Michael Morlan

Yep, just switching to a 2K fresnel from a 1K fresnel does not necessarily double the light. There are different efficiencies of globe, reflector, lens, etc. between instruments. As an example, examine the photometric tables for these three lights (Click the links): 1kW Mole 407 Baby 2kW Mole 4131 Baby Junior 2kW Mole 412 Junior While the 4131 is roughly twice the illumination of the 407, the 412 is quite a bit brighter. So, there's no automatic doubling of wattage resulting in doubling of light (except for, perhaps, adding a second, matching instrument at the same settings as the first. That would be pretty close.) Harry Box's book is great but you can also get photometric tables on most manufacturer's sites as well. I actually created a webpage with photometric charts for all the lights I rent and use here. It's a great reference for me and my clients. Building your own tables/diagrams is a good exercise in learning the tools.

More specifically, if you are trying to match lights to their use on your set and desired f-stop, read the manufacturer's photometric tables. They provide footcandle measurements at various common distances. (Or, you could meter a light instrument yourself and build your own table.) Read my article "Choosing the Right Light for a look at the process of matching lights to desired exposures. Have fun out there.

Lights64 rocks! I've bought several sets of globes from them. Great prices and timely delivery. No, I don't own Lights64. ;)

Actually, I call that unmotivated slash of light across the eyes a "Kirk Light" in homage to the series. :D That bit can be created using a fresnel with everything from the barndoors, for a very soft effect, to flags at various distances, to control the sharpness of the edges, to a piece of foamcore with a custom cutout (essentially a cuculoris.) Have fun out there.

Well I've gone and done it. I reserved Red One #414. I've been avoiding owning any cameras for the last two years due to the volatility of the market, general trend away from film (which used to be a good investment) and unrealistic pricing ladders of the Sony's and Panasonics. Now, I'm planning to buy a camera that doesn't even exist yet. :blink:

I haven't tried this but don't all the keying software companies make much ado about how they can key semi-transparent elements like glass, wispy hair, and smoke?

I had that same color-shifting problem with the Mole biax light -- very definite pink shift. I own two 4x4 selects which serve me very well. Dropped the heads in a pool a few weeks back (with the ballasts well away from the water.)

Hal & Tim, I agree a DP doesn't need to know everything about the gaffer's craft but I don't think I'm being hard on DP's who lack any knowledge of the tools of lighting. You both described a scenario with a DP/gaffer duo that have probably worked together for awhile and are now able to communicate with shorthand dialogue - like the fictional dialogue I presented. I can't speak for the DP's you mention but my first discussions with a gaffer would be about "coming to terms." What do we mean when we say "soft wrap-around on her face?" That would be discussed in specific terms of instruments for varying set conditions so we knew what I meant when I called for that setup. The same goes when I am a gaffer. I want to have those discussions with my DP so I understand his/her aesthetic and can deliver on the technical side.

Joining this thread late: David, I had to laugh at your "married a librarian" comment. I've always considered the two most important classes I attended in primary school were typing and library skills. They have been my constant companions over the years. I’ve always felt the DP and gaffer are two parts of a whole. When paired well, they can complement each other effectively and achieve grand things within tight deadlines and budgets. I work (meaning I get paid) as a gaffer, camera op, and DP. It really helps me to know the specifics of lighting tools and the kinetics of camera work to be effective in my creative role. That way I can get close to my goal if not right on the money every time. Yes, I have called for an instrument or diffusion change on occasion. But then, gaffers who know me (and I do this for DP’s as a gaffer) will have staged the gear that I commonly call for. It’s a bit of extra work to stage anticipated grip but it smoothes the way when we’re under the gun. At the same time, as I advance in my own career, I encounter new situations for which I have no personal experience. It is then that I rely on my leadership skills to solicit the advice of the experts I've surrounded myself with. I lack respect for DP's who have no knowledge of the craft of lighting and use generalized, "artistic" verbiage to communicate their desires, depending on the gaffer to fulfill his/her vague "vision." Worse, are DP’s I’ve worked with who merely tell me where they are going to shoot from and mood they wish to achieve and walk away. Would a traditional oil painter be capable of rendering an image without a specific understanding of the mixing of pigments and use of brushes? For shame. My ideal dialogue with a trusted gaffer-partner might go something like this: DP: “Let’s motive an out-of-frame window here. I need an F4.0 key on her through an 8x8 artificial silk about fifteen feet away. Be ready with some of my usual bounce for fill or separation on her blond hair. I’m going to place her at left of frame so give me an F2.8 at the top-left of the background, falling off to an F1.0 at the lower-left. Add a slash of my party red up that column. You think a 4K HMI for the key is enough?” Gaffer: “Well, we’re shooting the T500 so that key light should do. If you want some room to make adjustments, I might go with a bigger instrument. Do you want some stark shadows on the background or should I soften them some?” DP: “Perhaps we should add a 4x4 of 1/2 diffusion in front of that light. Make sure we don’t lose that cherry-wood cabinet in the shadows.” etc.

