Dealing with reflections in glass - Polariser

[Thomas Olivier]

Hello fellow cinematographers,

 

I am shooting a short film in a few weeks and have been on a few locations recces this week and at almost every one of them the issue has been reflections on the windows.

 

The film is based at night in a launderette so the windows almost look like mirrors. I know that a possible fix would be using a polariser, but the main concern is will it really help that much or will i still be fighting the reflections of lights and crew in the windows every time i look their way.

 

Are there any other alternatives to reduce reflections?

 

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

 

Thomas Terminet Schuppon

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Pola will take away a lot of your light (2 stops)-- it's only a last resort, ya know?

 

In truth, you just need to be cognizant of your reflections--that's the best way. And bring some duvateen with you so you can cover over things which can't move but which are distracting.

 

And, if you're shooting, depending on the camera you're using-- you may well just be able to throw the reflections out of focus.