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Soft light on talent for night interior.


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It's hard to know what the rigging options would be for that ceiling -- that would sort of drive how I'd light the room.

 

With enough time and manpower, a good grip can give their DP many options. Since fixtures are generally upstage of the talent when lighting night interiors, some rigging is involved. As can be seen in the pictures below a lot can be done quickly with “wall busters,” 2x4s, and inexpensive deck framing hardware.

bose_woodshp_sm_wspicframehor.jpg

Dramatic motivated reverse key lighting for a Bose spot.

 

For example, while not a night interior per say, we created a similar low key dramatic lighting effect for the Bose spot above, transforming a flatly illuminated woodshop into a scene with warmth and contrast, with nothing more than 2x4s and deck framing hardware.

 

bose_woodshp_sm_wsinteriorgridshor.jpgA grid constructed of 2x4 lumber will enable you rig a light in the optimum position for motivated reverse key lighting

bose_woodshp_sm_grid_com_1_hor.jpg

A baby spud on a 2x4 joist bracket will enable you to inexpensively rig a light to lumber.

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2x4 joist brackets will enable you to quickly construct a lumber grid capable of rigging a light anywhere overhead.

We used the “big budget” approach of Speed-Rail Wall-Busters, Speed Cs, and Speed-Rail Pipe to create low-key reverse key lighting for a party scene on another Bose spot.

boseparty_sm_picframehor.jpg

boseparty_sm_pipebusteralthor.jpg

 

With the right equipment, time, and a little ingenuity there is nowhere that a good grip can’t put a light.

 

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston.

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Some ceilings are too smooth and too wide to allow wall spreaders -- if you are lucky you can create some sort of vertical supports for an overhead grid and have the art department hide them to camera with fake pillars or curtains, etc. I've also been in some old homes where the transition from the wall to the ceiling is curved, which again makes it very hard to use wall spreaders.

 

Sometimes I've had to settle for menace arms (if someone knows whether the word "menace" is right or wrong, please tell me...that's what the word sounds like.)

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