Post one of your setups

[Stuart Brereton]

Tim,

 

Your stuff looks good. really well executed.

 

here comes the BUT....

 

I think you need to step out of the shadows of your heroes/influences. your work seems overly thought out, and too much in thrall to "this is watkins...this is storaro...this is willis..."

 

you have an extraordinary knowledge of film history...use that knowledge to form your own style, your own flavor, rather than slavishly recreate other DP's looks.

 

This is NOT a criticism...

 

 

Stuart.

[Fredrik Backar FSF]

hey all! long time no see!! been busy shooting...

Can´t say I have a favourite way of shooting subjects, it´s all in the way a scene should feel at the moment with content in mind BUT!; soft sources from windows are my true favourites. Things that the human has experienced are the onlty true things to make us tingle through sense memory. Large sources without top or back light is what I like the most, and I hate fourescents and hmi on skin.....

David Mullen! U have seen The Lodge that I shot and have probably seen that I aim for those things as much as I can.... Did u like it by the way??

Take care all!! :)

[Guest Tim van der Linden]

Bill, I love the tonal range in that shot you posted of the woman on the beach, and I also love the other shot that Tim (the other Tim) mentioned with the shadows on the wall. Nice use of color throughout.

 

Fstop, I really love the car stuff you posted, particularly that shot of the woman holding the flowers in front of her. Beautiful and contrasty. Normally I really don't like heavy diffusion at all but on most of those shots, particularly the car ones, it didn't really bother me.

 

This is such a great thread!

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

I'm not a huge diffusion fan either, if only because it seems to be a too-easy, too-obvious solution to several video problems, and particularly because SD video needs all the sharpness it can get. Black mist filters bother me less for some reason, possibly because glowing highlights just looks like a dirty lens whereas etched out shadows looks like... something else that's not entirely definable.

 

That said, Hollis's well-misted work on Spaced was fantastic given the circumstances, and it's pleasing to know I'm not the only person who has problems with UK overcast!

 

Phil

[Alvin Pingol]

Wow - Nice work all!

 

And yes Stas - those grabs are amazingly sharp. B)

 

Great thread.

[T-Spect Le]

Grabs from recent indie film. Extremely low budget (as usual). Just starting out to the world of 24P SD&HD lighting. I'm coming from a all-natural documentary lighting to staged setup type. It has been a unique experience. I'm beginning to like DPing the indie film.

 

Lighting setups: Nothing special here, just regular 3200K fixture lighting at the house. This one is the CU of her face, thus a simple 24x36 flat was used to cut down the overhead light.

 

 

----

For the dying scene, (4) 650W MR Twenies with 1 CTB, 1 Kino Flo 4-bank with 3/4 CTB. The one below has two 650 MR Tweenies with 1 CBT double covered to get the deep blue. It was shot around 10-midnight, thus the foggy nature of the location helps to get the condensation and overall cold mood.

 

 

Dying scene: This one is very hard because we ran out of time. I had to make quick decision by putting a 200W tweenie weenie mole on the right side to lit the guy's leather jacket. The rear light coming through the door was a standard 650 Tweenie w/ no gel. A frontal fill w/ 1 CTB is applied to the healthy guy. Standard Tweenie light. I just move back about 6 feet to reduce the intensity.

 

 

------

This simple injured scene is with a 1 CTB and 650 Tweenie pointing down at 7 ft.

 

 

Due to extremely limited buget, gels had to be used over PAR HMIs. It still work, but can be better if PAR is used to get that moon

 

I noticed that the SDX900 is extremely sensitive to light. I wanted to get that dying, deep blue look. To avoid the typical sensitve video look, it was intentionally reduced to 0 dB gain and everything else is playing w/ the lighting intensitive to match it at 0 dB.

 

Camera: SDX900, Fujinon HA13x4.5ERM, black stretch: 1-3; 0 dB gain, Filmlike 1, Progressive, Vdetail=0. Majority of these were shot at f/1.7 to get the shallowest DOF. Focusing was pretty easy thanks to the B&W crt view finder. I recall that I had to turn up the peaking all the way up for the dying scene. It was pretty shallow.

[Hong Suwadji]

Great stuff guys!

