If there’s one filmmaking tip that can make a difference on a no-budget production, it’s the ability to shoot during the day and at night.
This is when you take a night scene during the day and colorize it in post to make it look like it’s actually night.
I’ve written a lot about day for night The past – and how to get there from a technical perspective.
But what I didn’t mention is the importance of day versus night for many no-budget productions.
The most expensive and complex scenes are almost always nighttime exteriors. On traditional movie sets, they are created with lots of lighting equipment, lots of atmospheric elements, and generators that are turned off.
Still, many big-budget productions try to avoid shooting at night, as this always adds to the complexity of the schedule.
On a no-budget production, it’s even more important to use day and night tactics.
Another option is:
- Use too few lights (looks cheap)
- No lights/shooting at high ISO (damage production value)
- Rent a larger lighting package and hire more staff (overspending)
- Get off your team’s schedule with an overnight stay (unsustainable)
None of these scenarios are ideal.
Of course, night scenes can also be captured well on no-budget productions. But they must be written with this goal in mind. And it must be reflected in the shot list and production plan.
But most of the time, the answer is simply day and night.
To achieve this, a limited number of lighting fixtures (or grips) may still be required. But the amount of equipment and resources required is a fraction compared to actual night photography.
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself shooting in overcast conditions, you may not need any additional gear at all. Harsh sunlight is always a big problem that you have to be aware of.
Day and night can (and should) be used for interior decoration as well. It’s not just suitable for outdoor environments.
On a recent feature film, we had a full day of production and only shot night scenes. But it has to be scheduled in the middle of the week, when everything else is supposed to be daytime.
To avoid disrupting our entire night shooting schedule, we just arrived on set an hour early in the day and blacked out all the windows.
Doing this (along with placing some practical lights around the house) was all we needed to transform the house into a studio environment.
Whatever your situation, the best preparation you can do is to make sure your script is written with these production requirements in mind.
You need to pay special attention to the number of night scenes you write about and where they occur. These two variables determine everything.
In an ideal world, you’d find a way to naturally incorporate day and night into your production. This way it complements your story, makes everyone’s life on set easier, and provides a better final product.
These topics are in Blueprint for No-Budget Filmmakingyou can view here.
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