|
*updated 9/20/2007*
Good lighting creates volume, layers and depth in a scene. It is not distracting or obnoxious. It also hides the weak points of an environment while enhancing strong points. We have all seen masterful props fall victim to poor lighting and we have all seen fair props turned into brilliance by terrific lighting. The following are some basics that I hope will help turn your haunt into the best haunt it can be.
Here is a diagram of a basic lighting model and terms:
Above is a diagram of common terms used in lighting objects or scenes. Some of these terms are used below. Lighting is a powerful tool for the haunter. When done well, it can 'make' the most simple of props and when done poorly it can 'break' the the best of props.
Some rules of thumb.
The above photo shows the basic lighting model applied to a prop. Notice how the warm secondary light does not compete with for the same side of the column as the main distant blue light. Planting opposing lights helps to add volume to the prop and depth to the scene. Check out how we even lit the tops of our prop with a purple pin light in order to draw the viewers eye to a 'sweet spot'. . Traditionally transitions from props to the lawn is not the strong suit of a haunt so we also try to keep our strongest lights away from the base of the props. This scene was lit with
Below are two approaches to lighting the same yard with the same lights. The results are two different looks. The first look is common but does not take advantage of the principals of good lighting.
The above diagram is a common solution I have seen with lots of yard haunting. 'Two lights in a tree' solution is a poplar conclusion for a beginner trying to light a yard haunt. It usually has a couple of cool floods (1 ,2) as a main light source in a tree. As a secondary light source at the porch light (4) and a few warm accent lights usually placed near favorite props (3, 5).
Here are the results from the 'two lights in a tree' solution. Generally the yard becomes flatly washed in floodlight. It is common to have a lack of depth in the scene because the height of the light in the trees does not allow for layers of long shadows and shadow definition. The eye is quickly drawn to a few over lit areas. Problems:
Typical application of lighting is to create clarity and readability. However, yard haunting, lighting is supposed to help with the illusion of the actors and props. We prefer drama vs. readability. We prefer long foreboding shadows, and eerie up lighting. We want to use darkness to hide our flaws, and use brightness to draw the eye.
Gen 1 Haunt lighting - 2004, Very little ambient light (No streetlight).
The above diagram the Skull And Bone method for yard haunt lighting. This model uses the same amount of lights as the Two Lights in a tree solution. The goal in the Skull And Bone method is to create layers of light, shadow, detail and rhythm. Two cool floodlights (1, 2) divide the yard in opposing directions. Care is taken to reduce light overlap. Cross lighting creates light pollution. The secondary porch light source (4) has moved to the rear of the house. It lights the trees from below and behind the house. The warm accent lights (3,5) have been placed amidst some of the props to create layers of light. GEN1 Light List:
Gen 1 - 2004
Here are the results from the Skull and Bone lighting Method. Notice how the yard becomes layered in shadows. With the main lights placed behind the picket fence, the once blank face of the house is broken up with rhythmic and legible shadow detail. In our haunt we go to the extent of placing a shadow of a cross right over the front door. It's this kind of attention to detail that goes into the best lighting scenes. Notice even the main walkway approach to the house has crisscrossing shadows. These fill an otherwise blank walkway with rhythmic visuals. We also have the lighting so that the ToT's Shadow runs up the walkway as they approach the house. **I will note, that this layout made it slightly hard to see as you turned back towards the street after the ToT. This problem was addressed in the GEN2 layout. Placement of the secondary light sources within the tombstones has created depth between the rows. This also helps to add volume to the prop by keeping the secondary light source a true secondary light source. The point of this light is to accent the main light source. It is not supposed to compete with the main light source. Had these lights been in front of the tombstone there would have be too much light crossover resulting in lost definition, flat lighting and light pollution. Notice that the front tombstones become strong silhouettes against well lit rear tombstones. Typically we put tombstones that we like behind the light, and tombstones we like the shape of in front of the light. Finally, notice the depth achieved by lighting the trees behind the house instead of lighting the porch. This trick really allows the silhouette of the house to play a part in the haunt. It is also a way to set your house as a whole apart from other houses on the street. We like to call this destination lighting. If you have a second story, you might consider placing lights in the rear windows of the second story in order to achieve this effect.