 

This is a still from a lighting class I took last fall, I put a 5K outside the door behind the fridge and a 2' 4 bank Kino inside the fridge.

 

 

[Riku Naskali]

This is a still from a lighting class I took last fall, I put a 5K outside the door behind the fridge and a 2' 4 bank Kino inside the fridge.

Wow, so simple and still so nice. You didn't use any fill except the 5K bouncing around from the walls?

 

The fridge looks quite convincing, although it's pretty bright ;)

[Bill Totolo]

Hong,

 

That looks like Jack Cooperman's class?

[Guest Christopher Wedding]

Hey guys, you can check out a recent video I shot at Sevenaya.com - hit video. Scroll right and hit stop to turn off the site music. I wish I could post stills, but I don't know how to do that.

 

The video was shot on a DVX and came out looking great. Had about 5 650's and 2 2Bank Kinos for the shoot. Well, we used the house lights and a strobe light at the Joint. The bedroom stuff was rushed since apparantly the band member who let us use it was really subrenting the place and didn't have permission to use it. So all of a sudden some guy comes home with a girl and is ready to get it on...only his room was filled with a couch and people since we were shooting the bedroom stuff in the living room! What a mess. Anyway, I was really happy with how it came out. Also the shot outside at the end where the boy and girl meet were all using an orange security light on the outside of the building (white balanced to that and really like how it caused the garage lights to go green.)

 

SEVENAYA.COM - View Video

Edited April 25, 2005 by Christopher Wedding

[Jason Maeda]

Philip-Lorca DiCorsa

[Jason Maeda]

"compare the original "Terminator" shot with Low-Cons to the second film shot clean, both by Adam Greenberg. The second is less grainy and sharper for a number of reasons"

 

so why do i like the look of the first one so much more?

jk :ph34r:

[Hong Suwadji]

Bill, yes that was Jack Cooperman's class. Do you have any setups from that class?

 

Riku, you're right I didn't use fill, just the 5K bouncing from the wall. The fridge looks bright because I overexposed one stop.

 

This is another example from the same setup, I just turned on the practicals on the ceiling, less smoke and exposed normally. I was trying to make it look like it's later in the day.

 

[Bill Totolo]

That's a nice looking setup Hong. No I don't have any images from Jack's class (not any worth posting anyway). I have a great amount of respect for Jack. Please tell him I said hello. I was his I/A a couple years ago, not sure if he'll remember me.

 

I'm re-posting a setup because for some reason it came out much softer and darker than intended.

Trust me, I know this matters to no one but me.

 

 

More images at:

http://billtotolo.blogspot.com

Edited April 26, 2005 by Bill T.

[andyh]

hi guys,

lighting faces is the greatest challenge we all have. it's also the one i enjoy most!

i've tried all sorts of stuff on music videos/commercials, but the one that really works for me (given that you have the right face) is a 4x4 poly off to one side with a pup/400w dedo/ 1k bounced into it, wrapping perfectly around the face. one side lit, the other in deep shade with just a hint of light in the unlit eye. perfect! nothing gives me more of a buzz than getting the light in that perfect position. its worth messing about with cos when it hits its poetry.

[Josh Bass]

Query:

 

When one is bouncing light, is it more common to put the light as close to the bounce material as it can be, and still fill the entire frame, (with the fixture a little low, aiming up at the bounce material) or do you usually shoot it at the bounce source from a distance?

 

Seems like if it was right near the bounce source, you'd get some of the reflected light blocked by the light fixture itself, but you'd get more "poop" (this is a term a local DP uses--I don't know if anyone else does), and if you put it farther away, less poop, but no blockage.

 

I suppose you could put it close, and use the the incidence/reflection principle to get the correct angle, and not have blockage, but you could either end up with a light in the shot, or some weirdness. . .

 

I don't know. . .you tell me.

[Kevin Zanit]

The closer the light is to the bounce material the more intensity you will get bounced back. It is important to completely fill the bounced frame.

 

The unit's position is simply a matter of where you need the light. As you said, incidence and reflectance.

