Natural Lighting Tips

[DJ Everlast]

Does anyone have good tips for using natural lighting effectively. Other then shooting in the golden hours (first and last hours of sunlight during the day) is there anything else that is essential or helpful to have or do (reflectors, other)?

[fde101]

If you're going to be doing much of it, have at minimum a speedlite (stills) or other form of lamp to fill in faces and such when the sun is to their backs.

Reflector should be helpful and take advantage of the natural light to provide that fill sometimes, but might not always be sufficient.

[Stephen Aldridge]

Reflectors and diffusion I say. (Especially if you're shooting low budget). If the sun is low in the sky find the angle that works best and fill in with a reflector. If the sun is higher, put some diffusion overhead and fill in with reflectors. There are a variety of reflectors known as "flex fills". I have a couple that I use all the time for both video and stills applications. The kind I have include white, silver, gold, black (negative fill), and a silk for diffusion. If you've got a couple of these and a couple of willing assistants you can really do some nice stuff. I've done a lot of day time shoots for little or no money and the flex fills have totally saved me. Sometimes your actors may complain about a really bright reflector in front of their face, just tell them they look great and that pain is temporary, but film is forever. Also, just having a large white sheet will provide you with a lot of bounce and/or diffusion. You can even just lay a sheet on the ground in front of someone, tape it to a wall or just have a couple of people hold it up. I also have several old projection screens, the kind that have their own stand, that I have used a number of times for bounce/fill.

[David Rasberry]

Use an incident light meter and balance out the value range of highlights and shadows to stay within the dynamic range of your camera. Under expose to keep highlights from clipping and fill shadows to show important details, but don't be afraid of the dark. Think of painting with light to get the mood and effect you are after and use the full range of values to good dramatic effect.

[JonFairhurst]

Or, when shooting mid-day, backlight, blow out the sky and expose for the face. At least you'll avoid hard shadows.

[Zac C]

Silver reflectors for couldy days,

Golden for sunsets/rises

White for anything else in sun

[Granty]

The main one when shooting indoors in daylight is the use of gels, you can do this by a)put a CTB gel on the incandescent light or b)put a CTO gel sheet over the window. Then you will get a nice balance of colour temp to balance in camera or post. Of use indoor lighting with 5500K Fluorescent Lamp Bulb to make it the same colour as the window light without filter.

CTB= Colour corretion Blue
CTO= Colour correction Orange

[Aaron G.]

Any suggestions for shooting indoors with natural lighting (lamps, overhead)? I'm guessing just augment all of the fixtures? Maybewith balanced lighting? Any suggestions on lighting etc? I'm def a fan of natural lighting.

[Granty]

Aaron, 5500k bulbs is the way to do it.

And anyone ever told you that you look a little like Obama?

[David Rasberry]

Any suggestions for shooting indoors with natural lighting (lamps, overhead)? I'm guessing just augment all of the fixtures? Maybewith balanced lighting? Any suggestions on lighting etc? I'm def a fan of natural lighting.

Compact fluorescents (CFL) lamps work well for indoor practicals. Also Chinese paper lanterns with CFL's make wonderful cheap softlights and fill lights. They are available in several color temps. There are neutral daylight balanced ones specifically for photography.
Look for lamps with high CRI (Color rendering index) 80% or better is good.

[Stefan Christou]

Does anyone know a good source for gels in the UK?

[Granty]

Gel filters in the UK:

http://www.leefilters.com/lighting/dealers/
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Liteopia-Limited

[nejuicer]

Chinese paper lanterns with CFL's make wonderful cheap softlights and fill lights. … There are neutral daylight balanced ones specifically for photography.

Daylight CFLs won’t be enough to fill talent against the windows and hold detail outside the windows. When shooting interiors with windows you have two basic problems: color temperature and contrast. Without either gelling the windows or substantially boosting the light levels inside, when you expose for your talent, your exterior will blow out. If you expose for the exterior to hold detail, your talent will be underexposed and become a near silhouette.

