You're really talking about big power stuff (10K) if your scene is at all wide. This means a fairly large generator, which of course, will have to be mega-muffled if you are recording sound (and we always record sound, don't we?). You would also need something like a blonde to use as a key/fill, although you might get away with reflectors off the 10K. If your shot is not too wide you might get away using just a blonde and reflectors. This means you could get away with a portable generator, but these are generally not well muffled. The idea is to use the large light as a huge, wide backlight, giving your subjects a strong rim. The justification for this light might be that it's the moon. If possible, douse the area with water (particularly road surfaces and building walls), as this creates bright reflections which give texture to these areas. Careful use of a reflector bouncing light back from this large light will give you fill on the camera side of your subject. This won't be easy if your shots are at all wide. Newcomers to night lighting often think that a mere absence of light represents night. This is not so. Standard three point lighting applies for night shooting as well. Essentially you light just as in a studio, but the viewer accepts that this is night because the scene moves to black where our light doesn't fall. If your budget is tiny you may choose to shoot "day for night". Let the sun be a backlight, bounce in a little fill if needed, fool the color balance, by balancing through an orange gel or other method, so everything looks bluish, increase the contrast in post. Outdoor lighting is much too expensive for a lot of people. A generator big enough to run a 10K plus some other stuff is going to be expensive and probably too loud, even if blimped, to shoot on a deserted road. You would most likely need to replace the audio like the big guys do. That 10K would most likely want to be rigged very high, perhaps hanging off a crane, very expensive. Day for night might be better if your budget for the shot is under $4,000 USD. As always, the sun provides a very nice, inexpensive light source. Any exterior shot can be expensive to light or inexpensive, depending upon how resourceful you are. The shadows that buildings, trees and bridges cast can provide wonderful soft light during the day and the "golden hour" just after sunset is a beautiful (if short) time to shoot. Early morning just before sunrise is another time that affords inexpensive, soft natural light. Created: 2005-03-15 Modified: [Return to Previous Screen]