Lighting a Bathroom

[marcjb401]

Hey, I was just wondering how to go about lighting a specific film I plan to do this summer. The biggest chunk of the film takes place in a bathroom (flourescent lights and white walls) in my school. My school has some no name lighting kit, with about four lights and stands, and I have access to a ton of gels and diffusion papers (I'm an LD for my school's theater). I'll be shooting on my XL2, and the general mood is very grim. Any suggestions?

 

[element80]

If you can, don't use the fluorescents. you can use the white walls to your advantage as bounce to give you a nice soft light, but at the same time, they'll kill your contrast. Try to mix it up with your propping, and get some darkness in the frame. Also, it'll be hard to hide light stands in a small bathroom, so if it has a drop ceiling (ceiling tiles) see if you can get scissor clamps to hang them with. Otherwise, be creative with how you rig them, and try to keep them out of the frame.