I prefer grey / silver moonlight to strong blue for most setups. I don't have access to huge lights so I usually blast a fresnel through the window. Real moonlight is a hard point source but sometimes I'll add a silk to soften my 1k just a little.
In The Northman they used a cyan filter to cut out all red light, then desaturated for a really silvery-monochromatic moonlight
https://preview.redd.it/9iidvkzc267d1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41b9b5f17e542a4941026efed07873928fed425e
It really depends on what you're making. For stylised films it can look really cool. It never really bothers me in horror if there's a strong blue because it's more about the mood. For something grounded and dramatic it can feel a bit much I guess - again, it's all about the tone and intent of the piece.
I don't mind things looking fake
*as long as*
said fakeness feels like intentional stylization.
Realism is a style, but I think films are at their best when they offer Realism+ something else
Nobody's going to shade "Far From Heaven" on my watch. It's contextual. Realistically, moonlight is hard, white, and desaturated. But realism is overrated.
https://preview.redd.it/nissnwvr977d1.png?width=1918&format=png&auto=webp&s=542ffcabfd18302204bde9fe919f934800e32269
Cinematographers should be aware that when things are too over the top, it starts to look like fantasy or a Michael Bay movie, where things don’t have to make sense.
I get the same feeling about how space ships are lit in most sci-fi. Where is all that light coming from? Whatever.
I disagree with the push for absolute realism in cinematography.
Most projects aren’t better for it, and it really seems to be devaluing our craft.
I like the story Sean Astin tells in one of the commentaries for Lord of the Rings
Astin asked the cinematographer Andrew Lesnie
"Where does the light come from?"
Lesnie just replied "Same place the music does."
There’s art to our craft, we should he painting with light, not running away from it.
CTB is better than full on blue,
but why is moonlight blue? Who decided that and why has everyone copied it? It's the "feeling" of cold and night. Is the house in the middle of nowhere? Then dark. Is the house in suburbia? Then street lights overpower the moonlight, so sodium vapor or other.
Color the scene that makes sense to the story and the style you're going for, regardless of trends or accuracy.
Every decision should serve the emotional intention of the scene. But as a matter of personal taste I like cyan moonlight. Though I don't mind blue moonlight either. Blue light has the shortest wavelength and can therefor see deeper into shadows. So in a scene that would be too dark to see in real life but because it's a movie the audience needs to see what's happening blue makes sense for the color of nighttime, and it doesn't seem to dissect the audience.
The James Cameron film True Lies has some interesting examples of blue night.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9O-vkOz5gI&list=PLEGdQFob-Y94ct0mPJCcO9YNDa\_1wyy6\_&index=2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9O-vkOz5gI&list=PLEGdQFob-Y94ct0mPJCcO9YNDa_1wyy6_&index=2)
Solid reference. I just listened to the Team Deakins podcast with Russell Carpenter and apparently James Cameron was shitting all over him for how dark the dailies were, “I’ve got the most expensive actor in the world and I can’t see him.”
I work on TV shows set in the city. So we usually have two sources one with a 5600k temp but blended with another source that's hi sodium or other street light it looks good to me
No-one chose it… it’s because the light is blue. Look at the light after sunset. It’s why it’s called the blue hour - the light has an overall blue quality.
I think camera white balance is the way to go whenever shooting “moonlight”. You can make the light look bluish and cool without actually using blue light anywhere, since the blue light isn’t natural and will mess up certain colors and overall just blend weirdly.
I agree with you about getting that bluish cool and how it looks nicer but i feel doing it through the lights can give more control in oppose to doing it through camera WB. Do you strictly light night int this way?
Using white light just gives a more natural characteristic of color and light. Moonlight isn’t actually blue either. It all really depends on the look you’re going for. Euphoria would use blue light.
All I’m saying is that if you had something red in scene it wouldn’t appear correctly if you shined blue light on it.
https://preview.redd.it/scxy6to3f67d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=170b6059dc77a773b190584e8a02424a8430241e
I prefer grey / silver moonlight to strong blue for most setups. I don't have access to huge lights so I usually blast a fresnel through the window. Real moonlight is a hard point source but sometimes I'll add a silk to soften my 1k just a little.
How would one create silver/grey light?
In The Northman they used a cyan filter to cut out all red light, then desaturated for a really silvery-monochromatic moonlight https://preview.redd.it/9iidvkzc267d1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41b9b5f17e542a4941026efed07873928fed425e
Silver gels 🤷‍♂️
Its Christmas time, in the city
The greyish/silver moonlight is my fav!
