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Setup/equipment suggestions


Albert Smith

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I'm going to be DP'ing a short film in a restarant next month with a pretty minimal budget. We will be shooting on an hvx200 with a redrock 35mm adapter. For lighting we currently have access to 1k and 650 arri fresenals, a pepper kit and some lowel kits. The setup will mainly be for one table, although there will be larger setups for a wide intro shot and a few other shots around the restaraunt that will be wider, but Im mainly thinking about the table as of now. The setting is at night so I want a pretty typical Low Key setup with the table, I dont want to do "candle light" as I dont want it to be "that" low key, but never the less it is a night interior at a restaraunt. My biggest question is do you think it would be worth to go in and rent some kinos, am I going to have trouble with these fresenals? we also dont have any cstands, silks, flags, really any of the basic grip equipment so I was thinking it would be well worth it to add to the hvx package a kino package and some basic grip equipment, but I am unsure of what Im going to use. for anyone who has lite a similar scene to this how have you done it? so far I have been thinking of bouncing some light off a bounce above the table and then doing a rear 3rd key with one of 1ks, but I think having the kinos above the table would be a bit nicer. thoughts, comments, suggestions anything at all?...thanks a lot guys!

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Hanging a Kino directly above the table wouldn't be what I would personally call a low key look as it would tend to throw light everywhere unless skirted down. A kino would be useful as a fill light though. With the fresnels you can barn door or snoot them down to create pools of light and darkness to get a low key look. I would tend to establish a practicle source on the table or wall in a wide shot boosted with my fresnels and then Key from the best position in the closeups.

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we also dont have any cstands, silks, flags, really any of the basic grip equipment

 

This is all basic and inexpensive stuff that you will need for the shoot.

 

Bouncing the light is not the worst of ideas, but since you want an evening look, I would add some dimmers and some snoots to the package. A fresnel with a chimera would most likely make for a nice soft fill.

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Also remember that you're shooting DV, and a hard light from a fresnel might be too much for video. If you soften up the fresnels with a little diffusion you'll get an adequate exposure level, and the range of the lights will die off past your subjects, creating a darker and moodier atmosphere for your night scenes.

 

Bouncing some light in there for your fill is a good idea. I wouldn't put any Kinos above though, for reasons already mentioned. A nice overhead highlight from one of your fresnels on your actors might look nice though.

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^ yea I have shot with the letus before for an interior night scene and we had to light the heck out of it because the thing ate up alot of light.

 

 

anyways, so it seems snoots have been suggested, I have never shot with these, how exactly would you use them...im guessing for wider shots to place pools of light on the various tables?...and yea thats exactly what I was thinking a chimera over a 650 or even a 300 for fill ( ill have to see just how much light loss that redrock is going to cause, were going to shoot with lens all between f1.4-f2.0 so it shouldnt be that awful). then maybe 1ks with the snoots pulled back aways for the wider shots which I will have to learn a bit about as I have never shot with them. sounds like I might not even bother with kinos but they seem like they may make some of the shooting a bit easier. Maybe use the Kinos as keys and flag them off a bit and then fill with the chimeras (sorry im thinking as i type here haha) How does mixing kinos with diffrent sources usually work out is there a clear diffrence and do the 3200k really balance at tungsten I have heard there a little off?

 

 

thanks alot for the replys guys

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I have always been a big fan of placing a snooted (or unsnooted, if the actors might lean into the top light, it can be quite dramatic) light directly above the table, so the actors are lit from the white table cloth bounce. Doesn't always work, and in video it can be hard to walk the line of how much to bounce, since to get adequate key (even for low key situations) usually means the table cloth blowing out or come close, but there are good ways to do it and maybe use a little soft up-light augmentation from off camera. I dunno. If the story and location works with it, I always lean towards a bit of up lighting. (I don't light for 'modivation' I try and modivate the light I want. I am a bit more impressionistic than the current trend if the director gives me the chance, so don't follow my advice if you don't like the style it would give.)

 

If your already renting gear and have your insurance, a decent grip package can be had for around 100 a day.

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