Alex Hall Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 (edited) Ill be shooting a jury room scene soon and i want to light it with top light coming down on the table and a little bounce coming up from papers on the table. This is a student film so the budget is nonexistent. I was thinking of skirting a few China Balls above the table to keep the light directed down. Is there a better way of achieving this affect? Is there a rig I can build? Ill have a shooting stop of f4 so i will need some punch. Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions. Alex Edited December 16, 2008 by Alex Hall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted December 16, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted December 16, 2008 Get some black fabric scraps and gaff tape them to a few china balls for skirts. Simple, cheap, and effective. I'd also maybe tape some diffiusion, like 216 over the bottom "hole" of the ball. Use some white masking tape for this, or maybe clear scotch on the inside so as to avoid shadows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Kevin Zanit Posted December 16, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted December 16, 2008 black plastic table cloth from a party store (the type you would throw away when your done) is good for skirting stuff like that because it is not heavy at all. Its also really cheap, so would be a good choice for what your talking about doing. Kevin Zanit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Arata Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Get some flexible wire, take the china ball and secure it to a solid black flag using the wire. This way not only do you have a topper and a mounting point from the flag but you also have four sides that you can put skirts on & take away easily if needed. I would also put some diffusion at the bottom like the others have sad. I learned this awhile back from a gaffer I worked with and use it all the time. Probably one of the best ways to use a china ball, in my opinion. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiarash Sadigh Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 yes, make sure you diffuse them really well (so you might need bigger bulbs i.e. 100w or bigger) because having a set up like that with not enough diffusion will likely create multiple shadows.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Hall Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 I was considering 500w daylight bulbs. is there a wattage i shouldn't exceed when using a china ball? im just thinking about the heat factor and ventilation. Thanks again for all the responses, alot of great suggestions. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Adrian Sierkowski Posted December 17, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted December 17, 2008 I never go above 300 on the paper ones myself. On the silk ones you might be able to throw 1K in there. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Hall Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 The china balls i have are silk so i guess they will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Giambrone Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 "The china balls i have are silk so i guess they will be fine." Keep a fire extinguisher handy. Seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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