Spalding Hamsun

I've come from a DV background where I've never had the luxury of interchangable lenses? I wondered if anyone had any tips and or advice on how to appropriately mix focal lengths. I'll give you an example.

1. Establishing shot (Wide): Joe walks into a large bar room. The camera pans with him as walks through the crowd toward the bar.

2. Joe sits up at bar (M.S): We can see people moving behind him in the background

3. Talent's POV: Bartender walks from the other end of the bar to serve him.

4. Talent orders a drink (MCU)

In this situation I would be thinking medium/wide lens for shot 1.(perhaps 24mm - 4/3 sensor), then shot 2. I might use the 24mm or perhaps a 35mm, then shot 3. the same as shot 2. because it's a reverse situation, then shot 4 I would maybe use a 50mm because it's close and I would want a shallower DOF for this shot.

My background is going to be compressed in shot 4 compared to shot 2 if I use a longer lens: is the audience going to think this is weird? or is this normal.

I know people say it's good to mix up your lenses to keep things interesting, but I find that I use my 24mm lens in about 85% of my shots. Maybe I'm being lazy, but it just always feels like the right lens to use.

I want to make a shot of a house on a prairie at night. It will be shot wide: we will see the lights on in the house and the stars buring in the sky above the house. Is this even possible? I am shooting digital on a Panasonic GH1, though I do have access to a Canon 5D II (which is supposed to be better in low light)

Thanks in advance

I'd start by flagging off half of the windows so that the bar is more 3/4 instead of frontally-lit, then wrap that more from the side with the Kinos.

 

You could imagine that the daylight is dim enough at the bar to allow some practical lighting behind the counter.

 

You could also create some slashes of hot sunlight with some Joker 800 Source-4 Lekos if you could rent some.

Thanks for that... I thought about practicals hanging above/over the bar. I don't have a lot of experience mixing different temperature light sources and I'm worried that if I hang practical tungsten lights my talents' skin tones will be orange and unnatural.

I should also say that I do have access to lighting. Not HMI's unfortunately, but kinos, gelled tungstens etc. Also plenty of flags, bounce etc.

I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to light the attached scene. It is a pub which I will be shooting during the day. There are fluroescent lights in the building, which I want to try to avoid using. Action will be happening on the floor of the pub, but most of it will be at the bar. Because the bar is so far away from the windows, the light is going to be very flat. Is there any way I can subtly shape the light on the talents' faces? I am keen to use the windows as the main light source, with natural light if possible. In fact I want a very natural look - I only want to subtly shape it.