@ Fildunn - I edited the first post with the image and the description. Good idea, and thanks for the feedback! So far as the contrast between the two colors of lighting, this is what\'s going to kill me in the ratings (and likely any Demon judging). Because I\'m a stickler for detail, I went through that particular scene in the film frame by frame and took a few photos with my digital camera for color references and such - the brightness IMO is pretty much spot on in both instances... he\'s fairly washed out from both light sources equally. (The staff is bright, but just a single source and one-directional. The orange flame is more ambient, but it\'s coming from a
massive, shifting source I\'m guesstimating about 30 ft. away, if not less. Six of one, half dozen of the other...)
Some reference pictures I used:
The first one is him holding the staff up as it\'s still lit fairly bright, right before the Balrog steps onto the bridge and swings his sword at Gandalf. His face and affected clothing as lit by the staff in the movie pretty much have all the details of his face and the like washed out except for hints of his eyes and open mouth - areas of obvious shadow... I did want to have the effect of his eyes glowing when he was using his magic to ward the bridge, as the scene cuts to a back view with his staff alight before it cuts back to the first face closeup I just posted.
As for the 2nd pic, that\'s after the Balrog has swung its sword and broke it on Gandalf\'s staff and sword, but before Gandalf slams his weapons together and then pounds the heel of his staff on the bridge. His staff isn\'t really lit much, but I figgered this 2nd one is a good reference pic primarily for the color of the Balrog\'s flames on his clothing and such - again, mostly everything\'s washed out but this time with an orange tinge.
If anything, I\'m thinking I probably ought to add a little more orange to the extreme forwards edges of his belt and scabbard strapping - as it is, they undergo a pretty significant color change: from blue to grey with an orange tint and leather brown to an overall browny-beige. For the orange, I was using GW Hobgoblin Orange, which is a perfect color for firelight...
So far as the actual lighting effect I was aiming for, these two pics together give a pretty good idea of the intended lighting - except I\'ve got the light from the crystal blocked by interference instead of radiating in a \"globe\" or \"lens flare\" effect from the entire head of the staff.
I don\'t know if any of this changes your suggestion to make the contrast between the two light sources as shown on his figure a bit more stark/deliberate - assuming I\'m understanding you correctly - but if so or if not, please respond either way?
@ uberdark - I\'ll work on getting a dark background. I\'ve got a single picture that has a dark background from when my wife and daughter were up on vacation and still had our digital camera with them and (horror of horrors!) I was \"reduced\" to using our scanner to capture images.
For example:
