… for Visual Effects

Tip #1066: Creating Fog on Set

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Fog and haze can help create looks, fill space, soften colors and add drama.

This article, written by V Renée, first appeared in NoFilmSchool.com. In it, Film Riot’s Ryan Connolly shows how to use fog to help add depth to shots, diffuse light or simply create a creepy atmosphere.

There are many different ways fog can help create a specific look and set a tone for your film, but it also helps to give your scene, as Connolly says in the video, a “Spielbergian vibe,” because it not only diffuses light, but it carries the color of the light throughout the space you’re using for your scene.

The article, in addition to linking to the ten-minute Ryan Connolly video, also includes examples from:

• E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
• Jurassic Park
• Lincoln

There also a discussion about the difference between fog and haze; and an inexpensive way to create them.

Fog isn’t the only way to pull off light diffusion, depth of field, or even fog effects (you could apply it in post if you really wanted to), and you may not even want the look it produces. (Maybe you’re going for the high contrast.) But, after reading this article – linked above – you can go forward with a little more understanding of just how versatile fog actually is, and use it in the future to create some awesome effects!