Director needs to learn
Just because something looks dark doesn't mean there are fewer lights. Night shooting requires a fair number of lights to bring the scene into a range that the camera you are using can capture.
When lighting avoid front lighting. Bring most light in from the side and back to create texture and shadows from the cameras point of view.
Keep your scene size small. It is far easier to light a compact scene with two people in a small room using close-ups than lots of actors in a big space and lots of wide shots. A tight shot can be lit very carefully with only a few lights, reflectors and flags and it can look great. A big set and only a few small lights will lead to heavy visual compromises.
It is always better to shoot just a tad brighter on location and grade it down in post. You can crush the blacks later but if you give the camera no light to begin with all that visual detail is gone.
Try to include some brighter objects in the frame. This prevents people's TV's from auto boosting the blacks up into Gray. A good example is a night scene including someone carrying a flashlight Cameras are not created equal. A modern higher end camera can shoot in way lower light than an older cheaper camera. That extra light sensitivity means that a limited number of lights can be used more effectively.
Record at the camera's highest data rate and lowest compression. LOG / RAW if possible.
Do lighting and camera tests to see how far you can push the camera and still get a good image.
The two biggest challenges when lighting for a dark scene are giving the camera sensor enough light to deliver a solid image and controlling spill light so it doesn't wash out the shadows. Here is where Fresnel lights are worth their weight in gold. The light from them is very directional and easily shapable. Don't forget you can add gels to lights to paint the scene.
Choose your locations so they look good and have easy access to power. If you have a big exterior scene shoot it at dusk to extend your background for free. Dusk is dangerous since the lighting changes so quickly, but if prepared for can look fantastic.
Make sure you (or your DP) have enough lighting horsepower to get the job done. One of the key differences between a very low budget production and a much higher budgeted movie is the size of their lighting fixtures. (Physics: inverse square law) Because light from a light source gets 4 times as dim each time it is moved twice as far away small light sources can only throw a limited distance and they create hot and dark spots as actors move through the set as they get closer and farther from each light. The best option is to create pools of light and shadows. Always best to work with physics than against it. A bigger budget movie can slam in a huge light far into the background and it can light a huge area that actors can move in freely without the exposure changing on them. Using lots of smaller fixtures increase the complexity of the lighting setup.
Be prepared to spend a lot of time in colour grading. Finessing the look of the movie is all important.
Just because something looks dark doesn't mean there are fewer lights. Night shooting requires a fair number of lights to bring the scene into a range that the camera you are using can capture.
When lighting avoid front lighting. Bring most light in from the side and back to create texture and shadows from the cameras point of view.
Keep your scene size small. It is far easier to light a compact scene with two people in a small room using close-ups than lots of actors in a big space and lots of wide shots. A tight shot can be lit very carefully with only a few lights, reflectors and flags and it can look great. A big set and only a few small lights will lead to heavy visual compromises.
It is always better to shoot just a tad brighter on location and grade it down in post. You can crush the blacks later but if you give the camera no light to begin with all that visual detail is gone.
Try to include some brighter objects in the frame. This prevents people's TV's from auto boosting the blacks up into Gray. A good example is a night scene including someone carrying a flashlight Cameras are not created equal. A modern higher end camera can shoot in way lower light than an older cheaper camera. That extra light sensitivity means that a limited number of lights can be used more effectively.
Record at the camera's highest data rate and lowest compression. LOG / RAW if possible.
Do lighting and camera tests to see how far you can push the camera and still get a good image.
The two biggest challenges when lighting for a dark scene are giving the camera sensor enough light to deliver a solid image and controlling spill light so it doesn't wash out the shadows. Here is where Fresnel lights are worth their weight in gold. The light from them is very directional and easily shapable. Don't forget you can add gels to lights to paint the scene.
Choose your locations so they look good and have easy access to power. If you have a big exterior scene shoot it at dusk to extend your background for free. Dusk is dangerous since the lighting changes so quickly, but if prepared for can look fantastic.
Make sure you (or your DP) have enough lighting horsepower to get the job done. One of the key differences between a very low budget production and a much higher budgeted movie is the size of their lighting fixtures. (Physics: inverse square law) Because light from a light source gets 4 times as dim each time it is moved twice as far away small light sources can only throw a limited distance and they create hot and dark spots as actors move through the set as they get closer and farther from each light. The best option is to create pools of light and shadows. Always best to work with physics than against it. A bigger budget movie can slam in a huge light far into the background and it can light a huge area that actors can move in freely without the exposure changing on them. Using lots of smaller fixtures increase the complexity of the lighting setup.
Be prepared to spend a lot of time in colour grading. Finessing the look of the movie is all important.