 

Kevin Zanit

[Tomas Koolhaas]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to say that I have seen many excellent examples of lighting posted on this subject, especially the shots by Justin, nicely done!. I was wondering what the exposure was for the old ladie's face, I think it was lit by a skirted china ball, in the first set of photos you put up.

 

Here is a shot from something that I shot and directed on the F900 with the pro-35 adaptor and zeiss super-speeds, the shot of the monitor is slightly blury and taken on a little digital still camera (sorry about the poor quality), The scene is supposed to reflect a sense of sterility and the woman's loneliness .

I have tried to attach actual frame grabs from a downconvert but haven't managed yet, I will keep trying:

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Do not leave sheets of paper covering the ventilation holes on the top of the monitor!

 

You will release the magic blue smoke!

 

Phil

[Tomas Koolhaas]

Phil,

Thanks for your concern, but that folder was the still photographer's and was left on the monitor only for the time it took to take that photograph (about one and a half seconds) which isn't long enough to cause any harm is it?

[Tomas Koolhaas]

Hello everyone,

Here's a shot taken by the stills photographer (on same small digital stills camera on the same shoot as the shot I posted of the monitor). I put it through photoshop to use as a rough guide for my colorist, I added a "glo" filter to the highlights. I lit this scene very quickly and simply, the shot is not taken from the picture camera's position but it's close enough, I had to light this really fast as we only had the bar for a short time. I for the heavy guy, I used an arri 150w with hampshire frost on it as a little less than a 3/4 edge, and for his side key I had a 250w bare bulb (3,200k) on a flicker box (to emulate candle light) dimmed down about a third of the way, going through a 1/4 straw. They bulb was in a gaffer grip w/socket clamped onto the bar below his face. The woman's key was the same bulb and she had her own 150w arri fresnel giving her an edge, (I didn't diffuse her edge as I wanted it to be harder and reveal her age and the texture of her skin a bit more) I bounced a 300w mole fresnel into the ceiling for some top fill as well:

[Benjamin_Lussier]

dont mean to be picky... but dont u think theres too much glow... cuz other than that it looks good

 

I have a general question too.. not related to this subject.. I uploaded a Picture for my profile.. its very small 72X55.... and they say it should be smaller than 72X72 so Im ok... Yet... its not working... and what is the Avatar thingy ?

 

Cheerios

 

Ben

Edited May 3, 2005 by Benny_the_kid

[Alvin Pingol]

its not working

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Works for me!

 

And yes, a little overboard with the glow filter... ;)

[Guest Brett]

I don't know about anyone else but I think that this lighting set - up is'nt really all that good. I thought this forum was about advise from professionals. Sorry Mr. Haas but I really don't think you should be giving out any advise to someone.

 

I'm not professional or anything, but I think I have good taste, and this left me with a horrible taste in my mouth, I hope the whole movie is'nt like this or else you have a problem!

 

Maybe I'm too harsh...but it seemed a bit out of focus as well. I suggest you get a much better 1st A.C. who would see that. I know some good one's if you want. A Really good Gaffer as well, maybe he can help you with lighting as well. Maybe add a bit more fill or something?

 

Please will someone add something new to look at, I'm kind of depressed now. I thought I was going to see something worth while to teach and help me. Well at least I learned what NOT to do.

 

Mr. Haas, good luck with your career!

[Tim J Durham]

I don't know about anyone else but I think that this lighting set - up is'nt really all that good.  I thought this forum was about advise from professionals. Sorry Mr. Haas but I really don't think you should be giving out any advise to someone. 

 

I'm not professional or anything, but I think I have good taste, and this left me with a horrible taste in my mouth, I hope the whole movie is'nt like this or else you have a problem!

 

Maybe I'm too harsh...but it seemed a bit out of focus as well.  I suggest you get a much better 1st A.C. who would see that.  I know some good one's if you want.  A Really good Gaffer as well, maybe he can help you with lighting as well.  Maybe add a bit more fill or something? 

 

Please will someone add something new to look at, I'm kind of depressed now.  I thought I was going to see something worth while to teach and help me.  Well at least I learned what NOT to do. 

 

Mr. Haas, good luck with your career!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Your first post and you use it to rip on a guy? Good luck to YOU. Sounds like you'll need it.