TIPS when using SMOKE in your FILMS

Published on January 30, 2018

Cinematography & Filmmaking

Filmmaking, Tips and Tricks, Using cinematic mist

This video was made possible by Rocketstock’s videopack Fume.

The Mystery of Smoke

Did you ever notice when watching movies, they very often use mist? You’re probably thinking that mist can only be used in horrors or thrillers, But no! For example Steven Spielberg is the king of mist and uses it all the time in his movies. This is for many reasons, as mist can be a very useful tool in the film making business.

Mist creates a mysterious mood and atmosphere, perfect to create tension. And this makes it indeed very suitable for a horror or thriller. But it is also very handy to emphasize light. Because of the mist you can see the rays of the light, which gives that something special to your scene. However if you spread out you’re mist enough and use a softbox, you can create a glow which serve as a backlight. With smoke and light you can also create more depth in your scene and divide it in layers. Like in this example from the movie Alien

Credits

This video is sponsored by Rocketstock’s videopack Fume.  Featuring customizable smoke plumes, pipe burst effects, and more this collection will add a cinematic aesthetic to any project. These impressive assets are super versatile too. Easily incorporate them into footage or use them to enhance your motion graphics.

The music was provided to us by Premiumbeat, you can find the song here and the factory picture + clouds clip came from Shutterstock.