Take a Look at the Custom Candle Rig Used to Shoot Scenes in ‘Train Dreams’

One of the big winners so far in the early part of the film awards season, Train Dreams is proving that you don’t need a billion-dollar budget, major A-list stars, or outlandish premises to find success. In fact, what many are praising Train Dreams for doing best is just telling a simple story beautifully.

In a new feature put out to support the film, Train Dreams cinematographer Adolpho Veloso shows off how he and his crew were able to put together a bespoke custom candle rig, which was essential to capturing the natural light that lit many scenes in the film.

Check it out below.

Train Dreams Custom Candle Rig

In a really cool video that shows off just how DIY Train Dreams really was (if you’d like to learn even more, check out our No Film School podcast interview with director Clint Bentley here), we get Oscar nominated director of photography Adolpho Veloso going over how this bespoke candle rig was an essential part of their cinematography plans for working with natural light in the film.

The custom candle rig appears to be exactly what it sounds and looks like, a DIY rig that utilizes a dozen or so candles in a small wooden box. Veloso talks about how the film’s studio manager wouldn’t allow for open flames, so that’s why the team rigged up the candles to be safely encased in the box.

But as far as sophisticated or high-end lighting gear goes, this is much more of a solution that low-budget filmmakers might find for a weekend short film rather than for a film that has an actual shot of winning Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards.

More Insights from the Filming of Train Dreams

As mentioned above, if you’re a fan of the film or, at the very least, intrigued by the DIY filmmaking adventures of its director and team, then you should absolutely check out our podcast interview with director Clint Bentley and Editor Parker Laramie, as well as check out these additional articles on Veloso’s outstanding cinematography.