Ballroom lighting on a budget

[Tim Pfautsch]

Hey people :-)

I am looking for advice to light a quite big ballroom with a overhead chandelier. How to get a good room tone, how to pepper the frame in the wides.

Its a lowbudget commercial so no fancy ballons sadly. 

My first instinct is to use the existing chandeliers in the wides, change bulbs for maximum output. Haze the room. Add some practicals to the mix to get some interest on the walls.
I'd love to install somekind of big toplight, but time and money won't allow for that...

Anyone who has some ideas?

Greatly appreciated,

Tim

 

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Sounds like a good plan -- what else can you do if you can't put any kind of lighting in the ceiling?  Or can you? Can you bounce into it? Can you rig white sheets to give you something to bounce into?

[Christopher Santucci]

You can't menace arm a big chinaball for the non wide stuff?

[Tim Pfautsch]

This is going to be the location, hopefully.

@David Mullen ASCthanks for taking the time! I would like to refrain from bouncing, puts stand into the wides, also the beams become visible through the haze. - at least in my mind.

Did some thinking, I will convince the director to only show the wide as an opening shot and try to modify the chandlier so it's bright enough. Rest in mediums or closeups with toplights.

@Christopher Santuccithe closeups are for sure toplit with a menace arm! No doubt about that!

 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Tim Pfautsch

[Josue Corredor]

Hey Tim, how did you ended shooting the spec?