One of my first professional film set experiences was as a prop master on a medieval action film that shot outside for 24 out of 28 days.

Battling the harsh rains of a Norwegian fall, high up in the mountains, we kept the cameras rolling no matter the conditions.

The shoot opened my eyes to the possibilities of shooting outside, with little to no additional lighting equipment. After talking to our cinematographer, I was convinced I needed to learn the skills to work with the sun as my primary light source.

Now I shoot outside any chance I get.

The amount of free “cinematic” quality you get when shooting outside in nature is off the charts. My favorite part of shooting outside is how immediately you are placed in the world of the story.

My debut feature Wild Boys was shot 80% outside, with no additional lighting equipment. And to quote our main actress, Kate: “It looks like a real movie!”

But as wonderful as the real world can be as a filming location, it can also be complicated.

There’s one big thing you give up when shooting outside: control.

If you’re anything like me, giving up control of any aspect of your film goes against every fiber of your being.

That’s why today we’re talking about how to shoot outside with natural light, while getting the look, tone, and feel your film needs.

We’ll talk about:

• How to plan a day of shooting around the sun.
• Blocking with the sun as your main light source.
• How to wrap the sun and avoid the sun sandwich (it’s cool, I promise.)

Let’s roll.

There’s a reason they call it magic hour

With the sun as your light and some smart staging, you can shoot an incredible-looking film with almost zero equipment. A simple 5-in-1 reflector is great for adding some control, but you don’t need much.

You do need some basic skills and knowledge, though.

The first skill is planning your day around the sun’s movement.

Start during your location scout. I use an app called ​Sun Seeker Pro​ which uses my phone’s camera and overlays the path of the sun at different times of the year. This data becomes crucial when we’re scheduling the film, where we make sure we’re in our location at the optimal time of day.

Another thing to think about is the weather in the location you shoot. When I was on the shoot in Norway, it rained or was at least cloudy nearly every single day, which makes the light soft and flat. In contrast, when we shot Wild Boys in the California Sierras we got sun and bright blue skies every single day. This is a major factor to consider when designing the look of your film.

Most cinematographers prefer to shoot when the sun is closer to the horizon, rather then at it’s highest.

That’s why I get out early to catch that beautiful sunrise, and shoot until the sun sets. The special time when the sun rises and sets is called golden hours, or magic hours. Entire films are shot in those precious moments because the light is so beautiful.

The closer you get to high noon, the less flattering the sunlight becomes.

To be honest, the middle of the day can get rough when shooting outside. A good rule of thumb is to shoot your wides when the light looks the best. Use the middle of the day for shots where you are able to assert a little more control. It’s often easier to bring in some diffusion, bounce, or a flag for insert shots and close-ups than for a huge wide shot.

Shaded areas can also be nice, as long as you avoid big splashes of harsh sunlight where you can’t capture all the details you need.

And you know what else the middle of an outside shoot day in the sun is great for?

Lunch!

Why the sun is a friend best kept at a distance

Using the sun right is all about positioning, or blocking as we call it in film speak.

On the film shoot in the Norwegian mountains, our cinematographer shared how he was able to get cinematic shots without a large crew or tons of equipment.

He would always position the actors between himself (the camera) and the sun. That way the sun would act as a backlight, or a far side key as it is also called. Here are some examples of what that might look like.

It’s often helpful to have the sun at an angle, and not right behind your actors. Think of it as a 180-degree half circle, where as long as the sun is on the far side of your actors you’re in great shape.

​A simple diagram of how you can arrange your camera and actors in relation to the sun.​

This simple trick has been my saving grace more times than I can count.

Another trick our cinematographer used a lot was putting smoke or fog between the actors and the sun. The fog helps soften the light, and creates nice atmosphere for your shots.

Why you want to wrap, not sandwich when it comes to the sun

When you move in for a close-up, you have more opportunities to control the light that hits your actors.

If you can get your hands on a simple 5-in-1 reflector, it’s easy to use it to diffuse the light on your actor’s face for a close-up.

You can also use the reflector to bounce extra light onto the actor’s face if needed, or even block light from one side of their face to create contrast.

A great technique that’s a little more advanced (but still doable on almost any budget) is the sun wrap.

This uses the sun as a backlight and some kind of bounce (reflector, cloth mounted on a frame, or even a shower curtain) to “wrap” the sunlight around one side of the actor’s face. The most important part of this technique is to light from the same side as the sun is on. If the sun is over your actor’s left shoulder, that’s the side you place your bounce on. If you place it on the opposite side, you’ll get something called “the sun sandwich.”

Feared and dreaded by cinematographers all over the world.

It’s a less flattering and cinematic look; don’t do it. I found this video from WanderingDP helpful in understanding the concept:

​The ONE Lighting Setup to RULE Them All…​

Pictures and illustrations help me a lot when learning this kind of stuff!

When you’re trying to create a great looking film on a budget, these are the kinds of things that sets you and your film apart.

And cut!

That does it for this week. Here are the key takeaways I want you to bring with you into your directing career from today:

• Plan your outside shoots around the path of the sun
• Use blocking to maximize how you use the light from the sun.
• Bring in additional lighting tools for closer shots and use a technique like the sun wrap to make your images stand out.

As always, thanks for reading.

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