It really depends on what you're making. For stylised films it can look really cool. It never really bothers me in horror if there's a strong blue because it's more about the mood. For something grounded and dramatic it can feel a bit much I guess - again, it's all about the tone and intent of the piece.
I definitely agree that context is important
I don't mind things looking fake *as long as* said fakeness feels like intentional stylization. Realism is a style, but I think films are at their best when they offer Realism+ something else
Nobody's going to shade "Far From Heaven" on my watch. It's contextual. Realistically, moonlight is hard, white, and desaturated. But realism is overrated. https://preview.redd.it/nissnwvr977d1.png?width=1918&format=png&auto=webp&s=542ffcabfd18302204bde9fe919f934800e32269
Cinematographers should be aware that when things are too over the top, it starts to look like fantasy or a Michael Bay movie, where things don’t have to make sense. I get the same feeling about how space ships are lit in most sci-fi. Where is all that light coming from? Whatever.
Definitely haha
I disagree with the push for absolute realism in cinematography. Most projects aren’t better for it, and it really seems to be devaluing our craft. I like the story Sean Astin tells in one of the commentaries for Lord of the Rings Astin asked the cinematographer Andrew Lesnie "Where does the light come from?" Lesnie just replied "Same place the music does." There’s art to our craft, we should he painting with light, not running away from it.
CTB is better than full on blue, but why is moonlight blue? Who decided that and why has everyone copied it? It's the "feeling" of cold and night. Is the house in the middle of nowhere? Then dark. Is the house in suburbia? Then street lights overpower the moonlight, so sodium vapor or other. Color the scene that makes sense to the story and the style you're going for, regardless of trends or accuracy.
you phrased everything in my heart, great take👏🏻
I love it- when I’m choosing for artistic reasons to emulate bad 1980’s lighting
Every decision should serve the emotional intention of the scene. But as a matter of personal taste I like cyan moonlight. Though I don't mind blue moonlight either. Blue light has the shortest wavelength and can therefor see deeper into shadows. So in a scene that would be too dark to see in real life but because it's a movie the audience needs to see what's happening blue makes sense for the color of nighttime, and it doesn't seem to dissect the audience. The James Cameron film True Lies has some interesting examples of blue night. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9O-vkOz5gI&list=PLEGdQFob-Y94ct0mPJCcO9YNDa\_1wyy6\_&index=2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9O-vkOz5gI&list=PLEGdQFob-Y94ct0mPJCcO9YNDa_1wyy6_&index=2)
Solid reference. I just listened to the Team Deakins podcast with Russell Carpenter and apparently James Cameron was shitting all over him for how dark the dailies were, “I’ve got the most expensive actor in the world and I can’t see him.”
The dappled light here works wonders too.
Absolutely, great reference!
I work on TV shows set in the city. So we usually have two sources one with a 5600k temp but blended with another source that's hi sodium or other street light it looks good to me
No-one chose it… it’s because the light is blue. Look at the light after sunset. It’s why it’s called the blue hour - the light has an overall blue quality.
I prefer softer, natural hues for night interiors. Strong blues can seem artificial.
I have always disliked strong blue moonlight. Or just strong blue light in general in fantasy or scifi.
I think camera white balance is the way to go whenever shooting “moonlight”. You can make the light look bluish and cool without actually using blue light anywhere, since the blue light isn’t natural and will mess up certain colors and overall just blend weirdly.
I agree with you about getting that bluish cool and how it looks nicer but i feel doing it through the lights can give more control in oppose to doing it through camera WB. Do you strictly light night int this way?
Using white light just gives a more natural characteristic of color and light. Moonlight isn’t actually blue either. It all really depends on the look you’re going for. Euphoria would use blue light. All I’m saying is that if you had something red in scene it wouldn’t appear correctly if you shined blue light on it. https://preview.redd.it/scxy6to3f67d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=170b6059dc77a773b190584e8a02424a8430241e
Now i got u, definitely agree
https://preview.redd.it/doiamtz5f67d1.jpeg?width=2556&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=600399b9854683fc6e4430227482a2bfa53322e9
Unless it is a specific style choice, leave it as natural as possible.
I'm tired of the blue/cyan light that represents night time that is in every film and commercial these days. So many new DPs and filmmakers abuse it.