If there are not many windows you can cover the windows with a combination of 85/ND9 gel. The gel both converts the exterior daylight from 5500K to 3200K and knocks down the level outside by three stops, so that 3200K CFLs will be effective as fill lights. But, where a roll of 85/ND9 gel will set you back $140.00, it will be expensive and time consuming to gel the windows if there are a lot of them.

Without gelling the windows to 3200K, using 3200K balanced lights doesn’t make a lot of sense. Balancing tungsten to 5500K is not very efficient because full color temperature blue correction gel (Full CTB) cuts the output of the light by 70% in converting it to 5500K. A 1000W 3200K light becomes a 300W 5500K light when you put Full CTB on it. The output you get after correction is not enough to fill talent in a shot with the windows uncorrected.

In my experience, if you can’t gel the windows you probably need at least a 4k HMI par to pick up the interior levels in wide shots. The challenge when using large lights like 4k HMIs is to make it look natural. But first, let me make the case for using a 4k HMI over daylight CFLs. First an example, my company, ScreenLight & Grip, lit a segment of a special two-hour program for British Television’s Channel 5 that presented the same problem that you are facing.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/piratefilmstrip1lg.jpg
Host June Sarpong interviewing a marine archaeologists


The show told the story of the Whydah - a pirate ship that sank off Cape Cod nearly 300 years ago. In a unique TV experiment, marine archaeologists on Cape Cod dove to the wreck to salvage pirate booty live on air. In addition to the dive on the wreck, the program also included specially shot dramatic recreations of the story of the Whydah’s notorious pirate captain Black Sam Bellamy. To link between the modern-day adventures of the marine archaeologists and those of Black Sam Bellamy, co-presenter June Sarpong hosted marine archaeologists and pirate historians from a makeshift studio under a tent situated on a bluff overlooking the dive site.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/piratefilmstrip1.25lg.jpg
Host June Sarpong interviewing a marine archaeologists


Where they wanted the dive site to serve as a backdrop to the makeshift studio, the show's producers wanted the Salvage Ship to be seen clearly on the water in the shots of June and her guests. This requirement created a similar interior/exterior contrast problem to the one you are facing.

The task of balancing interior levels to exterior levels was further complicated by the fact that it was a clear sunny day. We rigged a couple of 4kw and 2.5kw HMI Pars into the frame of the tent in order to get them as close as possible to our subjects, but even then we didn’t have quite enough output to compete against the sun outside.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/piratefilmstrip2.25lg.jpg
A 4k HMI Par was rigged overhead as a key for each subject


The final ingredient for success was a double net strung across the open backside of the tent. The net further reduced the contrast by bringing the exterior levels down and in line with the pumped-up interior. The trick in situations like this is to strike a delicate balance between the interior and exterior light levels so that the net disappears to the camera without the exterior becoming overexposed and losing important detail – the Salvage Ship out on the water in this case. Another advantage to netting the background is that it takes the hard edge off of HD. It creates the illusion of a shallower depth of field or the selective focus we associate with film.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/piratefilmstrip3lg.jpg
A double net was stretched across the open side of the tent facing out onto the water.


Where it took a 4k Par on each of the talent, plus a double net across the back, you can see that you need a lot of light to balance interiors to exteriors. The problem with using 4k HMIs is usually powering them. If you know how, you can plug them into wall outlets that are available on most locations – but, I should leave that to a latter post.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip (http://www.screenlightandgrip.com), Boston

[Zac C]

Really great info Guy! its nice to see bts shots of how it was done, compared to the actual shot

[J Davis]

Hey Guy, what gels have you got hanging there in front of the 4k arri's?
Is that to make the spectrum more continuous? or were you trying to bring they
white dude's skin tones down so you could expose for the girl?

edit: thanks for the informative post BTW

[Peter Mosiman]

Hey Guy, what gels have you got hanging there in front of the 4k arri's?
Is that to make the spectrum more continuous? or were you trying to bring they
white dude's skin tones down so you could expose for the girl?

