Lighting a car interior, simulated driving

[Loaded Canon]

Hey all,

I'll be shooting a short in a couple weeks that takes place entirely in a vehicle. Driver in front, passenger in back. It will be shot inside, intended to simulate night. I have a chroma key screen that I'm thinking of using to simulate that the car is driving down the road, and it will be shot in B&W.

Anyone have any tips or pointers that may help to achieve the desired effect a little bit better?

[tcindie]

Usually putting a small fluorescent or scoop light on the floorboards or drivers lap will work to simulate dashboard lights. As for lighting the passenger in the back, there's really not normally light back there, so that could be tougher, as they would really only be lit from street lights and headlights of other vehicles.

A chroma screen isn't going to work if you shoot in black & white.. you'd have to shoot in color, pull the key, composite and desaturate in post.

You can simulate street lights gliding by moving a light past the car, headlights would be similar, but you'd probably want a rig with two lights that have them seperated to about the right width, at about the right height off the ground... using these "headlights" and "streetlights" in conjunction with the dash lighting I mentioned, and someone giving the car a bit of a shake (bounce on the bumper a bit) it should read as a decent process shot. In this case it might be easier to throw the car up on a trailer, shoot through the windshield and tow it around while the actors run their lines.

[digvid]

Agree with the lost post. One of these will do the trick for lighting interior- http://www.kinoflo.com/12VDC%20Syste...o/Mini-Flo.htm

[mgriffith]

I just bought the book "Motion picture and video lighting" by Blain Brown. He goes over the setup for the car interior which includes a big bounced light for general level, a pivoting light up front for headlights passing by and one behind, gelled red, for cars that have passed. Finally, a light on a cstand swinging back and forth gives the impression of passing street lights.

Great book and the included dvd is cool too.

--Mike

[tcindie]

I was thinking the dash lighting could be done more economically with something like this:


$11.02 at Amazon.

Color temperature wouldn't be a huge issue, as dash lighting is generally funky colors anyway.

[Ian-T]

Wal-Mart also sells compact work flo lights for around he same price.