Using studio rigged lighting!

[daveyboy]

as you know from my previous post (be great if someone could give me some feedback on that) i am a relative newbie to cinematography.

We're shooting in a studio with a mixture of lights already mounted.

 

I was wondering if there's any online articles help files i can read where i can learn about using such lights to the best effect. I can't find any!

 

We're trying to make the scene dark, film noir style so should i not use them and stick to0 using red heads. Should i keep them nearer the ceiling or bring them down closer to the actors.

Will it best to put some sort of tracerr paper over them or close the barn doors a lot to cut down the amount of light it gives off.

Is there any normal/basic sort of setup i.e. one behind one infront one on the side of the actor etc - or should i just try certain things out and see what happens. We only have the studio for two days, so i won't have much experimenting time.

 

Also is there anythnig i need to watch out for, a common mistake i could make to muck the look of the film up.

Also it would be great if someone could explain to me the process of using a grey card when doing light meters, as i'm still not 100% clear of what it's used for. i.e. shouldn't i take a lot reading of the actualy people/objects in the scene not of a grey card which won't be in the scene?

 

I know you can tell i'm a complete novice but anyone's help would be much appreciated.

thanks guys

Dave

[Michael Morlan]

That's a lot of questions. Let me see if I can give brief but effective answers to each:

 

Studio Lighting: There is nothing special about this versus floor stands. Position the lights were you may. Most studios have a variety of trombones, "hanger extensions" so you may get the light lower below the grid. Also, you may take any of these suspended lights and place them on a light stand or set wall as you need.

 

Film Noir: This implies hard lighting and high ratios. Single-source lights with little to no diffusion is a first-time approach. Adding slashes of unmotivated light to pick up eyes and key focal points is the next layer of detail. Reducing the bounce by designing the set with medium to lower finishes and even bringing in some black on the bounce side to absorb light. Watch some classic Film Noir fare like "Murder my Sweet" and the more contemporary "The Man Who Wasn't There." Note the extreme angles the key light may be. Note how light slashes into the scene from both motivated and unmotivated sources. Shape your talent and space with those slashes of light. Leave the rest in shadow.

 

Meters:

 

Read this great article about metering by Gerald Hirschfeld, A.S.C.:

http://www.sekonic.com/Cinematographer_booklet.pdf

Edited November 1, 2004 by mmorlan62