edit: thanks for the informative post BTW

It looks like quarter, maybe half CTB in the two front frames, and half-O in the other frame. How close am I Guy? =]

[nejuicer]

Hey Guy, what gels have you got hanging there in front of the 4k arri's? Is that to make the spectrum more continuous? or were you trying to bring they white dude's skin tones down so you could expose for the girl?\

Only the 4k on the right has a gel frame, the other frames you see are "fat" singles to cut the level on the table tops. It has been a while so I am not certain, but I would guess the gel is a Qtr CTO to bring the two heads up to the same color temperature.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip (http://www.screenlightandgrip.com), Boston

[Isabelle Landers]

The problem with using 4k HMIs is usually powering them. If you know how, you can plug them into wall outlets that are available on most locations – but, I should leave that to a latter post.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip (http://www.screenlightandgrip.com), Boston

What is the trick to powering 4k HMIs without a generator. I would love to use them more often, but by the time you add the cost of the grip truck and the company driver to tow the generator, the cost of using a 4k is just to much for most of my jobs. I could afford the head alone if there was a cheaper alternative to powering it.

Great Post BTW.

Isabelle Landers, Gaffer, Nashua , NH

[nejuicer]

What is the trick to powering 4k HMIs without a generator. I would love to use them more often, but by the time you add the cost of the grip truck and the company driver to tow the generator, the cost of using a 4k is just to much for most of my jobs. I could afford the head alone if there was a cheaper alternative to powering it.

A lot of gaffers may rule out using a 4k HMI par on interiors because they think it requires either a tie-in or renting a generator - both of which can be an expensive proposition because of the hidden costs that Isabelle mentions above. They don’t realize that common 240V wall receptacles, like the dryer outlet in this loft that served as a location for a Bose still shoot (pictured below), can power HMIs as large as 4kw. How it is done depends on whether the 4k has a magnetic or electronic ballast, and whether the electronic ballast has Power Factor Correction (PFC) or not (Arri calls it ALF for Active Line Filter.)

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/Transformer-Distro_SamBosePS.png
Samples from still shoot for Bose where a 4k HMI par was used to fill talent against windows (Bob Packert Photography)


A multi-volt 4k electronic ballast with Power Factor Correction (PFC) will give you the most options. If you are not familiar with Power Factor Correction, a PFC circuit realigns voltage and current and induces a smoother power waveform at the distribution. As a result, the ballast uses power more efficiently with minimized return current and line noise. 4kw electronic ballasts with PFC (like the Power Gems (PG) 425CDP, the Power-to-Light (P2L) 425LVI, and Arri 2.5/4 EB w/ALF) typically have an operating range of 90–125 & 180-250 Volts. At 120V they will draw approximately 37 Amps. At 240V they will draw 18.5 Amps on each leg of a 240V single phase power supply.

These ballasts draw too much at 120V for a 20A wall outlet. But, fortunately there are a number of 240 volt outlets in a typical house, office, or industrial plant in this country that you can also use to power a 4k with PFC electronic ballast. The most common are air conditioner outlets, dryer outlets, range outlets, outlets for large copy machines in offices, and the outlets for motorized equipment in industrial plants. Many of these household and industrial 240V receptacles use a three wire system (no neutral) because they are designed to power single phase motors or heating elements that draw a perfectly balanced load and return no current because the single phase service legs are 180 degrees out of phase and cancel each other out. Where a 4kw HMI with PFC electronic ballast, operating at 240 Volts draws roughly 18.5 Amps on each leg of a single phase 240V circuit, its’ load is well within the capacity of these circuits. You will also be able to operate a non-PFC 4k electronic ballast off of most 240V receptacles like range plugs and dryer plugs because they draw 26 Amps per leg and these circuits are fused at minimally 30 Amps. Where most magnetic 4k ballasts operate at only 120V and draw 40 Amps this method is not an option with magnetic ballasts. Where 4kw ballasts are typically wired with a 120V 60Amp Bates Plug (Stage Pin), you will need a 120V Female Bates to 240V adapter. I keep an assortment of adapters because all these 240V receptacles use a different pin configuration.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/Transformer-Distro_Sam2.jpg
4k & 1.2ks HMI Pars powered from 30A/240V dryer outlet through step-down transformer/distro for Bose still shoot.


