56 to 32 transition in live outdoor evening gig

[Ed Moore]

Hi all,

 

Looking for some advice. I'm filming an outdoor classical music concert in a few weeks on two DSR390s recording straight to camera with no remote CCUs or nuffink - straight out of the box. The event starts at 1900 and ends at 2230 with a fireworks display. It takes place mostly inside a large tent/stage (http://www.roustabout.ltd.uk/roustsetter.html) with some performers (the singers, soloists etc) just in front. I've got 6 bars of 6 x 1KW parcans and a few 5K theatrical fresnels, all frosted, inside the tent to try and bring the inside levels up a bit. There's also 6x1.8KW colour changers washing up the inside of the tent. Finally there are music stand lights which tend to fill in the musician's faces rather well. One camera will be out front getting wides and crowd shots (probably end up being around 15m or so from the front edge of stage), the other will be on a steadicam floating around the front edge of the stage for soloists (and between-act juggling displays - don't ask...) and probably wandering around inside the tent if there ends up being enough space.

 

The sun will set on the event day at 2122, the stage faces almost exactly southwest. My question is, what would be the best way of approaching the colour temperature change that will occur during the event itself? I don't want to completely erradicate any idea that it is becoming night but I also don't want to start out on a 85 filter in camera and get warmer and warmer as the night goes on. Taking out the 85 at some given point during the event introduces an abrupt change that will be a nightmare to smooth out in post. We could re-whitebalance every ten minutes or so using the side of the tent as a reference but I'd be worried about the chunks of time suddenly unavailable to the editor. My most recent thought is to stick CTB on all of the artificial lighting and stick with a single combination of white balance and filter for the whole event, but there I worry that I'm knocking down the levels from what probably isn't enough light to start with. We can't afford a focus puller for the steadicam so I really want to be able to keep him at at least f/5.6 if I can help it.

 

Has anyone lit a tent/stagey thing this size before? http://www.roustabout.ltd.uk/roustsetter.html - how much light did you need? Terrified by the top picture on that website! Perhaps not a great way to judge with all the lens flare, but looks pretty damn dark in that thing.

 

Cheers for your time!

 

Ed Moore

[Guest rajavel]

hi

i believe there is an interesting mood that adds on to the programme when u see the visual difference on stage happening as the day dies to darkness. that change can be there for the programme. there wont be any abrupt jump in the look but rather enhance the mood.

u can withhold a set of lights just for the after-dark time. that set can be switched on during a break or like. and with DSR 390 u shouldn't have much problem in white balancing and colour corrrecting for the variation.

 

we have lit a stage for a film song sequence but that was a different kind of stage where the Golconda fort in the background was like a back drop for the stage. the first half of the song doesn't reveal the fort behind. we had a normal curtain kind of backdrop...as the sun set we dropped down the curtain to reveal the gigantic fort behind which we had lit for a whole day with 100 odd 2 k lights. it was quite a visual to have a stage that was lit with spot lights for the artist and then the fort with warm tones with the twilight blue sky over fort. so we captured the slow time change throughout the programme. we had used par cans as well. we shot this on film.

 

go with ur gut feeling. good luck.cheers!

raj

[Tim J Durham]

Hi all,

 

The sun will set on the event day at 2122, the stage faces almost exactly southwest.  My question is, what would be the best way of approaching the colour temperature change that will occur during the event itself?  I don't want to completely erradicate any idea that it is becoming night but I also don't want to start out on a 85 filter in camera and get warmer and warmer as the night goes on.  Taking out the 85 at some given point during the event introduces an abrupt change that will be a nightmare to smooth out in post.  We could re-whitebalance every ten minutes or so using the side of the tent as a reference but I'd be worried about the chunks of time suddenly unavailable to the editor.  My most recent thought is to stick CTB on all of the artificial lighting and stick with a single combination of white balance and filter for the whole event, but there I worry that I'm knocking down the levels from what probably isn't enough light to start with.  We can't afford a focus puller for the steadicam so I really want to be able to keep him at at least f/5.6 if I can help it.

 

Has anyone lit a tent/stagey thing this size before? http://www.roustabout.ltd.uk/roustsetter.html - how much light did you need?  Terrified by the top picture on that website! Perhaps not a great way to judge with all the lens flare, but looks pretty damn dark in that thing.

 

Cheers for your time!

 

Ed Moore

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would start off shooting in filter 1 (3200K) and stick with it. At 7pm, the suns already pretty low

so will just ad a little blue and gradually fade. Take a monitor.