• Cinematography

  Need advice on how to light a Night- Bathroom scene?

  Posted by Simona Analte on May 31, 2011 at 3:20 am

  Hello!

  I am soon going to shoot my first short project for my CV. It’s a 30-60 second lactose intolerant commercial.
  The story takes place inside a bathroom. A woman lays inside an old tub filled with milk. There will be a wide angle and few close-ups.
  Shooting on Canon 5D.

  Im having a bit of hard time deciding on how to light this scene.
  The bathroom does not have windows. It’s night time. Plan on lighting it soft with subdued muted tones.

  How can I light to create that mood? What could be the motivating source?
  China ball hanging out of the frame? Boost practicals with photofloods?

  What would be the advantage and disadvantage of using a tungsten Kinoflo, fresnels or chimera…?

  Any advice and help would be very much appreciated 🙂

  Thank you!

  Randy Rotheisler replied 15 years ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  Richard Herd

  May 31, 2011 at 6:54 pm

  It might look really nice to bounce light into the “milk,” an eerie uplight with water waves.
• 

  Mark Suszko

  May 31, 2011 at 7:54 pm

  votive candles all around the tub and sink in clusters add a motivated source and cool highlights.
• 

  Simona Analte

  June 3, 2011 at 2:54 am

  Thank you for the advice. Much appreciated it.
• 

  Randy Rotheisler

  June 3, 2011 at 10:25 pm

  The trick to “subdued” isn’t the light, it’s the shadows. You’re gonna have to make these- a large soft source in a small room is gonna light everywhere.

  You might try flagging or netting off the light hitting the walls so that the amount of light decreases the higher you go. The dividing line between lighter and darker areas can either be sharp (a ‘hard cut’) or quite gradual (a ‘soft cut’).

  Alternatively, just because your bathroom doesn’t have actually have a window doesn’t mean you can’t light it as if it does. Cut a ‘window’ out of a big chunk of foam core and sprinkle some ‘moonlight’ through it onto your subject or a dark wall. Shining the moonlight through fake tree limbs and leaves and window panes will help ‘sell’ it.

  You MUST be very, very, careful with electricity- especially if your subject is immersed in liquid. Do not, under any circumstances, place lights or power cables where they could fall into the tub!

  randy

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