The only way to power 120V 4kw HMI magnetic ballasts on wall receptacles is from 240V circuits through a 240v-to-120v step down transformer like the one my company, ScreenLight & Grip (SL&G), manufactures for the Honda EU6500is generators that we modify. Like it does with the enhanced 240V output of our Honda EU6500is Generator, a step down transformer can be used to convert the 240 volts supplied by these industrial and household 240V receptacles to 120 volts in a single circuit that is the sum of the two single phase legs of 30/50 amps each. In other words, out of a “30A/240v” or a “50A/240v” circuit our transformer makes a 60A/120v circuit that is capable of powering bigger 120V lights, like 4kw HMIs with magnetic ballasts (even Quartz 5ks, mini brutes (5850W) or Six Light Mole Par (6000W)).

There are benefits to be gained by powering even 4kw electronic ballasts (PFC or not) on 240V circuits through a 240v-to-120v step down transformer. For instance, you will be able to run additional large lights (like 1.2kws) on the same circuit if, rather than plugging the 4kw electronic ballast directly into the 240 receptacle (operating it at 240V) and monopolizing it, you plug it in through a transformer (operating it at 120 Volts), you will be left with 25 - 37 Amps to power additional lights on the same circuit. That’s a lot of additional power to waste by plugging the 4k directly into the 240V receptacle. And, since an electronic ballast “ramps up” gradually during the striking phase, you don’t have to leave head room as you would with a magnetic ballast. By operating the light through a transformer you can more fully utilize the capacity of the 240V circuit. For example, since the P2L 4/2.5 LVI ballast at 120V operates a 4k HMI luminary at 37 amps, you will still be able to power an additional 1.2kw HMIs (if operated by P2L 575/1200 ballast (11 Amps)), as well as a 800 Joker HMI (if operated by a P2L 800/1200 ballast (8 Amps)), off of the same circuit. That’s a lot of additional light to be gained by not plugging the 4k directly into the 240V receptacle.

A transformer will also greatly simplify your set electrics by automatically splitting the load of whatever you power through it. As long as you plug lights in through the transformer, you no longer have to carefully balance the load over the two 120V circuit/legs because the transformer does it for you automatically. If, like our 60a Full Power Transformer/Distro, the transformer is outfitted with a 60 Bates receptacle, you can use 60A GPC extension cables, 60-to-60 Splitters, and fused 60A GPC-to-Edison Breakouts (snack boxes) to run power around set - breaking out to 20A Edison outlets at convenient points (rather than one central point.) The best part about using a transformer with a 240V receptacle in this fashion is that no matter where in the distribution system you plug in, the transformer automatically balances the additional load, so that you don't have to. It is so simple that you don’t have to be an experienced electrician to distribute power on set. Use this link (http:// www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hd_plug-n-play_pkg.html ) for more details about using step-down transformers to power larger lights on interior sets.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/HD_PP_Demo_Transformer-Distro.jpg
A PFC 2.5 & 1.2 HMI Pars, PFC 800w Joker HMI, Kino Flo Flat Head 80, 2 ParaBeam 400s, and a ParaBeam 200 powered by a modified Honda EU6500is through a 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro

Everything I have said thus far is also true when it comes to operating HMIs off of portable gas generators with 240V outputs. Where before you could not operate more than a couple 1200W HMIs on portable generators because of their limited 120V power outlets, with a step-down tranformer you can operate bigger lights, or more small lights, on portable gas generaotors than has been possible before. And if the generator is one of our modified Honda EU6500is inverter generators, you will be able to run a continuous load of up to 7500W as long as your HMI and Kino ballasts are Power Factor Corrected. But, where I have covered this in another post in this forum I won’t go into more details here. For more details read my posts at http://www.scarletuser.com/showthread.php?t=2445&highlight=Honda+Generator&page=4

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip (http://www.screenlightandgrip.com), Boston

[Isabelle Landers]

A lot of gaffers may rule out using a 4k HMI par on interiors because they think it requires either a tie-in or renting a generator - both of which can be an expensive proposition because of the hidden costs that Isabelle mentions above. They don’t realize that common 240V wall receptacles, like the dryer outlet in this loft that served as a location for a Bose still shoot (pictured below), can power HMIs as large as 4kw.

