Movie Night

In the next part of my “best-of” image-related posts, here are some of the cinema rooms I’ve tackled over the years. These rooms can be the most difficult to shoot as they present many technical challenges because they are often painted black, and possess zero natural light. I approach these spaces in the following manner:

Set up the composition, and focus in advance. Any attempt at autofocus in the dark is destined for failure.

Capture a range of ambient exposures for the internal lighting, the screen, and the general atmosphere.

Use flash “pops” to highlight the edges of seats and anything else significant.

In post-production, spend time blending the various elements sympathetically to create something with a bit of “mood”.

It can sometimes seem like I’m winging it with these rooms - because I am! There’s no real fixed method that I’ve discovered yet, so the best way is to hammer out plenty of frames that can be used to construct the final image. It’s similar to shooting twilight exteriors in that sense.

Anyway, enjoy the gallery.