Lighting on a budget

  As I've stated in previous blog posts, lighting is especially important in black and white films and I'm pumped to be experimenting with it to create some juicy, dramatic looks. Being heavily inspired by the lighting schemes of film noir and films from the 40s and 50s in general, I did a bit of research to find out how exactly they set up their lighting. I stumbled upon this video that went in depth about which lights to use, where to position them and how, depending on which combination of the lights you use, they can transform the look and feel of the image. Although the video was super helpful and inspiring with where to position the light and basic stuff like that, I really don't have the resources to light a set with four to five lights like the ones shown. This whole pickle about not having enough lights has been bugging me since way back when I stumbled on the lighting design for Ida. A simple scene of her sitting in a room filled with "natural light" was still accompanied by multiple lighting fixtures and silk frames and fabrics for the light to bounce off of and...oh dear, I definitely can't do all that mumbo jumbo. 

Light (courtesy of my friend, Cassie) + tinfoil

 No fear! In the mess of 
YouTube videos I watched, I found one (linked here) that had a bunch of no-budget lighting tips, specifically for noir. One specific tip that I'm gonna transfer over to my project is to use tinfoil and wrap it around a light, kind of in a cone shape, to mimic professional barn doors that are used to better control and concentrate light. I'll be using this technique to create a spotlight effect on the two main characters in the final scene when they are slow dancing.

  Another tip that was discussed was using duck tape strips as a filter to create the look of light shining through blinds. At the time I was making this I couldn't find duck tape so I just wrapped the light in tinfoil strips, but for the actual production, I substituted it with the real thing. I used this technique for the opening shot where Yasemin's character wakes up in the middle of the night. 

Actual barn doors

My barn doors

                                                                                             

Creating shutters