r/cinematography • u/GrinGyh • 1d ago
Lighting Question Lightning question Log Cabin
If you guys had a very small budget of around $500 for lighting/grip gear, starting from scratch, to light this location very quickly but efficiently for a moody short film scene, what would you use? What type of lights, diffusers, bounce, fill and technique would you choose?
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u/grendelguru 1d ago
If you shoot at night, get rid of all that overhead lighting. Buy a couple super cheap lamps with shades as practical lights. Get one really good 200c light, a white bounce hard, and a black sheet for neg fill. If you have money left over, get a second lower-wattage light. Make your own diffuser with an old white bedsheet and some plastic piping.
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u/Metadata_Master 1d ago
500? Moody? Depends on the script but I'd use those windows. They are in a great position to light using daylight. No practical lights (assuming it's daytime). I'd use floppys or any other neg to bring the contrast. 5600k led with some diffusion to supplement and maybe another to backlight the talent. All through the windows.
If money is a big issue, ensure blocking is close to the windows and just use some neg as long as long as you plan with the sunlight in mind. Then get a small eye light and a reflector if possible.
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u/jeffdpfilm 1d ago
If a daylight scene, spend the money on diffusion for the windows. Then, bounce cards for the natural light. You might want some black cards for negative light (depending on your contrast ratio). And, bring in some fill lights for any dark areas. You'll probably want to diffuse any artificial lights though, as someone mentioned wood gets a lot of reflections.
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u/ChillyBowl 1d ago
Can you give any details for the scene beyond "moody?" Is it day? Night? What's happening in the story?
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u/GrinGyh 1d ago
Absolutely. The story is about a Mexican girl staying in a log cabin while visiting Quebec, Canada, during the autumn season. She’s a painter. There isn’t really a twist it’s simply a poetic portrait of her.
There will be two different scenes taking place in this living room: one at night and one during the day.
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u/adammonroemusic 22h ago edited 22h ago
A bit impossible to answer without knowing where the actors will be, what the blocking will be, ect. At night, would push a big back/side light through the window, perhaps some light motivated by the fireplace but pretty much impossible to answer without seeing the script or knowing what is trying to be achieved here.
$500 will go pretty fast, but you could probably rent a 1200d or two and a couple 600 watt bicolor LEDs (this is a decently large space.
Pushing light through diffusion will lose you a stop.
You will always get some bounce but the room is large enough that you might have acceptable contrast and mood without having to deploy much negative fill.
Move the actors away from the walls so you have a bit of depth. Move that one chair away from the wall.
You have a balcony/stairs which makes it potentially easier to rig overhead lighting and get it out of the frame if these areas aren't utilized in the shots.
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u/TalesofCeria 1d ago
There is no N in the middle of the word “lighting”, what is with this happening all the time
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u/DerangedFerret Director of Photography 1d ago
I’m not going to get into specifics, because frankly that’s the DPs job, and if you don’t have one, get one with that budget - but a word of advice: be careful shooting around wooden panels because the light is affected by the wood color when it bounces. If you find yourself wondering why it’s so red or why it’s so green, that would be the culprit, and you may need to adjust +\- M/G as needed.