How to create/shoot heat sensitive images?

Mahesh Shimpi · July 1, 2009

Hello Friends,

I am shooting a short film. Its mostly night outdoor shoot.

I have to do a shot where a person is supposedly watching couple of people through the night binoculars. These characters are chasing one another.

1. How do I show the heat sensitive images?

2. Is this do-able in post production editing effects? If yes, then do I shoot regular and let it be taken care off in editing?

Look forward to your opinions/ideas/techniques etc.

Thanks

Mahesh

Chris Millar · July 1, 2009

Your average night vision and heat sensitive cameras are two different things.

One uses the IR range of light and luckily enough can be found on many consumer cameras - they give a monochromatic image that is often tinted green in harmony with the original nightvision scopes (Silence of the Lambs no ?) - the other is actually heat sensitive, some monochromatic also and some scale the heat range over the visible spectrum to get you that rainbow effect (not sure if they actually used one, but for now I'll say 'Predator style') these are whole different kettle of fish ... Think obscure, think $$$, think tanks of strange gas with university nerds and/or fire investigators over your shoulder.

Do you have any footage in mind that you'd like to emulate ? If so, show us...

Mahesh Shimpi · July 1, 2009

Thanks Chris. Have two options

1. Would love to create effect similar to that shown in "Predator".

2. Just for this scene, am also considering shooting with a regular consumer camera that gives night mode, where all the images are seen green.

Will that work though?

Chris Millar · July 1, 2009

Thanks Chris. Have two options
1. Would love to create effect similar to that shown in "Predator".

2. Just for this scene, am also considering shooting with a regular consumer camera that gives night mode, where all the images are seen green.

Will that work though?

Predator = post heavy work, think rotoscope yeech or the real deal = $$$

There are probably some botched/fake heat sensitive film look filters for After Effects that you might want to look into also, but they are pretty cheeseball.

Nightmode = As it is on everyones miniDV camera unless you're a smart bean and can work around it (Blair Witch springs to mind) it will really have an amateur look.

Maybe a combo of NV shots then some color work/filters in post on that will get you heading in the right direction, how much time you want to spend on this ? What cameras do you have ? What if/any softwares are you going to use ? Intended output ?

Not quite sure what you mean by 'will that work' ...

Scott Fritzshall · July 1, 2009

I recall that in Predator, they actually shot those POV shots with an actual thermal imaging camera or whatever they are called. There really isn't any set of filters, either in-camera or in post, that will easily recreate the look you're going for. It's going to be a lot of work to do it in post most likely.