CLOUDY/RAINY AND COLD LIGHTING

01

To create a cold, overcast feel for a character struggling with a decision or feeling alone, it’s important to take the same techniques as the sunny scene and flip them around. Find a nice cloudy HDRI and try to remove any direct sunlight so you can have an even fill light. You might want to add a directional light but with a very soft shadow angle of around aiangle 40-60. The colour will need to be subdued and desaturated to give the feeling that the sun isn’t poking through the clouds to add any colour to the character’s life.

02

As your alley will be quite dark, you can use the same technique of adding spotlights in pockets to certain areas of the background to add to the interest of the scene, but the character is the most important part of the image.

03

More light coming from the end of the alley can give the impression that there is light in this world, but the character is facing the wrong way to see it. It also allows the audience to imagine a larger world beyond the scene.

04

For the character we can add a soft Area light the same colour as the clouds to fill in the face and add some texture. It is a delicate balance here as you want to show the character’s face but not flatten out the lines.

05

If you have an emotional performance from the character you will need to make sure the lighting is helping the lines and expressions on the face rather than flattening them out. Once again make sure the light is far enough away from the character so they can move through the scene if they have to.

06

This shot would benefit from a combination of some FX rain falling and wet streets. For now we can add ai atmosphere volume again to enhance the cold feeling.

Building the bigger picture Lights with off-screen sources give the shot a bigger feel – as if the world of your image is larger than just what you see. There is a moon outside of shot, more streetlights, neon signs, maybe a car with headlights drives by. Lighting can help build the world of the character by letting your imagination fill in the blanks. For more subtle drama, the scene might require a more sombre lighting setup