Spencer Stewart

http://hv20.com/showthread.php?t=2761 There's some instructions on making a DIY C-stand. It seems somewhat legit, but probably wouldn't be a good idea for anything heavy.

Thanks for the correction. Spencer Stewart

Make sure to have a rim light (of course) to help separate your talents from the background. Some people like to gel it amber too. It should help a lot in post, especially with the hair. Good luck!

Haha, good point about avoiding the noir-ish look. Also, viewing it in context, that was very well done. Any plans for a second feature? :)

Umm, well, I did not use anything to color the gels. Its the original bulb with waxpaper for some cheap diffusion. I would probably try using real gels though; I'm no pro, but 150 degrees F doesn't seem that hot for a light. As for the other post, the light is not floating :). I just spray painted the lamp stands black (instead of that yellow), and, using my cell phone camera, the photo is pretty underexposed w/exception of the light itself. The lamp next to the "soft box" is off simply because its broken. ;)

This is my very cheap and unprofessional "softbox" halogen light attachment. What are the "diffusion frames" mentioned in the earlier posts? Thin white cloth stretched out on a C-Stand? If you have any suggestions for my softbox let me know. By the way, the diffusion material I used was wax paper, and the light somewhat lit straight through, without much diffusion. Are there any other relatively cheap materials out there that do a better job?

Wow. I thought that looked really amazing. The dolly shots were composed really well, as well as the rest of the shots. If I can say one thing though, the first shot of the gun pulling out of the drawer, seemed a bit flat for the opening of a trailer. This is probably just a poor opinion, but it didn't seem as impressive as the other shots. Maybe harder more dramatic light would of looked cool, and if the tv remote was gone. Being only 16 myself, I don't mean to be a critic or pretend that I know what looks better or not, but it's just a thought. Otherwise, the trailer was great, and I have to agree: shooting in B&W makes lighting seem a bit easier. Great looking stuff.

Thanks a lot. I'll keep that all in mind with the camera and film. It's interesting; digital is all about the camera, film is not only about the camera but about the medium itself. Well, I really appreciate your information. Thanks a lot.

Thanks for your replies. I do understand 3 point lighting, manipulating depth of field, simple composition, and pretty much all the basics I can do with an XL2. What I really would like to learn about is just film itself. For example there's no white balancing, right? There's no settings for gain, there's the different types of film... I know that recording a motion picture is a lot different than taking a still picture, but in regards to the film, are the concepts parallel between the two? Thanks so much, I really appreciate it. Spencer Stewart

Hi, I was curious what you all of your opinions are about learning the concepts of film on a still camera. Techniques I would really like to learn off it are the types and thickness of film (ex. ISO #s and etc.), as well maybe using a light meter with it. Would using a still camera be a valid means of learning the basic concepts of filming motion pictures? Thanks a lot for your advice, Spencer Stewart