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Lighting a second story window in a tight space


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 For a student film, I am trying to rig an Aputure 300d mk2 with the light dome to shoot through a second story window. The only stands I have are 13 foot high but the windows are  roughly 17-18 foot high. Here is a picture of me attempting this with the 13 door stand;

 

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Here is what it looked like in the room;

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Obviously this isn't what I'm after but I am thinking if I gel the windows with 216 diffusion and have the light shining down in the top right corner it may look convincing with the blinds shut fully? I'd need to test but any alternative ideas would be great.

I would need to rent a Mombo combo to get the light that high but the issue is that I have got a very tight space to work with on the ground. 

I only have 42 inches of width to place stands on the ground due to a hedge behind the house so I dont know if I have enough room for a mathews mombo combo with the legs spread out. Could anyone confirm this? I don't have access to be beyond the bush/fence.

 

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The goal is I want to make it look like daylight coming in the window. Any suggestions much appreciated. 

 

Many thanks!

 

Edited by imran qureshi
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I don’t think the Mambo Combo legs are going to fit unless you skinny them up. You could shove one of the legs into the hedge, as long as the ground is solid.

That said, I think it would be smart to reappraise your approach based on what’s available.

- Is the light supposed to be sunlight or a street lamp? If the latter, can it come from below? 

- If the former, is there a nearby building that you can get permission to light from? Or can you shoot it during the daytime? 

- If not, can you find another location that is easier to light? If the blinds are closed, then can you just paper the windows and have them glow out? 

That sort of thing. 

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On 4/11/2021 at 7:17 PM, Satsuki Murashige said:

I don’t think the Mambo Combo legs are going to fit unless you skinny them up. You could shove one of the legs into the hedge, as long as the ground is solid.

That said, I think it would be smart to reappraise your approach based on what’s available.

- Is the light supposed to be sunlight or a street lamp? If the latter, can it come from below? 

- If the former, is there a nearby building that you can get permission to light from? Or can you shoot it during the daytime? 

- If not, can you find another location that is easier to light? If the blinds are closed, then can you just paper the windows and have them glow out? 

That sort of thing. 

Thanks!

Update, I gaffer taped 216 diffusion to the inside of the windows and then tried again but this time placing the light towards the far right window frame and then having a second light towards the right and got an effect I am relatively happy with. This was done at about 2am with the lights still uplighting below the window. I think it will take a bit of adjustment to get the dark spots right (most of it is just the window frame so that happens naturally anyway during the day) but I think it might work with a bit of luck.

 

1437537531_ScreenShot2021-04-13at12_35_17.thumb.jpg.4b16c0e75b7a86a0d2c4b2ff0a2c243e.jpg

Edited by imran qureshi
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It seems like you come up with something you’re relatively happy with. Because the light is so close to the window, the falloff is great, as you know, though.

I understand it’s a student film, but it also might be worth mentioning the idea of using mirrors. One could rig mirrors and then blast jolekos or something with a long powerful from the ground, creating a more uniform source. But then you again have the issue of getting the mirrors high enough and at a 45degree orientation.

thinking even crazier one could see what sort of options there are to rig from the roof - but this is absolutely not recommended without proper safety gear, professional rigging crew and equipment, etc. Remember..safety.  I don’t think this is practical advice for your situation, but fun to think about more possibilities as an exercise.

Edited by Joseph Tese
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