How to achieve this lighting and what lights are used?

[justinbrown]

http://www.mtv.com/videos/usher/222200/lov...this-club.jhtml

 

I've just gotten a music video job and the director wants this effect that is in Usher's Love In this club.

 

We dont have the budget for Anamorphic lens's but we're shooting S16mm with a streak filter. He wants the effect of the lighting in the background the flares across the image and im really not familiar with the lighitng in the background, as my past photography is a polar opposite to this style.

 

Does anyone know of what light would create these effects? They look like just regular nightclub lights. And im guesing that all the lights are just being shone directly into the lens.

 

Is Haze or smoke used in the club or is the intensity just extremely strong so this effect is created, and if a smoke is used how have they lit the artist without the image becoming hazy and low con? with a briese at a high angle?

 

And if anyone does know of these lights do you know where they could be hired in London?

 

Sorry for all the questions, the vid is next weekend 28th so if you could get back to me by then i would greatly appreciate it.

 

Best

 

Justin Brown

www.justin-brown.co.uk

[David Mullen ASC]

Yes, the club is hazed to see the beams. There is an art to lighting smoked sets so that the image is not washed out.

 

The sweeping beams are from MAC projectors, common in night clubs. You could do a low-tech version using Source-4's with narrow lenses and manually panning them around, but it might not be as bright unless you used a Joker 800 Source-4 HMI.

 

Stages often use PARCAN's and Source-4's / Lekos too. A 1.2K Parcan "Firestarter" (very narrow spot) would put out a very intense beam but it wouldn't look as sharply projected as with a light that uses a lens like a Source-4 or MAC.

[Andrew Brinkhaus]

David,

 

Could you talk a little about some of the art/finesse surrounding the proper smoking of a set, and when to use different types of atmosphere? What is the best way to haze or smoke a set without washing out the image?

[justinbrown]

Thanks David for that,

i've found a couple rental places so thats perfect, you mentioned there is an art to lighting smoked sets, would tell more. from looking at the video there are a couple shots where you can see a light reflected in the usher's sunglasses, looks like its a soft long source from above. Is this the way to light in smoke situations?

 

Best

Justin

[timHealy]

One thing about smoking up sets is that you have to be subtle if you plan on doing a transfer and increasing contrast. At a certain point, too much smoke and/or too much backlight on the smoke will diminish the colorists ability to increase contrast. It will suddenly blow completely out. Then again, someone may want that to happen...

 

About that video though, some of those flares look like they may have been added in post. Anyone with any experience with doing that? Or is it all in camera?

 

Best

 

Tim