A question about lighting at night

[director666]

I am shooting my movie soon and 90% is at night.... I don't really know a hell of alot about lighting?? so what should I do to prevent it from just being a movie of blackness????

responses would be much appreciated

[mattias]

shoot in the magic hour. underexpose the faces one or two stops. make sure there are a lot of lights visible in the frame, like car lights, windows, neon signs and so on. if your location doesn't have these light, add a strong blue back light to simulate the moon. the trick is: you'll want the frame to be black, but if you don't show the contrast with some bright areas, the black will look grey. and by shooting in the magic hour, you'll still have some fill to bring out a little detail in the actors' faces.

/mattias

[Jon Taylor]

Magic Hour is when the sun is precisely 5 degrees below the horizon. In reality, this moment lasts approximately 15 minutes. This would seriously affect your schedule / budget ie. D.o.P. Vilmos Sigmund and the shooting of "Heavens Gate".

Magic Hour happens when the sun has cleared the horizon, therefore creating a warm, shadowless light - used when you are creating the notion of romanticism.

At present in the UK, there is nearly 10 hours of darkness, so alot can be done per night. Get someone who has lit & shot night scenes to give you a hand.

Basic lighting kits, ie; Redheads and Blondes do not cost a great deal to hire - so consider them an option. Blue lighting gel to fake moonlight is called Colour Temperature Blue and is available from Lee Filters on 01264 366245, you can buy it by the sheet (Half sheets = 21" x 24" or full sheet = 21" x 48") Approx ?4.00 a sheet.

Good luck,

Jon.

[mattias]

actually, i can't see how a moment in time when a moving object is in a "precise" location can last 15 minutes. obviously it would last 0 minutes. ;-)

anyway, my definition: when the sun is close to the horizon (above or beneath) and the sky is still somewhat bright providing a very soft fill. this is also the time when street lights go on and cars turn on their headlights, providing a great illusion of night. it usually last about two hours in the late afternoon and two hours in the morning. my suggestion would be to do all wide shots in the magic hour, since it's impossible to light wide shots at night if you don't have a couple zillion dollars, and then do close ups during the night.

/mattias

[Jon Taylor]

The period of two hours in the morning and evening is just dusk and dawn. "Magic Hour" is a specific window of diffused light (ie, the sun is under the horizon enough to provide illumination, but without direct light source to create any shadow. This window of light of 15 to 20 minutes has been photographed with great beauty by Jack Cardiff BSC and Vilmos Zsigmund ASC. There's alot of myth and bullshit said about Magic Hour, and I really cannot be bothered to argue about it.

What next? There's no such thing as Super 35?

Jon.

[mattias]

jon, even kodak calls dusk and dawn magic hour, as in "this high speed stock allows you to shoot longer into the magic hour". and my lighting techer at the nyfa, who happens to be an experienced dp, gave me the definition i used above. please explain why you think your definition is better than mine/his. for practical purposes of filmmaking, i think mine is more useful. during these two hours, the light has the quality you describe. you might have to tweak the look with filters and stuff the less close to the "actual (5 degrees) magic hour" you are, but it sure works. i've done it myself a lot (yes, professionaly) in still photography.

/mattias

[Jon Taylor]

Matthias,

Like I said, there's alot of bullshit said about Magic Hour, and I really cannot be bothered to argue about.

Incidently, I also work professionally as a freelance Lighting Cameraman / cinematographer .

Jon.

[mattias]

well, why did you bring it up then? ;-) i know you're experienced and i always listen to what you have to say, but i'm not going to take your word more seriously than any other only because you assure me you're right, if you know what i'm saying...