How do I achieve this sun leak through window effect?

[Yash Lucid]

Hi guys.

 

Is it possible to achieve this effect without expensive lights? Is there some workaround to using limited resources to creating this effect, like using powder/dust to help catch and reflect light?

 

 

 

 

[Phil Rhodes]

It's more about the atmosphere than the lights - use a small amount of smoke or dust in the air. The light needs to be directional, and aimed in the right direction, but that's about it. Sunlight will do it.

[David Mullen ASC]

You need a strong sharp/hard light and some sort of haze in the air. I'd use a commercial haze maker / smoke machine of some sort rather than try any old powder in the air -- keep in mind that people have to breathe whatever is hanging in the air and a lot of particulate matter can be irritating or carcinogenic.

 

You can use real sunlight, even redirected with a 4'x4' mirror board, but then you are limited to having clear weather and the sun coming at a useful angle (and the 4'x4' mirror board will naturally create a beam that is 4'x4' wide.

 

If you can't afford a big powerful lamp, you can try multiple Lekos / Source-4 Lekos with narrow lenses to create parallel rays when clustered together and all pointed in the same direction/angle, then it can look like one beam broken up by something.