filming in a bar

[jason duncan]

Hello, I was at a bar and some fellow was filming a band in 16mm. He had some sort of light can with a grifflon, I think. I have tried to find this set up on various web sites and the closest I have found is a shop light on a stand with a umbrella as the reflector. Is this grifflon a thing of the past?

[David Mullen ASC]

Griflon is a white plastic-coated cloth used on frames for bouncing light off of, usually outdoors in daytime since Griflons are easier to clean if they get dirty. Otherwise, usually one would use UltraBounce or Muslin on a frame instead for indoor bouncing, though they are used outside too all the time.

 

I'm talking about frames that are 6'x6' of larger.

[jason duncan]

Griflon is a white plastic-coated cloth used on frames for bouncing light off of, usually outdoors in daytime since Griflons are easier to clean if they get dirty. Otherwise, usually one would use UltraBounce or Muslin on a frame instead for indoor bouncing, though they are used outside too all the time.

 

I'm talking about frames that are 6'x6' of larger.

 

 

I will be filming inside so I will try the other two reflectors. But where do I look for this and that giant light can? Smith Victor and Bogen Imaging seem to have the small cans on stands. This guy had a heavy duty light can the size of a watermelon.

[David Mullen ASC]

Are you talking about using a 1K tungsten Parcan to bounce light off of a white surface?

 

That would work but you could bounce any light you want, tungsten open-face, tungsten fresnel, tungsten PAR, what puts out light. Or use HMI's for daylight.

 

More an issue of what intensity, wattage, you need and whether you want to have a wide beam to fill the bounce frame. Trouble with 1K tungsten PAR 64's is that the beam is preset in size by the type of globe you install (wide, medium, spot, narrow spot). You may be better with a light with a flood-to-spot capability. For bouncing, an open-face tungsten unit would work.

 

This is what a Parcan looks like:

http://www.northern.edu/wild/LiteDes/ld07.htm

 

Note that the lights in the link are really for stage lighting, not movie lighting, though there are versions made used for movie lighting that go on regular light stands.

 

Also look at these lights:

 

http://www.lowel.com/systems.html

[David Mullen ASC]

Also spend some time here getting familar with the basic tungsten lamps (fresnels, open-face, and PAR's):

http://www.mole.com/

http://www.arri.com/entry/products.htm

[Michael Nash]

Hello, I was at a bar and some fellow was filming a band in 16mm. He had some sort of light can with a grifflon, I think. I have tried to find this set up on various web sites and the closest I have found is a shop light on a stand with a umbrella as the reflector. Is this grifflon a thing of the past?

 

Are you talking about a light with a Chimera soft bank, or a Lowel Rifa light?

[jason duncan]

Are you talking about a light with a Chimera soft bank, or a Lowel Rifa light?

 

I'm not sure exactly what he had. But I do want the same set up. It was a giant spot light on a stand facing opposite of the band with some sort of sheet on a frame that he bounced and aimed at the band. I'm guessing the light shined directly on the band would have blinded them?

[Michael Nash]

A large frame of reflective (white) material creates a soft quality of light, with soft shadows and is generally flattering on most faces. A hard, direct light produces hard shadows that can look harsh and unflattering on facial features and skin texture.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_light

 

http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp027.htm

 

http://www.videomaker.com/article/9421/

 

Almost any kind of light can be used to bounce into a frame of material, so take a look at the units that David suggested. There is also a variety of frames that can be used for bouncing, ranging from a simple sheet of foamcore or styrofoam held in a c-stand, to larger frames made for film and photography. You'll have to take a look at how large a frame you'll need for the space you're shooting in (and that doesn't block the view of the audience), since the larger the illuminated frame, the softer the quality of light. Also consider how bright a light you'll need for shooting, since light is reduced significantly when bounced, and "falls off" with distance. Along those lines consider what power options you have at the location -- chances are you won't be able to plug in anything more powerful than a 1K without tripping a circuit.

 

If you're planning on bouncing, consider a fixture with barn doors so that you can keep hard light from spilling past the edges of the frame and blinding the audience.

[jason duncan]

A large frame of reflective (white) material creates a soft quality of light, with soft shadows and is generally flattering on most faces. A hard, direct light produces hard shadows that can look harsh and unflattering on facial features and skin texture.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_light

 

http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp027.htm

 

http://www.videomaker.com/article/9421/

 

Almost any kind of light can be used to bounce into a frame of material, so take a look at the units that David suggested. There is also a variety of frames that can be used for bouncing, ranging from a simple sheet of foamcore or styrofoam held in a c-stand, to larger frames made for film and photography. You'll have to take a look at how large a frame you'll need for the space you're shooting in (and that doesn't block the view of the audience), since the larger the illuminated frame, the softer the quality of light. Also consider how bright a light you'll need for shooting, since light is reduced significantly when bounced, and "falls off" with distance. Along those lines consider what power options you have at the location -- chances are you won't be able to plug in anything more powerful than a 1K without tripping a circuit.

 

If you're planning on bouncing, consider a fixture with barn doors so that you can keep hard light from spilling past the edges of the frame and blinding the audience.

 

Thanks fellas for the info and the links. I'm somewhat of a newbie to Super 8 and I wasted $200 filming a band at a bar. All of the film was way underexposed.