Post-Production Midnight

You might be surprised at how many tricks are employed by movie producers to make a scene more beautiful, attractive, or bright. While doing some freelance public relations work in Dallas, I was called upon by a film post-production company to do some promotion. To do so, I needed a little education in the way that they did things. Post-production is the work that takes place AFTER the filming has taken place.

A trick of many scenes that are seemingly shot at night are actually filmed in broad daylight. A simple screen applied in post-production can make it appear to be recorded in the blackest of nights or the brightness of a full moon.

The other night, I tossed and turned on my bed, trying to fall asleep. I decided to get up and go to the kitchen to pour myself some water. As I stepped out of bed, I could see a bright square of light on my bathroom floor from the skylight above. I went and stood under it and peered at the moon. I wanted to be directly in that moonlight, not through the lens of the overhead window.

It was cool for an October night in central Texas, so I grabbed my robe and slippers and padded to the front door. As soon as I stepped outside, I could see the light was almost ethereal in it's blueness. It appeared as if it was the sun above, with a bluish post-production lens on it. This was real though, and I was appreciative of the cool light. I called in post-production midnight.