Cinematic Lighting: Night Interior for Film Production

The objective of this course is to demonstrate the process of creating a moody night-time atmosphere indoors using practical sources, toplight, and simulated moonlight and firelight. 

This course is the third installment of a series of four that focuses on the crucial aspect of a Director of Photography's role: designing the lighting.

In this course, viewers will have the opportunity to delve into the intricate details of creating cinematic indoor lighting. Unlike traditional studio demonstrations, this course takes a unique approach by being entirely set on location. By doing so, it provides a realistic portrayal of the challenges involved in achieving captivating lighting for independent film production. It takes into account the constraints of time, weather, and equipment, while also catering to the script's specific requirements.

Throughout the course, viewers will be able to witness the practical application of the techniques discussed. The course documents the blocking, lighting, and shooting of a short scripted scene featuring two actors in full costume. This scene is inspired by the fantasy web series Ren: The Girl with the Mark, adding an element of excitement and creativity to the learning experience.

Under the guidance of experienced Director of Photography Neil Oseman and his team, viewers can observe the meticulous process of setting up fixtures, light control with flags and rags, and making necessary adjustments for camera movements during the shoot. Neil's expertise shines through as he provides valuable insights into his decision-making process and offers alternative approaches that viewers can apply to their own film projects.

The course culminates with the presentation of the final edited scene, allowing viewers to witness the impressive end result of the lighting design. This serves as a testament to the effectiveness of the techniques taught throughout the course. By the end of this course, viewers will have gained a comprehensive understanding of how to create cinematic indoor lighting, equipping them with the necessary skills to bring their own creative visions to life.

You can also check out the Other Courses in this comprehensive series:

• Cinematic Lighting: Day Interior for Film Production
• Cinematic Lighting: Day Exterior for Film Production
• Cinematic Lighting: Night Exterior for Film Production

1. Cinematography students
2. Camera operators looking to move up to Director of Photography
3. Corporate/industrial filmmakers looking to move into drama
4. Indie filmmakers looking to increase their production values

1. So glad to be your student Neil. This is what I was looking for. I have no words. This was the perfect course for me. I am very grateful, I am confident to be a pro DP now. Highly recommended ~ T Tsephel
2. I was confused how to use lighting techniques on set but because of this course I learned a lot from it, how to light with single source and make your composition more better with these lighting techniques that he has taught in this course ~ F Ahmed
3. This is an excellent course and I'd happily take another one from this instructor. The format was perfect for teaching lighting, not just the how but also the why. HIGHLY recommend this to others! ~ J Kelsey
4. This course is great in detail and explanation ~ J Thanyapanich
5. Thank you to Neil and his team for a fantastic course that gives a real insight into the thought process of a cinematographer. If you were expecting this to have the secrets of good cinematography the you need to look elsewhere as Neil gives you the tips and tricks of his approach for your to go out and try on your own set ~ D Baker
6. great education, loads of fun and loads of create and real solutions to real problems, thank you :-) ~ D Lewis
7. Please take this class if you wish to learn the THOUGHT PROCESSES CINEMATOGRAPHERS MUST GO THROUGH JUSTIFYING EVERY LIGHT/SHADOW/ATMOSPHERE THEY MUST CREATE IN SECONDS! As a complete novice to both camera & lighting, I watched every module straight through and allowed myself to simply watch & listen as I had no references to any of the camera/light equipment he would be using, therefore I had everything going over my head while at the same time reinforcing my belief that cinematography and lighting are of the utmost importance in conveying the story to an audience. Cinematographers and Directors with a command of lighting & shadows are magicians. We as audience members do not want to know the truths and so we are fooled willingly that the scene we watch actually is living in real sun/moon/light/shadow/fire/candles/fog etc....making us accessible and LIVE INSIDE THE STORY: BELIEVING the STORY ~ S Bitner
8. This guy knows his stuff and gets straight to the point. A natural teacher! ~ V Gonzalez
9. This course is excellent! It is very informative and engaging! The concepts are explained clearly and demonstrated well. I would definitely recommend it ~ E Yelen
10. It's amazing how many self-proclaimed cinematographers are out there all selling their courses but real cinematographers teaching are few and far between. That's why Neil's course is one of a kind, he's an actual professional and he is actually justified in calling himself a real cinematographer, as opposed to almost everyone else who sell their cinematography courses... no offense ~ G Kozma
11. Excellent!! Very well organized with interesting examples & set-ups. I also appreciated the realistic range of gear and scale of production - a very useful reference for independent filmmaking ~ P Riddihough
12. I highly recommend this course to all those who want to improve their photo skills in a theory and practical way. I'd never been in a set before, but this course felt so lively as same if you were in there by seen all the choices taken by a professional DP, and how those decisions improved the final result ~ E Magallanes
13. Excellent course! IMHO, it provides as much "hands on" experience as you can get from an online course. As you are on set with Neil and he is applying the lighting and changes as he is describing them, you can immediately see what effect the various techniques have on your picture. He is also casually touching other topics like image composition and techniques as he goes on discussing his shots. I also got myself a light meter after this course ;-) (my favourite part is still that the automated subtitles turned "Sekonic light meter" into the "psychotic light meter"...). I definitely recommend this course to anyone who would like to hone their skills in cinematic lighting and I definitely hope that Neil will do additional courses! Also check out Neils blog, which contains additional details ~ P Rüegg

3.1 Internal vs. External Light

• Observing the blocking with actors Kate and Ivan
• Approaches to lighting a night interior scene
• Lighting from outside with an HMI “moon”
• Working with bounced “moonlight” inside the room
• Choosing an overhead source as the key light

3.2 Working with Toplight

• Time and safety considerations of working with top-light
• Rigging a top-light safely
• Controlling top-light spill on the set walls
• Using unbleached muslin to soften and warm up the light
• The inverse square law

3.3 Firelight & Moonlight

• Working with practical candles
• Reinforcing candles with a hidden LED fixture
• Simulating an off-camera fireplace
• Lighting the view outside the window
• Bringing moonlight into the room to add colour contrast and depth
• Shooting the master shot

3.4 Tweaking for the Coverage

• Checking the blocking for the first single
• Filling in shadows using additional unbleached muslin
• Flagging the top-light to control the background
• Adjusting the external light to maintain colour contrast
• Shooting Kate’s single
• Adjusting the fireplace effect to work for a close-up
• Shooting Ivan’s single
• Summary
• The final edited scene

1. Students should have a grasp of basic cinematography concepts like white balance and depth of field.
2. A familiarity with the principle of three-point lighting will be useful, but not essential.