Skylights

[Matt Workman]

Hey,

 

I have a video coming up that I really want to build a large skylight for. Super diffused, big, and bright.

 

The best ones I've seen are always completely skirted and mysterious. This is a set photo from a commercial Crash directed/DP'd. I'd love to build something like this.

 

 

What is the best way to fill the silk. I've used spacelites, 2k opens, etc. but is there a more universally accepted way of setting this up?

 

My gaffer recommended lots of nook lights, like a giant barger baglite but that is a ton of rigging for grip and electric. Something like a 8x8 square frame made from speed rail with 4 nooks by 4 nook grid, so 16,000w. Then duv skirt and full grid bottom. Maybe with a 12x12 light tools for shape.

 

Just thinking out loud, I want to get a good system for setting these up.

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[David Mullen ASC]

It may be simpler to just get a bunch of 6K spacelights and hang them in a tight cluster, with a big silk (or solid) skirt and separate round silk or grid cloth bottom underneath. You can either leave the silk cylinders around each spacelight or pull the silks and just use them for the six 1K nooks in each.

 

Don't know where you get a big metal ring and round diffusion frame for the bottom. It would probably be easier if the rig could be square instead of round, then you could use an 8'x8', 10'x10', 12'x12', etc. frame of grid cloth, lt. grid, silk, whatever, underneath.

 

Of course, there may be a Fisher light in this size and shape. Or get some square lighting balloons.

[Jamie Metzger]

It may be simpler to just get a bunch of 6K spacelights and hang them in a tight cluster, with a big silk (or solid) skirt and separate round silk or grid cloth bottom underneath. You can either leave the silk cylinders around each spacelight or pull the silks and just use them for the six 1K nooks in each.

 

Don't know where you get a big metal ring and round diffusion frame for the bottom. It would probably be easier if the rig could be square instead of round, then you could use an 8'x8', 10'x10', 12'x12', etc. frame of grid cloth, lt. grid, silk, whatever, underneath.

 

Of course, there may be a Fisher light in this size and shape. Or get some square lighting balloons.

 

A lighting balloon would be a great simple way to accomplish this; less rigging involved.

 

There is circular truss, which you could use to strengthen the bottom part of the rig, and tie off the duvytyne and silk to. Finding a circular silk is another story.

 

I've always wanted to build a book light like this; 9K pars bounced into ultrabounce, and then through 1/4 grid or sail (something very light).

 

Let us know what you end up doing!

[Jamie Metzger]

whoa, I didn't realize that there were skypans rigged on-top of that rig as well!

 

Looks like a bigger version of a John Alton Light!

[Matt Workman]

DM: I do like the idea of using maybe 4x 6k spacelites without the silks and keeping them in a cluster. I'm still not sure about the tangible difference between a large continuous toplight versus a bunch of smaller ones.

 

Fishers lights and balloons are probably out of budget but I am interested in trying out some of the spherical 4k balloon lights. I saw someone using them on a commercial locally recently.

 

*something simliar but I want to blend them into one source.

 

JM: Yeah I'm also thinking about setting up a upside down booklite like this rig.

 

*2x Rubys into ultrabounce then through grid or whatever

 

I've just started using smaller booklites like just one maxibrute->ultrabounce->1/4 grid but they are so weak I have to move them super close. When filling a 12x12 do most DP/Gaffers use Dinos or something? My next studio performance booklite I'm going to try two Maxis.

 

I appreciate the thoughts and suggestions.

 

Matt

[Matt Workman]

PS: what is a John Alton light? :unsure:

[Chris Keth]

DM: I do like the idea of using maybe 4x 6k spacelites without the silks and keeping them in a cluster. I'm still not sure about the tangible difference between a large continuous toplight versus a bunch of smaller ones.

 

Why don't you rig the spacelights with the silks in a cluster? You cluster several softlights together and it makes one big softlight. This should be pretty easy rigging and you've already got frames to attach skirting to.

[Jamie Metzger]

PS: what is a John Alton light? :unsure:

 

 

From his book "painting with light" it's very similar to the picture you first posted. You can hang one in the center of a set, and light most of it from this one "multi" light. wish i could find a picture of it; it is in his book. Soft source, with hard lights all around it.

[JD Hartman]

Looks like skypans bounced into ?? and then diffused. If you wanted a large round ring rolled from pipe or speedrail, any steel fabrication shop should be able to produce it to whatever radius you specify. Rag and skirt would be a custom piece from The Rag Place (W. coast) or Rose Brand (E. coast).

[Mathew Rudenberg]

*2x Rubys into ultrabounce then through grid or whatever

 

That is a thing of beauty - now if the rubys were horizontally rigged maxis and one row on each was shooting through the dif for a high backlight while the other two were still going into the bounce...

[Matt Workman]

Thanks for the help guys.

 

I ended up going with 6x 2k Spacelites with solid skirts. I planned on having a 12x12 light grid for a bottom but it was sucking up too much light. I used it with two 5ks instead for the key.

 

 

I also clustered the spacelites tighter for 360 degree dolly shot. Not the prettiest thing in the world but worked pretty well.

 

 

The booklite-skylight is pretty expensive to execute compared to spacelites which are pretty cheap. Someday I'll pull out the mega bounced skylight. :lol:

 

Matt