Dramatic church lighting for rap music video

[JJ Labritakis]

Hello! It's about time I posted here again. So I need a little help with a church scene for rap song music video. The scene starts off with the church goers and the priest all screaming and yelling evangelical style. At one point communion shot glasses are passed around and the party begins. There are 3 6'x6' windows at eye level and stained glass windows above those. The talent will be up front center stage, he is about 15 to 20 feet from the windows. I am more worried about lighting the scene before the party. I want to give that morning church heavenly look with a slash of sunlight behind the talent with a more dramatic ratio.

 

I was thinking of pumping 1.2k HMIs diffused through each of the 3 windows and controlling the bounce coming from the opposite wall. I'll haze up the place a little as well. Is this a good way to approach the lighting? I would love some help. Thank you so much! Cheers.

[Albion Hockney]

How wide is your shot? The scale you are talking about I think requires bigger lights if you want something like a hard slash of sunlight and a shot wide enough where you see the windows. Slashes of sunlight are generally direct (no diffusion or something like opal maybe 251 for a softer look) but generally people do a slash of sunlight and then hit talent with a soft side key from same direction. you might be able to do the slashes with something like JoLekos (800w HMI with source 4 style configuration for shafts of light) with some small flags and then do a soft side key with a a few 1.2k hmis through heavy diffusion/large frames lining the wide of the church - I think the idea of controlling spill on the far side of the church might not be necessary unless this is a super small church with big white walls...if so yea that is a good idea I'd line it with solids.

 

If you want to be wide enough to see the windows in shot then I think you are on a different scale where you need 4k's or so - does sound like a pretty small church so maybe it doesn't need to be too big to get right. If you do come through the windows I would do it on high walkers too so you can get the lights at good height and maybe catch the stain glass, but make sure to have grips to keep that safe.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Albion Hockney

[JJ Labritakis]

Here's how this came out if anyone is interested. Raw from the Red Dragon.

 

http://imgur.com/a/X4uu5

[Mihnea Snooker]

What was your final lighting in church? Looks reaaaly great! Even if it was redgamma, it looks so good i couldn't resist trying some color grades http://imgur.com/j6a5zDj

[Jay Young]

What was your final lighting in church? Looks reaaaly great! Even if it was redgamma, it looks so good i couldn't resist trying some color grades http://imgur.com/j6a5zDj

 

I much prefer your bottom image personally. That's one thing I never got the hang of was coloring... there's other experts for that tho!

[Jan Tore Soerensen]

It really depends on the look you are going for though. I feel like the softer look of the first image is easier on the eyes.