shooting at night

[tashunka]

Can someone give me some suggestions on how to shoot a night time, on a country road scene so I have enough light to obtain an image but not look "lit". What's the fastest B&W and Colour super8 stocks available and where can I get 'em. thanx alot.

Tash.

[MikeBrantley]

I haven't found the day-for-night tip yet, but here's a night-for-night reader query from the June 1979 issue (vol. 7, no. 4) of Super-8 Filmaker magazine:

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Q: Can you give me some tips on shooting outside night-for-night street scenes where street lamps and moonlight are the only light sources?

A: You should use a camera with an XL type shutter (220-degree angle or better), a fast lens (f/1.2 or better yet f/1.0) and fast film. Make sure that all the important action takes place in the highest light area. Store windows and car headlights can help supply additional light, and reflector boards can be used to bounce some available light back onto the shadowside of the subject.

When you're setting up the shots (before looking through the viewfinder), wear a pair of dark neutral-gray sunglasses. They will help you get an idea of what the footage will look like. When you shoot, your camera should be set for artificial light. As with all shooting where the light is tricky, some test footage will let you know what to expect and ultimately save you time and money.

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Hope that helps!

[MikeBrantley]

Here's the info on day-for-night shooting, from a reader query to Super-8 Filmaker magazine, in the July/August 1981 issue (vol. 9, no. 5):

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Q: I want to film a nighttime scene outdoors, and still be able to see my actors. How do I go about this?

A: It's one of Hollywood's oldest tricts called day-for-night filming. Essentially, you shoot the scene in daylight as you would any other scene. the nighttime effect is achieved by underexposing the film. If the camera has manual exposure override, set the exposure one or two f/stops higher to let in less light, or lock in a higher f/stop wth an "EE lock."

Next, remove or switch out the camera's built-in filter as you would when shooting under artificial light. This will render the scene in a bluish cast, another time-honored convention for night effects. In fact, putting a blue filter over the lens will create an even darker nighttime look. Blue theatrical gels available from theatrical supply companies (see Yellow Pages) will also do the trick and are generally less expensive than filters.

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Let us know how your scene (or your testing) comes out. Good luck!

[MikeBrantley]

My first, probably most helpful, suggestion is to shoot some tests before you go to the expense and trouble of gathering your actors and shooting a lot of expensive film.

Maybe you can use some type of off-camera reflecting device to reflect whatever dim light you do have onto your actors' faces in close shots. You could also incorporate some artificital lighting into your script -- like have your characters hold flashlights or torches or whatever. I think the characters even illuminated their own faces in The Blair Witch Project.

Another option is to shoot day for night, where you underexpose the film and use blue filters to make day look something like night. It never looks absolutely convincing, but it is an often-used convention (especially in low-budget movies) that has become accepted by audiences. I just ran across a tip for how to do this in an old moviemaking magazine. I'll post it when I get home this evening. You may not want to go the day-for-night route, but somebody might find it useful.

The fastest reversal stocks from Kodak are black-and-white Tri-X (ASA 200) and color Ektachrome (ASA 125). If your project is destined for video or blowup to a larger film format, you could also look at the various professional negative stocks from Super8Sound (http://www.super8sound.com)in Californaia.

I believe Martin Baumgarten of Plattsburgh Photographic Services in New York is planning to load FOMA's Fomapan R-100, which is made in the Czech Republic, into Super 8 cartridges. Watch http://members.aol.com/Super8mm/Super8mm.html for news of that or to inquire.



[This message has been edited by MikeBrantley (edited March 13, 2000).]