In this video, Elena Armellini shows us how she uses LEE Filters to create the perfect lighting for a horror scene. Check out her breakdown on how she uses our gels on set. 

Elena is a gaffer/spark who has worked on Channel 4’s Bafta-nominated How to Be a Person. With years of lighting design experience, she shares her process for  creating a horror scene using a mirror and LEE Filters gels. 

Make Day Look Like Night 

The following is a transcript of the tips Elana shares in the video:  

“I chose to have someone who is looking at themselves in a mirror and in the background there's going to be a scary figure. We made sure everything is blacked out because it's supposed to be night. Basically, by blacking out all these windows using Black Foil, we can have total control when we are inside.  

The sun was out and we had to be very careful and very precise about how we had to blackout every window. Black foil is something that you need to have as a backup in your kit.” 

New Blackout Product: Nocturnal Blue - helping creatives to achieve a realistic nighttime look in bright daylight.  

Creating Silhouette  

“ I wanted light coming from the top as it's basically mimicking a practical light. On this LED I’ve put the 121 LEE Green to create a soft, cold, ambient light. 

On the other side, I wanted to bring warm fill light, and I just left the LED on tungsten. Even if it's not in shot, it would represent a practical light being on somewhere in the space. As both backlight for the main subject and also main light as a silhouette light for this scary figure that appears behind our protagonist, we used a 1k on a low dimmer with a Marius Red gel in front. 

We just blocked out the spilling lights with some flags.” 

“In the background, the Marius Red gel would represent a threat coming into the frame.  

Thanks, I hope you enjoyed this lighting and gels breakdown. See you on set.”