Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted December 30, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted December 30, 2004 Got some website space of my own, so here goes... I don't have many examples of close-up lighting, seems I never take the time to snap one. Here are some digital stills I took on the set of master set-ups. First one is from "Dot" and is a living room lit with a 12K HMI coming through a wall of closed curtains, like sheers. The foreground person was augmented with two Kinoflos, one 4-bank creating a soft edge light (subtle) and a diffused 8-bank as a key softening the window light further. 24P HD. Second one is from "Shadowboxer", a bar scene lit to a T/2.8-4 split at 800 ASA on 5218 pushed one stop. I pushed because I wanted more stop and I wanted to keep some of the natural blue-neon lit ambience. Background is practical-lit only, bar is backlit by a single Kino bluescreen tube, there is an overhead Dedolight spot, and a diffused 4-bank daylight Kino is providing fill. Third is from "When Do We Eat?" a flashback in a living room (set) lit with a 4'x'4 homemade softbox (lightbulbs in a foamcore box, sheet of 216 underneath). There is a little fill on the left end of the dining room table from a hidden 2' 2-bank Kino, not really needed for the wide shot but I wanted to establish it because in the close-ups I would be filling-in with an eyelight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolfe Klement Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 All beautiful images - The third image really works for me - I like how the lighting accentuates the textured art direction and the subtle weirdness of the image - like the upturned chair on the right - and the 2 complex worlds of foreground and background thanks R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidSloan Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 All beautiful images - The third image really works for me - I like how the lighting accentuates the textured art direction and the subtle weirdness of the image - like the upturned chair on the right - and the 2 complex worlds of foreground and background thanks R <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I agree. The 3rd image is really fantastic...great framing and art direction, and the muted pallete goes a long way, here. I really enjoy the the 1st image, as well. Very subtle, clean lighting, and a great use of deep focus. It's amazing how little David used to create these images. Thanks for posting these, David. :) Give us more! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 I really liked the 1st and the 3rd. Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but if I did give any constructive critisism I'd say the 2nd picture needs a little more atmosphere, perhaps a fog machine. Damn good work David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted December 30, 2004 Author Premium Member Share Posted December 30, 2004 Remember, these are just snapshots done with my Canon Powershot A80... The first example was smoked. I don't think I used smoke ultimately in the bar scene -- it was a high-tech blue-neon bar and I didn't want to soften the colors, plus I had a fight scene to shoot in there and worried that a smoke machine would slow me down. Ultimately they cut the fight scene AND the dialogue scene preceding it (the one in the photo)... I usually smoke up a bar scene though. In the actual movie, the last shot was timed (from the HD original) to be more warm and desaturated; I shot it with a 1/2 ProMist with the blacks crushed in the camera, then warmed it up and pulled the color out in post, so this is only an approximation. It was for a brief flashback. I have so few on-set snapshots that I'll probably pull some frames from my DVD's next time to show you something, maybe some close-up lighting (although you guys saw that stuff from "Northfork" I pulled for the discussion on the "Kirk light" and using Kinos as keys.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alvin Pingol Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Those are really quite good! The shot from "Shadowboxer" is quite nice; the strong blues definitely stand out. Remember, these are just snapshots done with my Canon Powershot A80...<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Heh... I have one of those too. Great little camera! :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Heh... I have one of those too. Great little camera! :lol: Yes they come highly recommended in Chas Norman cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afs242 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 David, quick question regarding the pic of "When do we eat." You state that the light elements used were 1 4'x4' softbox and a small kino. I may be mistaken but it appears to me as though you had to have used at least 2 softboxes, one for the dining room and one for the living room (I am assuming the softbox was lighting from above). It seems like to big of an area for that size of a softbox to cover as well as expose the camera side of the little girl's face. As well, the shadows in both rooms fall straight down (ie. the table and chairs and the background and the pillow on the left couch in the foreground) I'm not stating this for arguments sake just trying to see the light effect of each photo and this one just wasn't matching up to my understanding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted December 31, 2004 Author Premium Member Share Posted December 31, 2004 Yes, there were two softboxes, one for each area, hung overhead on a pulley system so I could raise and lower them. They had duvetine skirts around them. Now that you mention it, the one over the table may have been rectangular, not square, to match the shape of the table more, like 4'x5' or 4'x6'. We had some problem with the lightbulbs inside the softbox burning out too quickly; I can't remember if they were mushroom globes or photo enlarger bulbs, but I think we had to switch to ordinary light bulbs because the other type kept going out. In the story, they move and lengthen the family dining table and turn it 90 degrees from what you see in this flashback to fit, so it extended into both rooms (with eleven people seated). There was a ceiling beam separating the two sets, so I couldn't center another softbox for that table -- I ended up putting two large Chinese Lanterns on each side of the beam and skirting them to light both ends of the long