BUILDING A BAR for an indie film (part 3)

We are getting ready to shoot the last big scene in our little indie short film noir "Battery Row."I just wanted to show a very close to final of the bar with a neon sign in the window. I'll be adding 2 more lights when the actors step into place but for now this is pretty decent for mood lighting. I showed it in color too. I cut holes in blackwrap so that the light came out in spots which I think is much better than just flooding a room with light. Perhaps the one thing that alerts me to a student film is when everything is lit. My opinion is to guide the eyes if possible. We don't need to see the corners of the room in vivid detail when the action is down below. In the movie Nightmare Alley they actually have shot where the 2 lead actors are half in black.... not a gray but a black shadow. You can't even see Tyrone Power's face half the scene. I like that. It's got real element to it. sometimes we have conversations in the dark.:P

it's amazing what we've done with this room. it's been many many different sets in the past 6 years.
Next post I want to show my sketches for some battery row scenes and screen shots of how those same sketches came to life in the film.