I can see how you can possibly power one 4k off a dryer plug, but if I want a second 4k am I back to renting a grip truck and driver to tow a larger plant? I do a lot of dramatic shorts with scenes that take all day to shoot sometimes. The one 4k will enable me to balance the windows and hold some detail outside, but the sun keeps moving and the light is constantly changing inside for that reason. Sometimes the shots don't cut together if they were filmed too far apart. Any suggestions how I can maintain a consistent natural look throughout the day so that the footage will cut together.

- Isabelle Landers, Gaffer, Nashua, NH

[J Davis]

Guy, your posts are knocking the ball out of the park. Glad to have you sharing the good knowledge here at Scarletuser

[nejuicer]

Any suggestions how I can maintain a consistent natural look throughout the day so that the footage will cut together.

In order to make a scene look natural you usually have to do more than just fill the interior, you should also bring in a consistent sun source with a second 4k. If the real sun is shining directly on the window you should silk it for two reasons. First, as demonstrated in my posts above, it will be hard to balance direct sunlight even with a 4k without gelling the windows. Second, the sun moves. If it is a big scene that takes a while to shoot, as Isabelle found out, you will notice the movement of the sun when you edit it all together. The best approach is to silk the real sun so that you take any directionality out of it, and then bring in your own sun source for consistency.

If you are shooting on a low budget, you can power a 4k outside and power it with a 6500W generator. A set-up that would give you the most natural look would be to silk the sun, use a 4k Fresnel outside for a consistent sun feel, and then use a diffused 4k Par inside to fill. Diffusing the 4K inside with a 4x or 6x frame will take the “source-i-ness” out of it and using a 4k Fresnel outside will give you the crisp direct sunlight feel. To operate both 4ks without having to tie-in or rent an expensive diesel tow generator (with all its hidden costs), I would suggest you use a step-down transformer/distro on a 240v receptacle to power the inside 4k. To power the outside 4k, I would suggest a second step-down transformer/distro powered by a 6500W generator. I have used this same combination of wall outlets, 60A step-down transformer distros, and our Honda EU6500is generator to eliminate the need for tie-ins or a tow genny on many of the historical documentaries I have gaffed. For example, I have used this same package repeatedly at a historical mansion in Easton MA called the Ames Estate.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/Transformer-Distro_Sam1.jpg
(Scene from "Unsolved History" powered from 50A/240V range outlet through step-down transformer/distro at the Ames Estate)

A popular state fee free location, the Ames Estate, like many historical house/museums, does not permit tie-ins and the electrical wiring in the house is so antiquated that it is unusable. Fortunately, they have a 50A/240 volt circuit in the carriage house for a welder they use to repair the mowers they use at the park. Our standard mode of operation when shooting there is to run 250V extension cable from the welding receptacle to a 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro placed in the entry hall of the house. Using a 60A Siamese at the Transformer/Distro, we then run 60A 6/3 Bates extensions, down to the library, to the second floor, and back to the maid’s pantry. At the end of each run we put another 60A Siamese. A 60A snack-box on one side of the Siamese gives us 20A branch circuits. The other side we leave open for a large HMI or Tungsten Light. Now we can safely plug 1200 - 4000W HMIs (or even a 5k Quartz) into our own distribution anywhere in the house to balance the interior levels to the exterior. To create contrast and maintain continuity between shots, we use one of our modified Honda EU6500is generators and a second transformer to bring a 4k Fresnel in a window as a sun source. A good example of this approach is an American Experience program titled “The Most Dangerous Women in America” about Typhoid Mary that I lit for PBS. For part of her life Typhoid Mary was quarantined on an island in New York's East River.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/tmfilmstrip1lg.jpeg
(Typhoid Mary in quarantine on an island in New York's East River. Note the view out the window of the East River shoreline at the turn of the century.)

