Did they run out of Lights

maltrab

maltrab

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In Return of the Warrior, When Compo and Clegg go into the cafe, some of the scenes look much darker than usual, same when Foggy goes in alone a little later, I wonder if they was a lighting problem in the studio that day
 
There can be a delicate balance between the way the lighting and the cameras are set up and used. If I wasn't so busy I'd have a look to see if lighting director and camera supervisor for the episode were different from other episodes - but it could be down to the unnamed individuals who actually set up and operated the equipment. Some lighting directors used the "drama" approach to lighting the show: heavy backlighting and soft front lights, giving a well lit but atmospheric look - others used the "sit-com" approach: bright light from every angle and no dark corners.
However there's also human error. I managed to start a theatre show with the main power off. The front tabs (red curtains) were lit from a separate supply to the rest of the stage lighting so, I didn't realise until I pulled the main fader and nothing happened.
 
It may the result of a good lighting director focusing on Compo and Clegg being in sombre mood, as they reflect on Seymour's departure.

Also, it may work well with the drama of Foggy re-appearing, getting a free cuppa, and being miffed that Compo and Clegg had reportedly never missed him.
 
Were there instances where they used the actual interiors of places on location? Maybe they had to do so and there was no way to light the scene in the same way as they would have done in a manufactured set.
 
The studio lighting is the same in the next episode using the Café: "The Charity Balls" and the same studio lighting technician ... There is more light coming from the direction of the window, which is "authentic" but not always conducive to being able to see the actors. There are some later series when the Café is lit much more brightly.
 
Eithne said:
Were there instances where they used the actual interiors of places on location? Maybe they had to do so and there was no way to light the scene in the same way as they would have done in a manufactured set.
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I think that I heard that when they were filming Last Post and Pigeon that they had to film inside the Café, sadly, because of the ill health of Bill Owen.
 
Adanor said:
I think that I heard that when they were filming Last Post and Pigeon that they had to film inside the Café, sadly, because of the ill health of Bill Owen.
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Yes, I've heard that too - it was to avoid Bill having to travel to the studios.

I gather Getting Sam Home used the real cafe interior too.
 
Eithne said:
Were there instances where they used the actual interiors of places on location? Maybe they had to do so and there was no way to light the scene in the same way as they would have done in a manufactured set.
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In Series 12, they used the real interior of The White Horse for some episodes, and a studio set based on The White Horse for other episodes - which is why the inside of the pub looks different during Series 12.
 
wstol said:
In Series 12, they used the real interior of The White Horse for some episodes, and a studio set based on The White Horse for other episodes - which is why the inside of the pub looks different during Series 12.
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I have just compared them side-by-side: The studio set is actually a very good facsimile of the real White Horse in series 12. There are differences, the studio set is likely to be larger - simply to make camera angles easier, and there is a "false" beam in the studio set, so that the relatively low camera angles do not reveal there is no ceiling in the studio. There are similar wall decorations, although not necessarily in the right places, but who sits and goes through nearly 300 episodes of a tv sitcom just to spot continuity errors? ... other than me ...?
 
theatrically_inclined said:
I have just compared them side-by-side: The studio set is actually a very good facsimile of the real White Horse in series 12. There are differences, the studio set is likely to be larger - simply to make camera angles easier, and there is a "false" beam in the studio set, so that the relatively low camera angles do not reveal there is no ceiling in the studio. There are similar wall decorations, although not necessarily in the right places, but who sits and goes through nearly 300 episodes of a tv sitcom just to spot continuity errors? ... other than me ...?
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Well, maybe not deliberately, but that sort of thing is really fun to spot. Like the wall that seems just a few feet outside of the cafe door in early episodes but is nowhere in existence in exterior shots, and in "Greenfingers" when the entire phone partition clearly constructed of painted cardboard shakes when they retrieve their carrot.
 
wstol said:
Yes, I've heard that too - it was to avoid Bill having to travel to the studios.
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That is confirmed in Bell's book but its more complicated than them wanting to save Bill Owen from traveling. They filmed on location that series first, with the plan being for studio scenes to be filmed later in the year. During a hiatus in location filming, Bell found out from someone at the BBC that Owen had a terminal diagnosis. So, he knew that he had limited time to film Owen and decided to try and at least finish "Last Post . . ." He told the cast and crew that the BBC didn't want to wait for the studio scenes to be filmed later and so they would be doing so on location. The cafe scene was done in the actual cafe and the scene at the end was also cobbled together on location in the area.

The only scene they never got around to doing was where the lads are in the French hotel. That was later cobbled together using a stunt double (you never see Compos face when he smuggles in the pigeon) and using alternate takes from the final scenes and green screening to make the scene where they are drinking with the proprietor work.
 
Sarkus said:
That is confirmed in Bell's book but its more complicated than them wanting to save Bill Owen from traveling. They filmed on location that series first, with the plan being for studio scenes to be filmed later in the year. During a hiatus in location filming, Bell found out from someone at the BBC that Owen had a terminal diagnosis. So, he knew that he had limited time to film Owen and decided to try and at least finish "Last Post . . ." He told the cast and crew that the BBC didn't want to wait for the studio scenes to be filmed later and so they would be doing so on location. The cafe scene was done in the actual cafe and the scene at the end was also cobbled together on location in the area.

The only scene they never got around to doing was where the lads are in the French hotel. That was later cobbled together using a stunt double (you never see Compos face when he smuggles in the pigeon) and using alternate takes from the final scenes and green screening to make the scene where they are drinking with the proprietor work.
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'His' face was blurred out when he looked at the proprietor's leg otherwise you could have seen the face. There was another clue that it wasn't Bill Owen that even though the face is blurred you could see the stunt double had muttonchops on his face. Or at least that is what I could make out.
 
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