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Hair commercial lighting


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Hi Guys,

 

I have been shooting commercials for 15 years now and I am still learning! I have a big hair shoot coming up and wanted to see if anyone had any advice/tips on how to get the best "Panten Look".

 

:)

 

Thanks Much!

Rich

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I have yet to shoot a hair commercial myself, but I've heard that camera-sync strobes like ones that Clairmont makes are often used to light the talent. The idea is that the strobe fires at an ultra fast rate (read: much faster than 1/48 sec), so when the talent whips her hair around in slo-mo, every single strand of hair is tac-sharp in every frame.

 

Hope that starts you in the right direction toward the "panteen look."

 

Best,

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hi

i use aloot of big bounce boreds but not powerfull just tomake refaction in the hair just like in car shoot

 

for backlighting i used kino

 

 

:myspace.com/ramdop

 

at my video

 

ei&co commercial

 

its low rez sorry

Edited by Ram Shani
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Hi Guys, thanks for the thoughts! Strobes are a good idea. I have done my tests and 120 fps is plenty sharp for hair flips and turns. Mostly what I am going to use is 6 6k Barger baglites with medium Chimeras with 1/4grid in front so it is some what sharp and I get some specular reaction on the hair. I will have one as a hair light, 2 as kickers on each side and 2 more as half lights. Some hair needs a front light to get the sheen to pop on the crown. I shoot this week, wish me luck. It there are more ideas, keep them coming!

 

Thanks Much!

Rich

 

;)

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Hi,

 

One of my teachers does alot of hair commercials for big companies. The make-up/hair person usually makes the star's hair very shiny with shiny hair products and then he tends to use a very hard frontal light to get that shine and also make the star look 'flawless'.

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I have yet to shoot a hair commercial myself, but I've heard that camera-sync strobes like ones that Clairmont makes are often used to light the talent. The idea is that the strobe fires at an ultra fast rate (read: much faster than 1/48 sec), so when the talent whips her hair around in slo-mo, every single strand of hair is tac-sharp in every frame.

 

Hope that starts you in the right direction toward the "panteen look."

 

Best,

 

Hello guys. The strobe lighting sounds very interesting. I have never used strobe lights before. Will it create a flickering effect, or is it flickering so fast that the eye cant catch it? Is it very intense? Also, You would try to isolate the light only on to the face right? when the talent flicks her hair to enhance the shiny effect, how do you keep it from spilling on to the face?

 

Thanks, these are just some questions i had.

Ken Minehan

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Hi,

 

One of my teachers does alot of hair commercials for big companies. The make-up/hair person usually makes the star's hair very shiny with shiny hair products and then he tends to use a very hard frontal light to get that shine and also make the star look 'flawless'.

 

Yep, spot on. Hollywood tried and tested. I had a 2k bulb housed into a large fresnel 10k and placed it directly over the mag, just high enough to keep a nice shadow to define the chin and neck. great sheen from the hair. good eye light, cosmetic skin.

 

Nothing beats it.

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Hello,

 

I was told by a gent that has done alot of hair. Use the biggest source, hard light frontal. Long end of a lens. Don't use back light (it picks out the stray hairs). Soft side lights, reflections. Try to use someone with fairer hair colours than dark hair , get the most stunning looking women you can get. He also mentioned that they treated the hair for several days (including diet) prior to the shoot.

 

I don't understand some of your terminology. "I will have one as a hair light, 2 as kickers on each side and 2 more as half lights."

 

What do you mean by half lights?

 

Why would strobes be used? To give you the output you need without the heat?

 

Thanks,

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