help with dramatic lighting and different color gels

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I have a question about different gels to cover lights with during a dramatic scene. My short movies theme is suspense/horror. I have a interior shot that is one shot that goes up stairs to a bathroom then a bedroom, then back down stairs to a kitchen where there are 2 people conversating. What is the best color gel for this type of scene? How much light should be used (contrast)? How can I keep the house lit for this one shot without the camera noticing? Also i have a Exterior shot that consist of 2 people walking up a driveway. Remind you this is a suspense/horror, what is the best color/lighting for this shot? Thank you for all your help.
 
Color is a creative choice based on the dramatic needs of the scene. We can't tell you whether the scene should be gelled warm or cold, or how blue the moonlight should feel or how warm a lamp should look, etc. Would a fashion designer ask someone else to pick the colors for a dress? You should be telling US what color scheme you want. Same goes for contrast. How much contrast do you want? How dark do you want the shadows to be? We can help you with technical questions but we shouldn't be telling you how to creatively shoot the scene in terms of color and contrast -- you have to exercise your visual imagination and come up with those answers.

In terms of hiding lights for long camera shots, it helps if most of the lighting is coming from the real sources of light in the shot, i.e. practical lamps, maybe with brighter bulbs installed in them. After that, it's a matter of figuring out all the areas where the camera ISN'T looking to determine if that's a good place to hide a lamp. Just remember that it isn't always necessary to have light on everything in the frame.

If you look at the long Steadicam shots in "The Shining" you'll see that most rooms are lit with just their practical lamps, usually with brighter bulbs (higher wattage) installed to get more exposure.

If something has to have light on it and there's no logical or creative reason for a practical lamp to be on, then you have to decide where the light is coming from. If it's supposed to be moonlight, then you may have to shine lights through a window, or at least, make it feel like it's coming from a window.
 

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