table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afs242 Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I have attached some pics of CU's I have shot since some have been asking for examples with explanations of lighting (Sorry, I can't figure out how to get them any bigger without taking up to much space). The first is a wide to give you an idea of the room followed by a CU. S16mm shoot on Ilford FP4 Plus. The whole of the room was light by the exterior sun bouncing off a wall next door. Fortunately it was consistent for over 8 hours of the day. The windows are covered with tissue paper (a very cheap, and economical way to create atmosphere and prevent outside image issues) Over each window is a 1K parcan with opal reading 2 stops over to continue the "shaft" of light from the window. At the camera's 7 o'clock is a 1.2K HMI fresnel with a silk in front reading even. This provided a cross light or a fill light depending on the angle of the lens. The intensity was altered depending on which purpose it served. The beauty of this situation was that I had my gaffer light the whole warehouse like this (120'x60' space using only 10 lights) so we could shoot in a full 360 degree direction at any angle the director spontaneously wanted with very little manipulation to the various wides and only a little fill of a 4x2 kino for fill and eyelight on the closeups such as the following pic. As Mr. Mullen and most others will attest, the simplest setups are almost always the way to go. It usually will result in the producer and director rehiring you for economical reasons of time and money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolfe Klement Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 (edited) I agree - I am very into using available light so the right time of day, a mirror, a shower curtain, some black fabric and 2 pieces of foam (black one side and white on the other) and some c stands and clamps and you are 90% of the way there :) This was a recce shot on 5218 , TKed to PAL, 50mm, T1.3 thanks R Edited December 31, 2004 by Rolfe Klement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williamson Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 David, any idea when these films will be released? I'm anxious to see more, what's posted is very beautiful. Rolfe, great work as well, what are you prepping for? Any chance of seeing more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted January 3, 2005 Author Premium Member Share Posted January 3, 2005 David, any idea when these films will be released? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> All three movies are in post, looking for distribution now or soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F Bulgarelli Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Hi David, Regarding "Shoadowboxer". What was the end result as far as pushing the film 1 stop? Did you like the results? Francisco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted January 4, 2005 Author Premium Member Share Posted January 4, 2005 Vision-2 500T (5218) can be pushed by one stop very well, becoming just slightly more contrasty and grainier than it looks normally processed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolfe Klement Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 I have pushed 5218 2 stops and got some real nice beauty shots - it seems to smooth out imperfections - especially with woman just out of the CoC. But the big thing is the white point moves - but the audience adapt to it very quickly - so stills can look very weird thanks R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Parsons Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Third is from "When Do We Eat?" a flashback in a living room (set) lit with a 4'x'4 homemade softbox (lightbulbs in a foamcore box, sheet of 216 underneath). Are you willing to share some close-up pictures of your homemade 4x4' softbox mentioned here? I'm always interested in learning creative lighting alternatives from other professionals. All the best, Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted January 5, 2005 Author Premium Member Share Posted January 5, 2005 Sorry, I didn't think to take a picture -- actually, I find I have very little time to take any pictures on a set, so what I end up with is rather hodgepodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolfe Klement Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 (edited) To bring this post back to life - David and Co : I am doing a music video where they want a warm look(81EF) on high contrast scene (without the budget to make the look happen in Art Dept - So I am thinking of pushing 1 > 1.5 stops) but with Pola skies (How to keep the blue in? I was thinking grads instead of Pola filters) and at T2 (so I am thinking 12 instead of 5218) Oh and lots of handheld man oh man :blink: any advice would be well appreciated thanks Rolfe Edited April 9, 2005 by Rolfe Klement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominik Muench Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 fantastic shots, i am a big fan of available light use and lighting with kino flos. i posted some of my setups in the "Show your Set Ups" post, but of course theyare nothign compared to your guys work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted April 10, 2005 Author Premium Member Share Posted April 10, 2005 I'm not sure it is really necessary to push-process for more contrast if this is just for telecine transfer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolfe Klement Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Entirely valid point. Does anyone have any experience using filters on pushed film, (I should run some tests. I know :) thanks Rolfe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominik Muench Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 I'm not sure it is really necessary to push-process for more contrast if this is just for telecine transfer. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hi david, was that regarding my post? *confused :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Morlan Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 David, The frame from DOT is the most striking lighting and composition for me. Simple choices result in such fascinating images. I presume the HMI was coming from the right of frame to light the set. Is that daylight on the window/curtains/floor at back-left? Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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