Moody dacklit scene

[Ckulakov]

Here is something I did from one of my scenes of a backlight guy whose face is not scene clearly till the end of the movie.

 

 

I used a 500w photoflood tightly barndoored, and gelled with a 1/2 CTB. I then balanced for the 1/2 CTB and put on a blue filter. I whanted the whole frame to be black except the outline of the subject.

 

What do you think.

 

thanks

[Ckulakov]

Even though this may not be the best of my work. Or it totally has no appeal just let me know.

[Guest filmmakermilan]

i think what you were going for, you accomplished

[Chris Keth]

Here is something I did from one of my scenes of a backlight guy whose face is not scene clearly till the end of the movie.

 

 

I used a 500w photoflood tightly barndoored, and gelled with a 1/2 CTB. I then balanced for the 1/2 CTB and put on a blue filter. I whanted the whole frame to be black except the outline of the subject.

 

What do you think.

 

thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

You did what you wanted to, like the post above mine said. Personally, I would have lit him from about 11 o'clock so you get more of a profile rim, but this works quite well, too.

[Kris Carrillo]

I used a 500w photoflood tightly barndoored, and gelled with a 1/2 CTB. I then balanced for the 1/2 CTB and put on a blue filter. I whanted the whole frame to be black except the outline of the subject.

 

What do you think.

 

thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Constantine,

 

If I understand correctly, you gelled your light, and then white balanced under it? That would negate the effect of the gel completely. You could have just as easily used the blue filter on the camera without any gel on the photoflood, and with the appropriate exposure compensation, your shot would look exactly the same.

 

An even easier solution would be to leave the photoflood clean, hold a small piece of 1/2 CTO in front of your lens and then perform the white balance. When you pull the 1/2 CTO away, the photoflood would go blue and you wouldn't have to use any gel on it at all.

 

In any case, I think you accomplished the moody feeling you were going for. But as Christopher said, moving the light further behind the subject would create more of a rim, and would be closer to an outlined subject, whereas now it looks more like a 3/4 backlight which is bouncing off something (maybe a wall) and partially filling the face. If you want the frame completely black except for a rimmed outline, you have to make sure your backlight isn't bouncing off anything and passively filling the front of your subject.