Matt Parr

Did you end up trying it out? If so, how were the results?

Hey guys. I've read these forums for a while and gotten quite a bit of useful info from them, but I now have a few specific questions regarding an upcoming shoot that I don't think have been fully answered here. In roughly two weeks time I'll be shooting a short on a B&H Filmo 70DR with tri-x film. The shoot is entirely indoors at night, with everything happening in two rooms where the lights are both on and off (depending on the scene). One is a bedroom, the other a living room. I'd like to get some heavy shadows, but I know that since its reversal I'll have to nail the lighting/exposure just about perfectly in order to get usable footage. I guess I've got a couple questions here: How much contrast can I get between my key and fill while keeping the shot "darker" and well shadowed? I feel there's a balance here that I'll need to strike. On the camera-side, do I expose for the highlights and go from there or do I expose for the majority of the room and tweak stuff in post if its too bright? What'll be my best bet for getting a noticeable difference between "lights on" and "lights off" in the two rooms? Just pump in a ton more light? I'm really more worried about the transitions when he turns the lights on and off, tho I may be able to pull some trickery in the editing room for that. I'm not sure exactly what lights I'll be able to procure, but for the time being I know I have some 1400W halogen work lights (that're gonna get hotter than blue blazes, I know), a china ball, and misc lamps around the house. I might be able to get ahold of some 1k solarspots or a MR tweenie/softie kit, but I'm not sure how lucky I'll be. I also have a handy 5-in-1 reflector and some bounce boards. (for the record, this guy - http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=45007 - had a similar situation, but I don't think all of my questions were addressed) Thanks guys -MP