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How to set lighting to a few situations?

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dvdguy

Hi everyone! :P

I have another question concerning lighting :) . Ok, how should I set up lighting when in a running scene or a walking scene? I can't afford tons of lights. Do I have my crew following the subject with a few reflectors if the situation is outdoors? With a car(pickup truck-lol)?How about indoors (maybe shooting in a big hall, or a gym? or any similar situation for that matter)?
 
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Available light should be fine. Yes, bounce boards. Sunny day = shadows. Overcast = no shadows.
 
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indietalk said:
Available light should be fine. Yes, bounce boards. Sunny day = shadows. Overcast = no shadows.
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You mean on sunny days, I should make shadows appear with the use of bounce boards? And on overcast I should stream light with the help of bounce boards to the subjects without making shadows appear?:) Correct me if I'm wrong
 
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No, I mean the sun casts shadows. Overcast days means equal luminance. Overcast days are good for shooting.
 
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really? never would've thought of that. Good to know, so I should start avoiding sunny days? I mean, what if its a sunny day and I have a busy schedule ahead. Whats the downside of shooting on sunny days? :)
 
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dvdguy said:
You mean on sunny days, I should make shadows appear with the use of bounce boards? And on overcast I should stream light with the help of bounce boards to the subjects without making shadows appear?:)
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Nope.

On sunny days, hard shadows & contrasts will form on one side of an actor. Their own body might be causing it, or it might be from an object/person within shadow range. (We're not talking about shadows on the ground - just shadows on the actual actor)

The easiest way to counter this is with reflectors or bounce boards.

The reflector needs to be opposite the sun (which will be the actor's dark side), bouncing reflected sunlight back onto the actor's face or body. If the actor is moving, then sure - the person with the bounce board will get to move with them.

There's no reason to avoid sunny days, for the most part. Just need to plan for them.

You can get diffusion nets to diffuse the light coming down from the sun, too, but they are usually a rentable item.
 
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Thanks Zensteve! :) well since the sun is the key light on a sunny day, there is no need for additional brighter lights is there? only the fill light (using reflectors or bounce boards)? Anything else? the background light too right?
 
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Now you are back to asking your original question. Available light should suit you fine in most outdoor situations, for now.
 
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No, lighting outdoors is supposed to look like... the outdoors. The sun. If you score an overcast day, light is all around you.
 
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Ok, I see. I think I do. I had the idea that lighting outside is one step closer to a more quality movie. Just a thougt. I though everybody does it. :) I guess it depends on the situation then
 
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well, I know a lil bit more about indoor but didnt have the chance to test it outdoors though :) . Well yeah, I might try that out, just need to think of a good place where to shoot. Thanks for the advice!
 
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test shoot anywhere.. just go around with your camera, and look at stuff. Try some tough lighting shots, like standing in the sun, shooting into shade, or the opposite. See how annoying and beautiful lens flare can be! Also, try shooting the same scene at different time of day.. morning, noon, and night!
 
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OK, I have another question about a situation :D erm..hypothetically speaking, lets say the weather is overcast and I really want to shoot as if it were a sunny day. I really nice sunny day, you know? Would I need extra lighting in this situation or is the overcast weather gonna do the trick?
 
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I think this one is pretty obvious. If you want blue sky, clouds, and sun, well, shoot on a sunny day. If you are not showing the sky it doesn't really matter unless it is a gloomy day. Overcast just means cloud coverage is hiding the sun, it doesn't mean it is gloomy, wet, or rainy.
 
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ohhhh, that explains things more!:) you see in my parts Im used to rain a lot, so I cant really tell what you were thinking of. Now its more clear. This leads me to another question, how do you shoot when it's raining? I mean..how do they do it? :)
 
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