348 Video Digital Communication & Production
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Firelight
Simulated fi relight is created in somewhat fi
the same way as moving light sources.
1. Place a broad very low, where a fireplace or fi
campfire would be. fi
2. Gel the broad with an orange filter sheet. fi
3. Staple a square of heavy cloth to a stick (denim
works well), and slit the cloth at 1″ intervals to ″
create a “grass skirt” effect, Figure 16-26.
4. Wave this device slowly in front of the
“fi re” light source to add a convincing fi
fl icker effect. fl
As with most such effects, you can enhance the realism
with sound effects—in this case, a crackling wood fire.
Signs
In some night interiors, colored signs and other
neon sources tint parts of the subject. If the sign is
steady, simply gel a light with an appropriate color.
If the sign turns on and off, have an assistant move a
fl ag rhythmically in and out of the light path. fl
Electronics
Radar screens, computer monitors, and
scientific instruments often bathe the faces fi
of the subjects looking at them with light.
With some units, the actual screen light may
be bright enough, especially if the rest of
the lighting is low key. If you cannot show
the screens, however (say, because they are
supposedly futuristic displays in a spaceship
control cabin), place small lights low (at “screen”
height) and gel them pale blue or green.
Small LED arrays are often used to simulate electronic
screens because their built-in dimmers simplify
adjusting brightness. If a screen needs to be in the
picture, cover it with “composite-green” construction
paper, then replace it with the display in postproduction.
Lighting Night Scenes
Lighting scenes shot at night is challenging
because there is little available light to help
out. This section suggests some ways to create
nighttime designs with relatively few instruments.
Interior Scenes
You can light indoor night scenes by using
a few standard techniques.
Use low-key mode. Create a low-key look
in which dark and medium values dominate
in the background, with brighter accents and a
well-lit subject.
Establish practicals. Since room lights are
lit at night, establish practicals in the frame,
and then mimic their light with video lights.
Control window light. If you can hang
heavy screen or neutral density material inside
or outside a window, you may be able to reduce
its light to a “nighttime” level (the bluish color
temperature will look like moonlight). If you
do not have the resources to do this, exclude
windows and their light from the frame.
Light for the highlights. In low-key
lighting, you naturally use less fi ll light, so that fi
shadows are deeper and show less detail.
Fake the Darkness
It is common to show a subject in bed,
turning off the bedside light and going to sleep.
Shot in actual light, the scene would be very
contrasty, and then would go black when the
light went out. Here is a procedure for lighting
this scene more effectively.
1. Establish the light level. Fit a halogen or LED
lamp in the bedside light and use it to key the
scene. Use soft fi ll from the other side, with fi
a crew member at the light. At this point, set
and lock the camera exposure setting. k
Wave cookie gently, close to light
Wood backing
Cloth slit into strips
Orange gel Broad
Figure 16-26. A “grass skirt” cookie can simulate a
flickering fire.
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