Filming Outside

I am planning to film at night and I want it to appear to be late at night.
According to the BBC, the problems with filming at night includes:

• Someone can injure themselves or someone else due to fatigue
• Reduced visibility can affect time and risk
• Night working on location can increase the security risk
• It may cause a disturbance to the general public

The BBC outlines the General Controls:

• Give the team as much notice as possible about working at night.
• Consider the journey times and travel arrangements of the cast and crew.
• Ensure safety critical activities are scheduled appropriately (e.g. don’t have higher risk work such as stunts at end of night).
• Consider accommodation, taxis and arrangements for transport; these may need to be offered.
• Consider a health assessment via a questionnaire if the night working is to be regular.
• Keep access clear of equipment and cables.
• Ensure that access and egress routes are adequately lit and that cables are properly managed.
• Identify any potential risks to personal safety at the location.
• Make the police and / or other relevant authorities aware of your recording intentions if necessary.
• Contact the Corporate Security Team and liaise with the police if you require further security advice.
• Consider the length of time and the location of the sequence if the recording may be contentious to the local people or area and the need for security (see pre-vetted list).
• Ensure arrangements for vehicle parking will be secure.
• Think about the need for working lights at location and unit base ensuring they do not dazzle drivers.
• Inform the cast and crew of any particular hazards.
• Keep noise levels to a minimum in public areas. If significant noise is likely liaise with the locals/the local environmental health officer to make them aware and help manage it.

A way to overcome the problems and hassle with filming at night time is to film at dusk, either during sunrise or at sunset. At this current date-12th January 2017- sunrise is at approximately 8:00AM and sunset is at 4:06PM. In the editing stage for the production, I will have to edit the brightness and saturation to make it appear at night time. I will complete some test footage before, comparing dusk and night filming.

Reflective Comment

The research has allowed me to gain a better understanding of filming when dark. The term 'golden hour' is a term for the sunrise/sunset, it is apparently the perfect period for filming as the sun does not cause any inconvenience. I will use this research for my test footage to compare the quality and credibility of filming at sunset rather than night.