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Lighting with backlight
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3 Replies
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Getting exterior windows to be not too “hot” (and wrong balance) can be a challenge.
The four ways way that most immediately come to my mind are:
1) Gel all of the windows to cut their “output” as well as correct color balance. The gel will be yellow/orangish in color. Roscoe and Lee both make gel available in big rolls just for this purpose. The light coming through the windows will then be dimmer, and balanced more like tungsten.
2) Gel your tungsten lighting instruments toward the blue side. Usually 1/4 to 1/2 blue is enough, full blue is usually too much. The downside to this is of course that the gels cut light output by a great deal, so you need fairly powerful instruments. Also, while you will find that the color balance is now correct, the windows may still be too hot. You might want a neutral-density gel on the windows as well. For that you can use the much cheaper film that is available for patio doors, or even car window film.
3) Shoot with HMIs for the interiors. The color balance will be correct, and the much higher output will eliminate (or lessen) the need to ND the windows.
4 If you don’t need to actually SEE what is going on outside through the windows, shoot at night. Put instruments outside (the brighter the better) to get light streaming through sheer closed curtains, or mostly-closed ventian blinds, etc.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Interesting challenge!
I’m assuming that you’re selling more than the window itself — that you want to tell the customers that their beautiful window/door will give them a terrific view of outside. So you need to be able to show correct exposure of the window frame, while holding detail in the exterior. And, because most windows are vertical, and video has a horizontal frame, you’ll be seeing more than just the window, and you don’t want all that area to be dark and depressing.
You may have to rent a big daylight source to put inside the room.
Good luck and let us know what works.
— Bob C
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Thank you for your advice. As next post mentions the outside view is important.
I know that this project is a challenge. Let
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