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Hi, I have a couple of questions that I'd greatly appreciate any help or advice with regarding shooting with natural light. For an upcoming shoot, one of the scenes written is set on a beach and involves a simple conversation between two characters. The director would like it to be shot in overcast weather - he'd like it to look grey, miserable and "flat", but in an aesthetically pleasing (cinematic?) way. I'm concerned that shooting in overcast weather won't look good, and would love anyones input on how to go about this, or examples of films that have managed it well? The area I am least knowledgable about is in using light modifiers such as flags/bounce boards/etc. Obviously the success of the shoot depends largely on the weather itself - something I can't control! Are there any particular shooting conditions that you would recommend for good results? (ie. is it better to shoot with clear skies and use diffusion/flags etc in a particular way, or shoot in overcast conditions? Using artificial light sources is a possibility but ideally we'd like to stick with natural light only. All the best, Connor

Hey, I have read in several places that slower stocks yield a more contrasty look. Does anybody have any experience with this? Would Kodak 50D be noticeably more contrasty than, say, 250D? I am shooting a scene during an overcast day and am thinking that using 50D over 250D would give the image more contrast, as I am worried that the light may look too flat on the actor's faces. Alternatively, might it be better to go with a less contrasty stock and reserve option to add contrast in the grade?

Hey, I have read in several places that slower stocks yield a more contrasty look. Does anybody have any experience with this? Would Kodak 50D be noticeably more contrasty than, say, 250D? I am shooting a scene during an overcast day and am thinking that using 50D over 250D would give the image more contrast, as I am worried that the light may look too flat on the actor's faces. Alternatively, might it be better to go with a less contrasty stock and reserve option to add contrast in the grade?