lighting Questions about lighting

[jjb]

Hello everyone,
Im a complete beginner and as of yet do not have much experience making films. The shorts that I have made have all been filmed using available light, meaning I havent had any experience as of yet in using a proper lighting set up.
In researching more into lights and their setup I've come up with some queries about lighting. These may seem a bit random...

When doing master shots or shots that rotate around the subject, what are the methods used for hiding lights? I mean like in shots which seem to explore the entire space.

Also, if your subject has their back close to a wall, where do you put the backlight/rimlight?

Thanks

 

[directorik]

When doing master shots or shots that rotate around the subject, what are the methods used for hiding lights? I mean like in shots which seem to explore the entire space.

You get creative. You set up your camera and carefully
observe the frame. Then place your lights outside of
that frame. You may not be able to show the entire space.
The reality is lights need to be somewhere so you need
to cheat with the cameras angle and frame. You don't
really "hide" lights - you just keep them out of frame.

For a 360 shot, hang the lights. I made a "grid" of
1x1's and hung it on the ceiling of my apartment.

Also, if your subject has their back close to a wall, where do you put the backlight/rimlight?

You can have the actor step slightly away from the wall
so it looks like their back is against the wall, but really
isn't. If you can't do that, place the back light against the
wall just out of frame and flag off the light slipping on
the wall with some black wrap. If neither method works
and you just CAN'T do either one, then that shot won't
get a back light.

 

[Utopia]

Regarding the rotating shot, there is an awesome shot in Castaway where Tom Hanks is sitting in a chair and it does a 360 degree circle around him and the lighting guys had to move and move their lights with them. It was simply amazing. It's in the special features somewhere how they did it.