-- skylight -- lanterns

[Jay Ramos]

Hi,

 

I've been reading the board for a while, searching and learning. Great work.

 

Have a question on lighting a scene. we're prepping this loft space that's not only griddy but has this fantastic skylight (12x12).

 

From an audience POV the room's only natural light source is the skylight, so we're covering the windows with black garbage bags --

 

We're releasing some haze to get the misty basement feel as well -- accentuates the light coming from the skylight.

 

We're covering the skylight ,from the roof, to narrow the light source, whether artifiical or natural. I prefer complete control during the shoot, so will most likely go for artificial lights, setup somewhere in the skylight.

 

below are two stills, reference stills from a recent film.

 

What would one recommend to get that beautful glow coming from the skylight?

 

next, since the room's only source of light is the sky light, would like to position some lamps like the one in still two below. what kind of light is this? or did the DP just use a lamp placed in a lantern? looks obviously the latter.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Jay Ramos

[David Mullen ASC]

From "Casino Royale"?

 

If you want broken-up shafts like that, you need to project a hard light through the skylight, possibly by positioning a mirror high enough and bouncing an HMI PAR light off it.

 

That lantern is a prop with a lightbulb inside of it.

[Jay Ramos]

From "Casino Royale"?

 

If you want broken-up shafts like that, you need to project a hard light through the skylight, possibly by positioning a mirror high enough and bouncing an HMI PAR light off it.

 

That lantern is a prop with a lightbulb inside of it.

 

Nice. Casino Royale it is. great scene.

So the HMI Par would be angled say 135degrees (pointing up) into the mirror which is at 45degrees (point down)

 

thanks

 

 

 

[David Mullen ASC]

It's just that most lights except PAR64's don't like to be pointed straight down because the heat has nowhere to go, hence the mirror bounce. While you could use PAR64's and point those straight down, one probably wouldn't be bright enough unless you used a cluster of narrow-spot PAR64's, like in a 9-light or something. And again, I'm not completely sure you can point a 9-light straight down.

[Jay Ramos]

It's just that most lights except PAR64's don't like to be pointed straight down because the heat has nowhere to go, hence the mirror bounce. While you could use PAR64's and point those straight down, one probably wouldn't be bright enough unless you used a cluster of narrow-spot PAR64's, like in a 9-light or something. And again, I'm not completely sure you can point a 9-light straight down.

 

 

I learn something every day. PAR64's (club lights), may look into this. it's lite so may be a better option. was thinking of Mole Pars. strong but hot as hell.

[Michael Nash]

Par cans are pointed straight down all day every day. I'd have to take another look at the venting on a 9-light, but I've pointed them straight down for shorter periods with no problems.

[Rob van Gelder]

HMI lamps from a company like Arri, can be pointed down, at least most of them.

The main problem is with the 12/18K Compacts, they have a limit of 75/60 degrees down.

All Arri lamps have engravings on the housing with the maximum angle, and most of them go +_ 90.

 

It is more often a problem for the bulb itself, specially the higher wattage >6kw.

To make the electrical contacts in the glass the manufacturers use a special Molybdenum foil, that conducts and seals the bulb at the same time. However, the melting point from this material is not that high and temperatures above 450 degrees can be a problem.

The normal operating temp. is around 380-410 degrees, so not much overhead. Pointing a lamp down can easily raise the temp in the lampfoot/glass connection by 40 to 80 degrees, again, depending on the power output.