Just A Little Bit Of Baby Powder Goes A Long Way!

Today we started shooting for Mental House, a short film about a group of people who think they are famous actors being held against their will in an insain asylum. The lighting for the film uses a unique blend of natural and production lighting which brings some unique ideas and emotions to the scenes.

For the first scene we wanted a muddy and dingy sort of feel for the enviorment. We used the sun coming in from the windows as our key light and an HMI, as well as a few other lights to provide some fill on the actors and extras faces.

What really brought character to the lighting was the addition of baby powder in the air. Before each take two guys ran through with baby powder covered shirts, fluffing them in the air to catch the rays of light from the sun.

Zach powdering the shot

This gave the perfect dusty and dingy feeling to the lighting that we wanted. The baby powder that acumulated on the floor also added to the set design, making the room feel as though it hadn't been cleaned in some time. It was a great technique and really brought up the production quality of our shot. Although I'm starting to feel the effects of breathing baby powder for 2 hours...*cough*

Taking the first shot for Mental House

Signed,
-)_-.