Of any film that has attempted to film nighttime tactics in daylight, none has been more successful than this No. But director Jordan Peele and director of photography Hoyt Van Hoytema had to use some incredibly innovative techniques to pull it off.
If you’re new to day and night, then simply shoot a scene during the day and color correct it so it looks like it was shot at night. This is extremely beneficial for all types of productions, saving a lot of time and money by avoiding overnight shoots and limiting lighting equipment.
Day/night technology has been used in movies for decades. You can see these shots in countless classic films such as lawrence of arabiaright up to today’s blockbusters, e.g. Mad Max: Fury Road.
While the overall daytime look for nighttime looks has changed over the years, the techniques have remained essentially the same. There are some significant differences between the old film capture/processing methods and the new digital methods.
I have shared a teaching before Create realistic day and night scenes. It covers color correction techniques as well as other basic considerations if you’re interested in trying it yourself.
Every film that attempts to shoot night footage in daylight will have a different result. Some are much better than others. But as I said above. No other film can achieve the level of realism and aesthetics that “Day and Night” does.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how it’s done.
65mm film + 65mm digital
Typically, day and night shots are taken on a single camera. Optimize the environment as much as possible (shoot in overcast conditions, avoid too much sky detail, etc.) and apply color correction to the footage to sell the look.
While this traditional workflow can produce great results, it often has some significant drawbacks. It’s worth noting that the highlights are much brighter than they should be.
Imagine processing footage shot on a bright sunny day. You can lower the exposure and tint the color to blue in post if you want, but the sky will always look brighter than the foreground. This is not reminiscent of reality at all.
To avoid this common giveaway Noa customized camera rig that features not one, but two cameras. A 65mm Panavision large format film camera and an Arri Alexa 65 with an infrared sensor.
since Alex In the captured infrared image, all the brightest areas in the shot are inverted and therefore become very dark. This infrared footage would then be combined with the original 65mm film in post to create a more realistic day and night effect.
To really maximize shadow density, the filmmakers overexposed the Alexa 65 slightly so that when it was inverted, the bright areas of the frame would be as close to black as possible.
It’s also worth noting that this setup and workflow was developed by Hoyte van Hoytema in Astara.
In that film, he used the exact same technique to create a near-black sky that made the images look like they were actually shot on the moon.
Using a 3D camera rig
In order to be able to combine film and digital footage in post, both cameras had to capture nearly identical images.
Ultimately, this is achieved using a 3D camera rig, which typically houses two matched cameras and is calibrated for a stereoscopic 3D workflow.
exist Nothe rig was customized to fit the Arri Alexa 65 and set up to capture nearly identical images on both cameras.
Here’s a quick shot of BTS on set.
Post-production: color + visual effects
Day and Night Color Workflow Enabled No Definitely more complex than average.
In addition to tinting the main 65mm cine lens to make it appear darker, cooler and more night-like, the Alexa infrared lens is also cleverly layered on top.
Doing so gave the team greater control over the shadowed areas of the image. They could selectively use the infrared camera to capture dark parts of the frame (such as the sky) while relying on the 65mm film lens for the rest of the footage.
Additionally, other elements, such as clouds in the sky, were included to help sell the final effect.
The final product is actually the result of three interrelated variables. Camera settings, color processing and final visual effects elements.
Trading Day for Night: The End Results of NOPE
As I mentioned at the top of this article, the day-to-night process is used to No Unlike any other movie to date. Apart from Astarawhich is the first use case for this setting.
In my opinion, it’s worth it. Going the extra mile in production and post-production really helps make these shots stand out and feel more immersive.
Are daytime and night scene shots 100% realistic? Not exactly.
But I haven’t taken any other daytime night photos either. There are always giveaways if you’re really looking for them.
But there is no doubt that No Achieved better results than any other method. Personally, I welcome some minor inconsistencies compared to actual night shots.
Fictional movies are not meant to be played like documentaries.
Part of the magic of movies is finding yourself in a new world you never knew existed. From a visual perspective, this may require the use of new technology like this. Ability to present eye-catching and unique images. Even if it’s not 100% grounded in reality.
I can only imagine that we will see more applications of this technology in the future.
What are your thoughts on today’s nighttime technology? Please leave a comment below!
For exclusive filmmaking articles every Sunday, sign up for my newsletter here!
