ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXLighting requirements for exterior woodland scene and int/ext yurt tent scene
9 years, 5 months ago - Adam Preston
I am putting together a budget for a short film and would be hugely grateful for some suggestions on what lighting equipment we will need, particularly if you are a DOP or Gaffer.
I know there are many ways to skin a cat but here's the basic situation:
We have a couple of scenes in a furnished luxury glamping Mongolian-style yurt, set in a wood, and a scene set outside in a woodland glade where we want a magical 'sun dappled effect' that would need to cover an area of approximately 60 square feet. There will be actors engaged in dialogue and some movement.
We are seeking high cinematic values.
Filming would be daytime and of course we cannot rely on real sun but it will be late spring or early autumn.
I appreciate that detail is everything but some rough suggestions would help me at this stage.
Thanks for any help
Best wishes
Adam
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9 years, 5 months ago - Marlom Tander
Is there mains power to the set? If not, you're into generators, and that is a combo of noise and knowing what power you need to run the lights you need to give the effect.
You'll also need to consider rain and effect/risks damp ground from rain up to 3-4 days prior. You def need a sparky on board simply to be sure of not killing anyone.
I'd also be thinking that for this to work your lights will need to be at height beaming down, and that gets either into major tree climbing rigging territory or gantry building, (for which see above re damp/wet/soft ground).
I don't know what your budget is but I might be wondering if I couldn't put them IN the tent with the dappled light playing ON the tent, as that can be done with low level close lights and someone wafting leafy branches around. Or make the outdoor sequence a night shoot. Might work if it's a romance, and the guy has rigged lovely lanterns all around. (You do not want to try and have an open fire or candles, for reasons that, if not completely obvious, you'll spot as soon as you try a test run).
Whatever you do, you'll need to run the plan by your insurer.
Have fun.
Response from 9 years, 5 months ago - Marlom Tander SHOW
9 years, 5 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin
Just have to flag that from your description (speaking as someone who's had to hire kit for similar shots) it gets dear fast, depending on the actual shots you want. If the woodland is mature, you're going to need a cherry picker and rigging grip to attach hefty lamps safely at height. Hefty lamp hire is expensive in itself, and as Marlom indicates, you're well and truly into generator territory for anything over 3k (and you might be talking 6/18k to be noticeable). There's a reason high production values aren't low ones - they can be expensive!
If you've not got 4/5 figures for electrical, then start at the other end and think what you have got/can get. Make plans B and C along Marlom's lines, and if you get lucky and have a golden golden hour and can get rigged in time, steal those shots!
For the yurt interiors, I'm going to assume you're shooting in a studio/controlled environment, so you can easily throw dapples in studio where you can control everything and they may have gantries or scissor lifts available. As you control all the light, you can get away with far less powerful lamps too, as you're not fighting daylight. You'll need a rigger for anything over 3m still. Obviously don't light a fire, but the modern LED faux-candles can look pretty good if you open the iris wide enough - just check for strobing!
Response from 9 years, 5 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin SHOW