I am shooting a scene this saturday which is supposed to take place in the early morning but i am only able to shoot at sun down. Will it be really obvious that it is not early in the morning? It's just a short scene in one direction (away from the sun). One of my actors works every morning for the next few weeks and i didn't want to wait. should i wait and do it properly around 6 a.m.? Sorry for these pithy questions but I am just learning.
time of shooting?
- Thread starter raindog
- Start date
Go to your location at the time the shoot is supposed to happen and using the same camera you're doing your main shoot on turn over a minute or so of footage. Log it as "lighting reference scene X"
Then shoot your scene at whatever time you can, but try to exclude natural light shadows from the frame as much as possible.
Then in post production alter the color balance of your shoot to match your reference shot.
The only other thing you need to watch on a sunset shoot, is that the amount and color temperature of your shots will change from minute to minute. You're going to have to work faster than normal... and beware of the fact that your eyes adjust to the changes in light that the camera can't. It's real easy to find yourself in a situation where you don't have enough light, without realising it... unless of course you meter all your shots.
Then shoot your scene at whatever time you can, but try to exclude natural light shadows from the frame as much as possible.
Then in post production alter the color balance of your shoot to match your reference shot.
The only other thing you need to watch on a sunset shoot, is that the amount and color temperature of your shots will change from minute to minute. You're going to have to work faster than normal... and beware of the fact that your eyes adjust to the changes in light that the camera can't. It's real easy to find yourself in a situation where you don't have enough light, without realising it... unless of course you meter all your shots.
What makes time of day apparent on camera is the length and direction of the shadows and the color of the light.
Dawn and Dusk are nearly interchangeable as the angle of the sun in relation to your point on the planet is the same. The progression of the sun in the sky will be the give away. If the shadows/light dwindle as you shoot your scene (golden hour only lasts for a half an hour), we will have a visual cue that it's night rather than morning. The sun moves at 6 degrees an hour (IIRC), so plan your shoot accordingly, perhaps shooting the scene in smaller chunks in reverse (your actors hate me right now) to get the progression of the sun going the right way.
Dawn and Dusk are nearly interchangeable as the angle of the sun in relation to your point on the planet is the same. The progression of the sun in the sky will be the give away. If the shadows/light dwindle as you shoot your scene (golden hour only lasts for a half an hour), we will have a visual cue that it's night rather than morning. The sun moves at 6 degrees an hour (IIRC), so plan your shoot accordingly, perhaps shooting the scene in smaller chunks in reverse (your actors hate me right now) to get the progression of the sun going the right way.
