Lighting Setup - Color Contrast/Low Key/Neon

[David DI]

http://s7.directupload.net/images/130629/822ukqg4.jpg

 

 

Hi,

 

I am studying cinematography (first year) and we are about to shoot our first studio exercise.

 

I wanted to ask you about my lighting setup. What do you think of it?

 

The story is a about a prostitute and a punter. She can't cope with her life anymore (there is no space for real love in this profession...)

 

I wanted to create a very moody, gritty lighting design. I wanted to add a lot of texture (gobos, gradients) to the lighting to keep it quite hard. Color contrast was quite important to me as well (not always the same orange, blue lighting).

 

Do you have any further suggestion?

 

Any help is much appreciated. I will keep you updated!! :) :wub: :)

 

Cheers,

 

David

Edited June 29, 2013 by David DI

[David Mullen ASC]

I'd avoid clicking on that link -- it has some fishy banner ads, you know, the ones that tell you that your computer needs protecting, etc.

[David DI]

yeah I know :( .

 

I couldn't find any better imagehost. If you click the link underneath the thumbnail you get directly to the image....

 

Seems like you can only edit your post once...

Edited June 29, 2013 by David DI

[David DI]

An other link

 

 

http://i44.tinypic.com/wjjsew.jpg

[Phil Rhodes]

You can attach images and then insert them into the post, with a reasonable amount of space available.

 

I can't really claim to be a director of photography, but my approach runs thus:

 

1) Decide what I want it to look like (Colourful!)

2) Dream up the most reasonable way that the situation to be depicted might look that way (Hey, there's a neon sign outside the window! That's reasonable!)

3) Implement.

 

This is of course hackery of the worst possible kind, whereas what you probably should be doing is as follows:

 

1) Establish a realistic scenario for the situation to be depicted (Which will be done by someone other than you, of course)

2) Find a way to make that scenario look good without requiring it to be set up in a very specific way.

3) Collect oscar.

 

Plan A is of course easier, but it does require a lot of cooperation from the rest of the production and a cooperative director. Just don't admit you did it that way.

 

P

[David DI]

????????

[Phil Rhodes]

Well, quite.

[David Mullen ASC]

Is that a window along the top of the drawing, so two windows? Is this a set (I assume)? What do you see out both windows? Is your idea to cross-light the actors no matter where they go into the bedroom? Is the idea to fill them in with red soft light no matter where they go in the bedroom?

[David DI]

Yes, there are two windows along the top of the drawing. It is a built set. I can arrange the walls. I am planning to not show the outside of those two windows. Only the window on the right will have something like a neonsign behind it. My fill light will be red (or maybe even blacklight aka congo blue lee filters on those soft lights). The cross lighting is correct. I would only use some fresnels for rimlights (on standby).

[Jason Fratis]

Is it supposed to be day or night?

[David DI]

Yeah its a night scene... Do you guys have any suggestions about the colors. I wanted to have yellow/green light coming in from the outside and mix it with red light from bulbs hanging on the ceiling. Any experience with effect gels? Which mix good