Test interview setup critique

Josh White · May 28, 2009

Hi All,

I recently did a test interview setup, just trying to improve my skills. I'm looking for your advice and critiques. I have attached two grabs and a plan of my set up.

My inital thoughts were firstly the background, I would have love to get a shallower depth of field to throw it out of focus and make it less distracting. I had the camera as far back as I could so this had to do. I'm torn between soft key or hard key. The colour shift is due to changing colour balance only.

Thanks in advance for all your advice.

Josh

Adrian Sierkowski · May 28, 2009

IM partial to the softer key, in shot #2, though he needs a bit more backlight to help pop him out from the BG (his skin/hair is very close in color to the bg).

What you might do is take light AWAY from the BG, letting it go a bit darker, to help keep him the focus of attention; ad removing some of the BG elements to make it a little less busy might be in order, but that's up to personal taste. You coudl also throw up a cookie, casting shadows across the BG if you'd like. I personally don't like to do that as I think it looks odd ot have these wird shadows back there from nothing, but it's an established convention so you can get away with it.

My 2 cents.

Josh White · May 28, 2009

Thanks Adrian,

I had a quick go at changing it. Still not quite right though. Couldn't bring the bg down anymore too many windows not enough material to block them.

Adrian Sierkowski · May 28, 2009

Yeah, i think it's a step in the right direction, though. In truth, every interview you light will be a different challenge and have different compromises.

For example, one of mine was stuck in mixed lighting on a library staircase, with just enough cord/power for 1 650/chimera.. but you make it work

(non color corrected)

What you should also try is a move away from direct lighting with fresnels, throwing them through a silk really gives a nice wrap light effect, and/or bouncing a bigger unit into a white card or the like. A Mighty is great for that, but can be problematic to power on occasion. It's why i'm really fond of the 650/chimera which came in my Softbank D4 kit, it's a nice quality of light and a fast set up.

I also often "soften" kickers to get them to wrap 'round more of the back of the head and take some of their "edge" off which I find helps with video which often looks far too "crisp" for my personal liking.

Josh White · May 28, 2009

Thanks Adrian, i've got some unbleached muslin and some foam board. I wasn't entirely sure how to impliment them into this set-up. I often just end up with softlight bouncing everywhere and I lose definition. I will have to try next time.

Thanks

Josh

Adrian Sierkowski · May 28, 2009

Anytime anytime.

What I might do is throw a harder/stronger light through the Muslin, and then fill with bounce through the foam.

Or just use the foam for an eye-light (just light it and let it reflect in the eye, it doesn't need to really effect exposure.) Remind me when I get back home to pull up an image where I used a piece of foamcore for just that reason.

David Rakoczy · May 28, 2009

Thanks Adrian,

I had a quick go at changing it. Still not quite right though. Couldn't bring the bg down anymore too many windows not enough material to block them.

He is too flat.. I can't tell which is the key side except that I can see that hard light coming from the left so (theoretically) he should be keyed from the left but your fill on the right competes with it. I would give him that hard light touch you already have, Key from camera left and knock the fill on the right way down or turn it completely off.

7212