Lighting in a Self Storage facility

Matt Wells · November 7, 2005

HI there,

I have to light inside a self storage facility for a corporate video (which I am shooting on 16mm).

The floor is painted grey, the walls are white as is the ceiling. Currently lit with flourescents.

Have a look at this webpage - there is a photograph of the inside:

http://www.extraspace-storage.com

The shots required include people walking around the facility etc and generally using the place.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Matt

David Mullen ASC · November 7, 2005

Well, if it's for a corporate video, they probably don't want something arty and creative, like darkness interrupted by pools of blue-green Cool White fluorescent light glaring off of metal doors...

They probably want it to look like what it is, only better. Clean, well-lit, spacious, shiney & new, etc.

If all you have to deal with are overhead fluorescents, you can probably leave them there and just augment with some off-camera Kinos with matching tubes in them, placed at angles to get some nice sheen on doors, etc. Since it's such a boring location, camera movement may be more important than lighting to give it some visual interest.

Edited November 7, 2005 by David Mullen

Michael Collier · November 7, 2005

I would recomend 1/2 CTO on the lights inside the doors, so when people open them up they look warm and inviting.

Get a lot of quick shots of action with crisp sound. The best way to spice up boring is with interesting sound and periods of motion (like david was saying, cam movement would be key.) think requim for a dream montages, but not as quick cut. Get every sound you can to build a world out of the storage facility, like it has a life of its own.

Also I would focus on co-ordnating the motion to an insane degree. IE as the camera dollys through the hallway you see at each bay someone doing something short and spacific that would create a noise. One person opening the door, dolly too a girl putting her (albeit very noisy) teady bear down on some boxes, dolly to a guy walking his motorcycle into his bay. Something new at each location so it seems like a world of life in the place.

Definatly put some neg green on the lights (cool, greenish light doesnt sell the space for me, its so boring that ugly lighting will kill any sense of life.)

Tim J Durham · November 8, 2005

HI there,

I have to light inside a self storage facility for a corporate video (which I am shooting on 16mm).

The floor is painted grey, the walls are white as is the ceiling. Currently lit with flourescents.

Have a look at this webpage - there is a photograph of the inside:

http://www.extraspace-storage.com

The shots required include people walking around the facility etc and generally using the place.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Matt

Hi Matt,

Try bouncing warm fill light up off the floor. That can give a sunny, friendly feel to industrial settings. Also, some lens diffusion to make the fluorescents halate some. That way they glow a little.