Our final haunt ends up with 7 warm accent lanterns, two main blue floodlights, two red destination floods behind the house, and two blue pin lights for prop tops. This was approximately 900 watts worth of light.
____
*UPDATE* Gen 2 Haunt Lighting - 2005, curse of the brighter streetlight.
In 2005 I took special care to light our haunt. I knew all eyes would be on us because of this tutorial. Something was amiss from the beginning. My lights were muddy, they would not reach across the yard, and I could not seem to get the scene lit as I had the year before. I was quite disappointed, I had new par 38 cans, and gels to really pump up the intensity of the light... but it looked like crud.. After a couple hours, I started up the computer and went back into my haunt images to see exactly how I lit the yard in 2003.. I noticed something startling. The ambient light was different. I figured out we have a new brighter bulb in our streetlight...
Here are images of the same wall, shot with the same camera two years apart. The image on the left is lit with 100w blue Home Depot spots and the image on the right is the same blue spots with the addition of our new bright streetlight. It turns out the city has replaced our streetlight with a new, bigger and much brighter model... The warm orange light flooded our yard and pretty much cancelled out the subtle blues we were able to project from the curb to the house. After several hours, I had a plan to counteract the orange light.
I decided to modify my lighting model to work with the new bright orange street light rather than fight it.
Here is the new setup, I decided to wash the house with orange/red light while keeping blue light for the foreground. Switching colors mid graveyard basically doubled the light load. Light 7. is the newly infringing street light, it casts an amber wash across the entire yard as well as the face of the house. 1. and 2. are multiple blue par 38can spots with extra blue gel's in them. We added wattage and gels to make these lights as rich and bright as possible in order to overpower the street light. Lights 3.,4. are the warm lantern prop lights from years before. Lights 5. and 6. are several new 'warm red' par 38can spot lights to wash the background with a matching color to the street light. GEN2 Light List:
Here is a rendering of the final Gen 2 light setup. This setup was a lot more sophisticated to get working. It was very hard to keep light pollution to a minimum when we added additional par 38cans to the key locations. We ended up almost tripling our light load trying to blend with, or overpower the new street light. In the end, we achieved many layers of light that still added volume and mood to the haunt. I am happy with the results.
This actor is standing very near the front bank of lights. Here is how 400+ watts of blue light looks on this actor. Now compare that to the props in the distance. The drop off of the light is very fast. Also, check out the background now has a red hue to it that was not present in years past. We used red, because it blended well with the very orange hue the streelight has. This happens to be one of my favorite lighting images. The distance between the camera and the Rose Tomb is less than 20 feet, yet it contains 4 separate and distinct lighting layers. I am happy how our actors were lit so eerily bright against our dark cemetery without casting shadows. It is no accident that some of our actors are dressed much lighter than the props. It's another way to make sure we would draw the eye to miss rose when she was out and about.
In Conclusion At first I was frustrated at changing our lighting model. When it's two nights before the big day, and money and time is short, the last thing you feel like doing is taking on unforeseen challenges. Just take a few steps back, and find the opportunity in the situation. I can see that our new streetlight has pushed our haunt lighting in ways we would have never attempted otherwise. By realizing this was an opportunity and enjoying the process, we were able to break new ground for ourselves technically and creatively.
____
FAQ's Q- Just a question about the 'warm' light you use in your lanterns. what bulb\wattage etc? is it white light or orange? do you frost your glass somehow to get that even glow, or is that just the photograph?
Q- Is that some type of theatrical CAD lighting program you use in your tutorial or are those graphics you made yourselves?
All the best, Rob from Skull and Bone.
|
|||
 |
. . . . . . . . . 