Because New York’s East River today looks nothing like it did when she was in quarantine, we used a 30' blowup of a picture of the East River at the turn of the century rigged outside the windows. As you can see by the production stills I have attached, the requirements of this production were very similar to the “Pirate Ship Live” production I described earlier. We had to strike a delicate balance between the interior and exterior levels. We wanted to overexpose the exterior by one stop so that it would look realistic and hide the fact that the exterior was a blow-up. As you can see in the production still of the exterior of the actual location used for the quarantine island, we rigged a solid over the porch windows and the blow-up to keep the sun off both. That way we could light the blow-up and interior so that it remained consistent even though the sun moved on and off the porch in the course of the day. To take the edge off the blow-up, we used a single scrim outside the window to help throw it out of focus.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/tmfilmstrip2lg.jpeg
(The actual exterior of Mary’s cottage was the backyard of a house in Arlington Ma with a 30’ blow up of a picture of New York’s East River shoreline at the turn of the century.)

To maintain continuity between shots, we brought a 4kw HMI Par in a window on one side of the room as a sun source and a 1200 par through a window on the other side as a northern light source. We powered both heads off a dryer plug in the laundry room of the house using one of our transformer/distros. The two 2.5k Par lights used outside to light the blow-up were powered by a Honda EU6500is through a second 60A Full Power Transformer/Distro. Since the Honda EU6500is could be placed right on the lawn, we were saved from running hundreds of feet of feeder back to a tow generator. Smaller heads, we plugged directly into the house.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/tmfilmstrip3lg.jpeg
(A child dying of Typhoid Mary filmed in a bedroom of the Ames Estate)

We have been able to use this same basic package at numerous museums and historical houses throughout New England including Sturbridge Village. Fortunately for us, to make ends meet, many historical houses rent themselves out for events and weddings. For that reason, they usually have at least one updated service with 30 or 50 Amp 240 volt circuit for the warming ovens of caterers.

http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/tmfilmstrip5lg.jpeg
(The New York City Health Inspector filmed in the library of the Ames Estate)

Use this link - http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/HDPP_Transformer.html - for more production stills of PBS and History Channel historical documentaries shot entirely, or in part, with our 60A Full Power Transformer/Distros and modified Honda EU6500is inverter generators at the Ames Estate.

Guy Holt, Gaffer, SreenLight & Grip (http://www.screenlightandgrip.com), Boston

[JonFairhurst]

Great post!!!

In addition to great lighting, one thing that catches my eye comparing the production shots to the technical snapshots is the diffusion. (Not so much on the East River Island scene, but it's very strong on the others.) Was that achieved with a smoke/fog machine, the strong lighting, optical filters, or a combination of the three?

Thanks!

[J Davis]

... and another question, on this shot
http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/Transformer-Distro_Sam1.jpg
are bouncing the 4k off cards or an umbrella?

Also, I have a shoot coming up where I have the use of a 2K Arri. If it were bounced
off an umbrella to maximize spread and close enough a silked window would it be enough?
(as per Isabelle's situation)
I was also thinking to put another screen above the fresnel if it were a sunny day.

edit: aahh bollox, I just realized that was a dumb question because the 2k fresnel they have is tungsten and I don't think
they have budget for hmi's. If I twist arms I can possibly get them to cover an arrisun575 for $175wkend. Any advice?

[nejuicer]

... and another question, on this shot
http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/images/Transformer-Distro_Sam1.jpg
are bouncing the 4k off cards or an umbrella?

In this shot we used a LeMaitrre G300 Hazer to haze the set and a 4k Par to back light the haze. We had to move the 4k way back so that is would become more of a point source and create sharp shafts of light. You could use a smaller head if it were a fresnel instrument

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip (http://www.screenlightandgrip.com"), Boston