CinemaCake teams always try to capture people in their best light as they get ready in bedrooms, hotel rooms, and bridal suites. One of the most important aspects of filming is finding good light, and sometimes this can be challenging.
After years of filming on corporate sets, Dave has picked up a few tricks of the trade for filming brides, grooms, and family members as they prepare for their big day. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at one of those tricks.
Most rooms have regular tungsten bulbs in the lamps on nightstands and in other fixtures. Tungsten lights are much “warmer” or orange, compared to the sunshine (bluer light) that comes through the window while shooting. This means that subjects and objects are in “mixed light”, which is not as flattering as evenly colored light in the room. Dave discovered a quick and inexpensive (less than $10) solution to this problem and still uses this tactic today.
If there is a chance of a mixed light situation, he makes sure to grab a pack of four 60W Equivalent Daylight CFL bulbs just in case the lighting clashes. These light bulbs can easily replace the tungsten bulbs in a room and match the color temperature of the sun. Instead of the orange lighting from the tungstens, the daylight bulbs provide a cooler or bluer light that helps make a more attractive picture on camera, avoiding the less flattering “mixed light”.
“Tungsten bulbs and sunlight don’t mix well. The daylight bulbs are powerful tools. Filmmakers can often feel like lighting is something that is out of our control, but it can suddenly be back in your control for a low price and minimal effort”, Dave says.
Dave has been using this tool so long that he has returned to the same rooms years later to discover the daylight bulbs he installed were still there.
Below is a film where Dave used this technique.
Disclaimer: Dave recommends getting permission before changing anyone’s bulbs.
-Keira
