide shot in a forest

 

I would spend as much time in the area as you can before the shoot - so you know the light, shadows, wind, noise issues etc

 

I wound up shooting on a cloudy day at about 8am - even though I planned a sunrise with snow! So don't panic if the weather changes - look closely at the water fight scenes in HERO - the weather is all over the place

 

thanks

 

Rolfe

[Patrick Neary]

>>I am going to do tests at location in a couple of days, and one of the more interesting things is how well will the DVs latidue handle the extreme contrast of a sunlit forest?

 

probably not very well... :)

 

In big fir forests here in the pacific northwest, (on a sunny day) you can have 6400 footcandles in one spot and about 10fc right next to it. nothing can handle that. Overcast makes it much easier, but it may not be the look you're after.

 

There was an interview with Ron Garcia, talking about his work on the "Twin Peaks" TV series and he said his working method for exteriors was something like "backlight, fill and boogie" (!) Especially in a high contrast area like a forest, that technique should work great- Overexposed backlight (with your "normal" exposure for the rest of the forest) looks great, overexposed front or sidelight surrounded by big inky black areas, not so great (unless you're going for that kind of look.)

 

good luck with your shoot!

[Thomas Fossgard]

Thank you very much for interesting and helping replies guys!

 

So I have decided to go with a generator, and for lights I'm thinking of taking the old 1k openface blondies they have at the school, so i will get the most punch pr.W.

 

Is it a good idea to not use full CTB on them, since the director has asked for a golden, brownish look anyway? I am now talking about lighting for longshots of the actor and the forest. How little CTB can i get away with? Anyone have experience in this using DV?

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Regards

 

Thomas Fossgard