lighting dark interior space with super8

[icha7]

hello, i am a new member and a fairly unexperienced director. I was wondering how you could light a dark interior space (this being night time) with super 8 effectively, without over or under exposing the film. I will be most likely be using kodachrome 40 film. thx

[Matt Pacini]

It depends on what look you're going for.

Can you describe the location with more detail, what kind of scene you're shooting, and what you want the mood to be, etc?

 

MP

[David Mullen ASC]

Considering how slow a 40 ASA stock is, making a scene really dark is probably the EASIEST thing one can do... just don't light it!

 

Honestly though, you need to be more clear as to the size of the space, what the light sources are (practicals versus windows with moonlight, etc.) But don't be surprised if you need pretty bright lights and/or have to keep your shots tight enough to light.

[icha7]

hi,

 

thx for the reply, well the place is a bar, and its night time shoot. it is probably 20metres by 20 metres if not bigger. So far there is only natural light, whcih are lamps, candles and what not. The look i'm going for is a wong kar wai sorta look, like i guess a colour noir sorta look, where the mood is abit noir without the contrast between shadows and light i guess. It sorta has a mood of a nice intimate jazz bar, colours of red, yellow and green covering the room.

[icha7]

oh and lighting equipment will b used, but since i hav no technical knowledge of lighting i cannot tell you what wattage or anything they are, just typical shite lights found in film skools

[David Mullen ASC]

First of all, with 40 ASA, you are basically starting from scratch in that bar. Almost nothing in there will have enough exposure to photograph other than a bright neon sign, and it won't be bright enough to throw any light into the room.

 

So imagine that you're going to more or less replace every light in that bar with something brighter. You're also going to max out the power supply there without a generator, so make sure their fridges are turned off and anything drawing power.

 

If there are overhead light bulbs above the bar counter, try replacing them with something like 75 watt Narrow Spot PAR globes with standard edison screw bases. Photofloods would be even better but I doubt the sockets can take that much heat.

 

Try putting fluorescent tubes under the glass shelves of the bar and behind the bottles. Ideally you'd rent Kinos for this because you will probably have flicker problems with ordinary flos with a non-crystal camera.

 

Try 1K spots on walls, like from Narrow Spot Parcans.

 

For color-gelled backlights, you may have to go as heavy as a 2K or if a blue-color is OK, a 575 watt HMI PAR (flicker-free again) with some additional blue, spotted in on the backs of people's heads. Then fill may come from some 2K's bounced off of the ceiling or white boards.

 

Like I said, be prepared to carefully plot every circuit in the building back to the fuse box because you are going to max out the power. Have lots of extension cord, have some alternative power sources available if necessary.

 

Try and frame a bright neon sign behind people's heads.

 

Use a smoke machine to create some overall haze.