Tips N' Tricks on Lighting Reading Glasses

[Rich Steel]

Hi Folks,

 

I've been asked to shoot (Digi-Beta) a set of designer reading glasses using a motion control rig and basically was wondering what pitfalls i should be aware of and how to go about lighting the damn things bearing in mind there's glass in the frames and the camera is fly around them.

 

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated at this time.

[Bob Hayes]

Lighting reading and especially sunglasses can be a real challenge. Here are some of my favorite tricks.

 

You can light the glasses from such an angle that there is no reflection in the glass. Usually from a high and frontal angle. You can also light them from the opposite side that the person is looking. If you are careful you can avoid any reflections. This isn?t necessarily a good thing. Look at the film ?Riddic? They went to such pains to keep any and all reflections out of the glasses that they look dead.

You can also intentionally put reflections in the glasses that are part of the set. Try putting light colored papers on the desk in front of the actor and bouncing a light into them. Then the reflections will look natural. Sometimes I?ll take a 4x4 with 216 on the frame and then use 1? tape to make a checkerboard pattern that looks like window panes. Hang some sheers and a potted plant to complete the illusion. I?ll also use a lampshade as the source so when it is reflected it is something we are used to seeing.

[Rich Steel]

Because it's motion control the camera is going to be very close to the product so I'm thinking maybe paint the lenses green and work that way....any suggestions to why or why not?

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

If you're going to do that, just remove the lenses, or perhaps if you can do passes with and without the green - that way you can have the FX people warp the image of anything you see through them (other parts of the frame, etc) to suggest that you're viewing through a lens.

 

But frankly I wouldn't, sounds like a lot of poncing about. I guess you'll just have to drape everything in black except some big square things for it to reflect.

 

Phil

[Bob Hayes]

I think your biggest problem will be camera reflection. You might need to play the camera on a longer lens so it is further from the glasses making a smaller reflection. You certainly don?t want a big black camera and robotic arm passing in front of white cards or objects. As Phil mentioned think about draping the camera in black and making the area behind the camera?s travel black also.

[Greg Gross]

In still photography we move the camera both vertically and horizontaly

to eliminate all the glare,reflection or most of it. Sometimes you cannot

eliminate all of it. I've always been pretty lucky with these shots as I al-

most always get rid of all of it. I was taught pretty well by my mentor.

Another method is to adjust the actual glasses themselves according to

how they set on the ears and the nose. A tilting effect of the glasses at

times upwards or downwards will eliminate the problem. I wonder if you

you could use some kind of filtration for green effect and then eliminate

all of it in post production except for the glasses? Of course in the studio

where you have total control,you can also move lighting to eliminate the

problem. Best regards and good luck with your production!

 

 

Greg

[Rich Steel]

Ran a test today using the digibeta and Optex Boroscope Lens system. Used 4 Flat head 80's and a 1K Arri. One directly above, one left and above the glasses, one right and above the glasses and one above and in front of the of glasses and finally the 1K underneath (Glasses are on a sheet of white perspex with an infinity cove). Then made a full diff tent of sorts (very heath Robinson) between the Kino's and glasses. Blacked out around the camera and rig and also rigged a 12' x 10' Black drape directly behind the camera and track.

 

Firstly I noticed that if the camera level is just above the line of vision with the glasses and you tilt the glasses forward you greatly reduce the reflection of the camera movement. The down side is that they lack any features whatsoever so more worked needed modelling them now.

 

Thought I'd try a micro flo kit and some small bounce boards.....Any suggestions though would still be appreciated.

 

I'll try and upload the test footage shortly so that you lighting chaps could perhaps shed more light on modelling the pair of glasses (No pun intended).

[Riku Naskali]

Just a simple thing that nobody mentioned, how about also using a polarizer? Or is it possible to use filters with that Optex system?

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

In lieu of microflos, just go buy a couple of cold-cathode tubes.

 

Phil

[Greg Gross]

Hello Phil,

I love your post, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you way over

there in London! Phil here's the biggest mystery question of 2004 for the

entire forum:

 

Whatever happened to laura?

 

 

Greg