Blade Runner Inspired Lighting Effect!

Today, I wanted to share a quick lighting technique we tested out for a recent shoot of a ballerina. I had been inspired by Roger Deakins in Blade Runner 2049 and his lighting. In the scenes with Jared Leto he bounced light off of water to create a cool effect on the roof. I was interested to see what kind of effects could be created by doing a similar thing in studio. 

A BTS Shot from The movie Blade Runner 2049 shot by Roger Deakins

We had been away on a shoot all week, so we did not have a ton of prep time for this.  We used two clear buckets from the studio and filled them with water. We tried moving the water and bouncing the light off of it, but for a number of reasons that didn't work as well. I think it would have worked better with more powerful lights, a better way to move the water and a black or silver wrap around the bucket. I'm really not sure which would be better, but all worth a shot.

Actual Bucket used in Production

Give it a shot! Let us know how it works for you!