Film Locations Glossary
Sun path
What is a sun path?
Also called sun study, or sun tracking.
A sun path is the record of where the sun will be at a location through the shooting day, with times for sunrise, sunset, and the angles in between.
It determines shot order, which side of a street can be used when, how long an exterior actually has, and where the crew will lose the light. Scouting a location without noting the sun path is how a schedule discovers at 3pm that the hero angle is backlit.
Example
A west-facing street is in shade until 1pm and backlit from 4pm, giving three usable hours for the hero angle. Noted at the scout, that reorders the day; discovered on the day, it costs the scene.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Recorded on the scout with times, and used by the first AD to order the shooting day.
Common mistake
Scouting a location without noting sun times. A west-facing street discovered to be backlit at 4pm is a scene lost, and the check costs nothing on the scout.
Related questions
- Why does a location scout record the sun path?
- Because it determines shot order, how long an exterior is usable, which side of a street works when, and when the light will be lost.
- Who uses the sun path?
- The DP and the first AD, to order the shooting day around the light rather than discovering the constraint mid-afternoon.