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Lighting a Room in Daylight

Lesson 8 from: Lighting for Film: Simple not Plain

Bill Megalos

Lighting a Room in Daylight

Lesson 8 from: Lighting for Film: Simple not Plain

Bill Megalos

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Lesson Info

8. Lighting a Room in Daylight

Lesson Info

Lighting a Room in Daylight

So this exercise that we're going to do here is really exciting for me because we're gonna talk about how to change the look with the minimal amount of work in a minimum amount of lighting and maybe even unlighted to do so let's let's first of all let's get this scene let's let's figure out what this scene is here we've got this bullpen kind of area here um which I'd like to know what are the light sources in here? We have lights coming in through these windows on the side over here we have some overhead lights here these, uh these kind of hanging pendant lights we have these fluorescent lights here and we also have these lights on the wall here. All right? We got these guys, these guys and these guys plus the daylight so we're going to try to do this without putting any other lights in here were just going to make some changes, so the challenge today is to make two setups. One set up is a daytime set up and the other set up is a nighttime setup. Okay, so what I what I think we should ...

try here is we should see what it looks like right now and basically accept that as the daytime set up, the only changes we might make is we might well we'll work on the color temperature in the camera so that it looks so it really tells us it's daylight and we'll decide whether to take these window shades up or down okay I'm tempted to look at it up and see what it does and we might end up cutting some of these lights are doing something with it and then the other idea that we're going to come afterwards which is gonna take a little bit of work not much but a little bit is we're going to replace these bulbs these bulbs in daylight balance votes we're gonna replace those two tungsten bulbs which you're warmer and we're going to pull these shades down so that the light that comes in is very low level light so there's just like a blue ambient light and will balance for tungsten in here and we'll decide whether to add these or not we've got these air kind of daylight balance so we already have some gels cut to change them we'll just see what see which one works but first let's set the frame and we have two choices we can we can either set the frame so we see the windows there or not so what I'll do is oh um why don't we set this up without seeing the windows and then we'll move it with the windows we'll see how good we can get it without seeing the windows and then we'll move it and show the windows and see what we think, okay? So let's say that this is our friend for a start, so the first thing we should do is let's go let's pull these shades up and see what we say way you see these double shades in there so yeah let's get them up and hang on a second maybe we don't want to take him up all the way maybe we don't want you guys come over here and look at it from from here and let some let's think about this for a second we haven't changed the white balance and news yet hang on their cup coming look from over here and see what see what you think here when we look through here you look through the camera and look from over here what happens if we raise the shades all the way if we raise them all the way they'll bounce light back from over here and filling over here if we keep them down we can still get that light coming in and we'll see what we might end up turning off everything except leaving these things and moving them. But the first thing we're gonna do is we're gonna change the white balance in this camera so that this is balanced to daylight, right? So we'll go into the manu and the first thing we're going to do is go into white balance as you can see now it's set for tungsten so we're going to set it for we have a choice here waken set it for sunlight shade I think that shade I must say shade shade is going to be warm so let's let's see what shade because what season lets you see what shade looks like we've said it for shade let's go back into this how's that look over their shade is kind of warm it's looking pretty good isn't it why don't we just take a bunch of different looks let's just let's just take a bunch of them and we'll look at them later and we'll see which ones we like all right we will we'll move through so all right so I'm going to take a look right here all right so let's let's let's raise him up all the way let's pull him up all the way and let's get someone on each one so we can do it real fast so we're not worrying about these for now all right let's take him up all the way all right in an inner and outer are these both the same do we know if these shades stop the same amount of light or are they different oh so which is the blackout the one is further to the outside closer to us inside okay okay all right so we gotta look here now now we've just let the whole place up um let's put rish in and who's the other person hi, laura. Nice to meet you. Thank you for helping us. My name is bill. Why don't you guys why don't we guys this will be our thing from now on you guys are having a little meeting here. One of you is sitting on the sitting on the and the other one is sitting there um who looks better where you guys look at it and check it out someone sitting here and someone you're having a little you're having a little power ladies coming yeah, him yeah, and him up here okay, you want to do this? All right. So right now the first thing I can say is that we're a little over exposed for this lighting, right? Should we crack down a little bit overexposed with light coming out of now, the only thing that I see here is that she's a lot brighter than you so that she's getting plenty of light and he's in the dark are we gonna accept that for this thing? You know? We're not all right. So what can we do about that? We've decided we're not gonna light it though. All right? We don't have a lot of time that we're gonna lose this location in a few minutes, so what are we gonna do? We could put a reflector on him, okay, let's do that the silver reflector all right. And how's our iris. Look, you guys looking over there? Was it look good? Or is it a little bit bright? Should we crank it down just a little bit? Yeah. Crank it down. Okay. Now remember, you have to on this monitor. You have to be on access with it. You can't be off to the side. It looks brighter if you're off to the side. So look straight on how's that look, look at her. Look all around, you know it's a little dark, so crack it open. Okay, so this is it for now, until we get the reflector in, right? You want to keep the window in it? Um, well, let's, see what happens? Why don't we just change this? It will zoom in, zoom in and see what happens without the window. Okay, alright. There's, another shop so let's get let's hit it. Let's hit rich, rich hard from I'd come a little bit more over here, frankly, just because just there from there. Ok. All right. So do we like this? Yeah. You know, you can't see uh, okay then put it where you could meet, where they can keep seeing it it's got to be higher than the top of the monitor okay all right I'm going to move on let's move on let's let's bring that let's bring the shades in right what I'm gonna do here is I'm gonna go back to the wider shots so as we bring the shades in as we bring the shades and we'll see what we're seeing okay are we gonna bring in the outer ones or the inner ones we both have to do the same okay so bring me out those look like the darker one that's the blackout I bring I bring the ones they're closer to the glass the ones who first started with let's see what happens but let's keep someone back here with a pair of eyes you guys got okay but that's too much well so we're still trying to make it daylight so bring him back up keep going up keep going up on dh match match erik all right hold it there okay so question about the white balance yeah the shade which was seven thousand which is supposed to be bluer is making it look warmer because okay so what you're here would you like tio you would you like to warm it would be like to make this less warm you wouldn't make it less more okay I'm going to stop this we're going to change the menu and we're gonna make that less warm let's just go teo let's just go to the shop the shady which is six thousand okay, we'll try that all right? Is that coming up? Yeah, it is all right, so let's record again now now what we've done now what we've done is we have kind of knocked this um the lights not bouncing around quite a cz much is it it's? Not all film filling around as much are we good on exposure? Should we open the exposure a little bit? You think it looks okay? Do we like this? Do we prefer this to the other one let's zoom in on it and see what we see without yeah you like this a little more model is ok, but it's not just the warm and there's a little more shadows in here now so are we are we ready to live with this for our daylight and move on to nighttime? Do we accept this? So we just try what should we just hope that in for a second? So we try what happens if we kill some of these lights? You take a look, take a look take a hard look as dp is over there on the glass you somebody watching? Ok, I'm going first I'm going to kill this one. Does that make a difference? Some person someone should probably stay back at the camera and see if it makes it so that's not making a difference I'm seeing a little bit of warmth on ungracious inside but I'm in the wrong place or what about this one yeah what do we like it with or without we'll do it again that's off with props and that's that's with keep it on because it's coming from the same direction is the sun what about this one let's see what this one does we ready for the last one? Yes okay everybody watching put wrong one wrong one again how's that that's on that's off tough call, huh? It depends on what you're looking for well what like right now party like calmer calmer what do you mean it's like afternoon relaxed office supposed to like a movie where is supposed to be vibrant and maybe like a funny office which is the other one is more energy I mean it's like it's more of a romcom anything and the other one or yeah there's like there's more potential okay, so let's go back to the romcom. All right? You like this better. All right. Does anybody want to try anything else before we go to a night scene what? We would try with anything what we could try all the lights off if they're both all if they're all off does that do anything we might need toe crack it open a little bit it's not that much better than having one of the lights on okay it's just that looks guy okay I kind of like that let's, see what happens when we open it. That looks pretty real, doesn't it? It's kind of really to do with the real way, let's. Just try opening those things. Take them up one third of the way to write to the next really big line, the next big line. Keep going. One more line right there, hold it there and let's, see what this looks like with no lights on way like this way like this? Not bad, huh? Okay, I'm gonna open this up and see what it looks like with windows in it. Open it up, it's opening up, huh? Well, it is your reflect there a little bit more than my work, the way you were saying with the silver streak movie that really shows right now. Yeah.

Ratings and Reviews

Dana Sue Childs
 

Bill is extremely knowledgeable and does an excellent job demonstrating lighting a scene and various ways to achieve a different mood or effect. This is not a class on specific equipment brands (i.e. what to buy), he does discuss and demonstrate different types of equipment, how to use c-stand effectively (c-stand), gobo arm/head, lighting safety: amps, volts, circuits, etc. Basically he goes into the necessary background information you need to understand and prepare for lighting setup at any location. Then he goes through various lighting scenarios, shots and scenes to demonstrate how you can get that effect at various times of day or locations. Then he tweaks it again to show a different example or angle. This was a great class! I didn't feel like Bill was talk at the student but actually engaged them and even though I was not there, I felt engaged. I'm now going to watch his other class offered. I only hope that he considers doing more classes since I like his style!

a Creativelive Student
 

This is a wonderful class with a very knowledgeable and experienced instructor. It starts with the principles you need to understand and then walks you through the process of actually doing the work on set. You can see what it takes to accomplish the work. I will be watching this over and over to let it all soak in. Thank you Bill for putting this together.

Joe Stevens
 

Great class, learned a lot. Would highly recommend!

Student Work

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