DP Zoran Popovic has shot and lit over a dozen indie films, including War, Inc., Lies and Illusions and The Lost. His latest project is Expired directed by the Italian filmmaker, Cecilia Miniucchi and starring Illeana Douglas, Jason Patric, and Samantha Morton.

“We shot it entirely on location over just 25 days ─ mainly in Santa Monica and Venice ─ and as with all indie films, you’re always fighting budget and schedule,” he reports. “We originally thought of shooting on a soundstage, but the budget didn’t allow it. The next big challenge of shooting and lighting it was that Cecilia wanted to do it all with as few cuts as possible. She wanted the long takes that’d go from one room to another, and that was tricky ─ in terms of lighting.”

The DP mainly used a lot of Kino Flo lights to light the show. “Since we had to light small rooms and be able to move from one room to another or turn around 360-degrees, Kino Flos were our best bet,” he adds. “Because of the locations, ceilings were very low. With Kino Flos, you get high output and they’re very small so you can hide them in corners, put them on the floor, or even tape them to the ceilings.”

Prior to shooting a scene, the DP and director would block the shot with the actors then light it and hide all the lights. “I also shot with a wide angle lens, so we mixed Kino Flos and practicals,” he says. He also consulted with the production designer. “So for scenes in apartments, I wanted to get lamps that’d look good in the shots but that would also help light the scene as well.”

The DP treated a scene in a diner a little differently. “We did a wide shot and then coverage from both sides,” he explains, “and that was lit properly for the close ups where I used 6X6 muslin and a 5K, and then shot through that. You get very beautiful lighting that way, as it’s very soft and directional, and you can create a very dramatic effect. But for most of the film, I lit it so that it’d work for both the wide shot and close ups at the same time.”

For another key sequence, Popovic used a number of multi-colored LED Christmas pin lights. “Cecilia’s idea was to use these little pins to light the bedroom, so I had my gaffer, “Mr. Hollywood” ─ who provided all our lights including 4k and 6k HMIs ─ prepare a bunch of them and we rigged them above the bed,” he reports. “I was hoping that they’d give an almost unnoticeable flicker but for some reason, the LEDs were so bright that they totally overpowered everything else we had lighting the room, and when we saw the dailies, we were really shocked.”

But the effect grew on the DP and director, and they ultimately decided to keep the look. “It gave it a slightly surreal atmosphere, which complemented the mood of the scene,” he adds, “and that’s what I love about lighting indie films. Something weird can happen, but then often it works out great.”

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