I bought a JVC GY-DV500 in 2002 to get started shooting pro-bono shorts. Gorgeous picture but 60i 3:4 only. Sold it to a newbie filmmaker this summer. Since then, I've avoided cameras. I've not felt confident to buy a film/HD camera with the rapidly shifting market and feel my career isn't ready to buy a $100,000 Sony/Panasonic HD package. Clients come to me either with their own camera deals (not having asked me what we should shoot with) or I'll be using any one of twenty different rental camera packages as I recommend for each project. I put my money into a one-ton G/E package plus dollies, jib arms, etc. Every set needs these tools and they have served me well - on my set and as rental income. Of course they take up a lot more room in my garage too. I'm waiting for Red One. :)

Non-gelled tungsten lights can effectively light a chroma backdrop. While the idea is to create as saturated a green as possible on the backdrop, you can still pull an effective key without special coloring of the light. Coloring backdrop lights also reduces their potential bounce around the set thus falling on the foreground subject - especially with bluescreen. Yes, Mini-DV is the worst possible choice for shooting a chroma keyed subject. It has only 1/4 the chroma data since it only samples chroma in one pixel for every square of four luminance pixels. However, contemporary keying software (like Ultimatte Advantage) have some compensatory algorithms to recreate that lost detail.

Whether for film or video some common guidelines apply: o Avoid seeing the sky dome. This is a dead giveaway. o Another giveaway is the failure of practicals in the frame to be sufficiently bright against the daytime set. Avoid practicals if possible. If you can't, consider using the brightest possible replacement globe in them and support them with a bit of heat from cine-lights outside of frame to make the pool of light they would normally emit visible on the daylit set. o After adding all this light, actor squinting is a bit of a giveaway too. :D o While it was appropriate to underexpose film in years past to achieve the desired look, in this digital finishing age, that isn't so necessary. I usually expose to get the best possible picture and crush it down in post. Post-pro brightening of regions of the frame that would be normally lit by practicals might help too although you are working with diminishing returns. o Consider allowing the sun to act as the moon. After your post-pro underexposure process, the shadows cast by trees and other elements will become a deep black. o Consider shooting at night. ;) If your budget allows the use of HMI's, use them to effect on a darkened set.

Hi Pawel, One bit of data is missing from your question: How much light do your flood lights deliver at different distances? It is the comparison of illumination (measured in footcandle or lux) delivered to your subject and your film's ASA rating that determine whether you can hit an F-stop available on your camera's lens. At first blush, I suspect that two 500w work lights will be insufficient to sufficiently expose 500ASA film at 96fps (192/sec exposure @ 180deg shutter.) Perhaps if you have them only three feet from the subject. ;) And that doesn't account for any creative use of diffusion you might include in your shoot. Take a look at my online article "Choosing the Right Light." It discusses how to match light fixtures to recording media (including film emulsions and video camera chip-sets) by comparing manufacturer illumination tables, readily available on the net. http://michael-morlan.net/pages/learning/l...ing_a_light.htm You will note that the article addresses the use of cine lights which come with footcandle tables from the manufacturer. Since you are using non-cine lights, you will have to determine their light output with the help of a lightmeter. To do so, set the meter to a footcandle (or lux) scale and take readings of the light from various useful distances (5', 10', 25', etc.) Be sure the light is projecting without any bounce from other surfaces like walls and ceilings. It's probably best to do this at night, outdoors. Regarding your bluescreen shoot: You probably need more lights than just two 500w work lights. You want a sufficient amount of light to evenly illuminate your bluescreen to your desired f-stop as well as lights creatively illuminating your foreground subjects. Sometimes you can do both with the same lights but the flat-lit nature of the bluescreen prevents you from lighting your foreground with anything but flat lighting. Regarding your color temperature question: I'm presuming you are doing a tele-cine or other form of transfer to the digital video domain. Today's chroma-keyers are pretty forgiving regarding the accuracy of your blue (or green for video) background. If your blue is a bit warm, the keyer should be able to manage it as long as your subjects don't approach that hue too closely. Note that your foreground subjects will also be cast a bit on the warm side. Perhaps an 1/8CTB gel on your lights would bring them closer to the film's ideal tungsten balance (along with the reduction in light such gels create.) Hope that helps.

Actually I metered the Z1U at 125ASA with all menu settings at factory defaults: tools: grey card Sekonic L-558c spot reading center of card testing method: o lit grey card for most even light o used camera's auto iris to establish an exposure o metered the card with the spotmeter and adjusted speed until f-stop matched Note that the equivalent ASA of a video camera will change as you manipulate settings like gamma, setup, pedestal, etc. Be sure to meter your camera after you have settled on your camera's look. All the HDV cameras are fairly slow (around 125ASA range) due to their cramming so many pixel elements into such a small chip.

Cillian, A cine set can disturb any homeowner who isn't properly prepared beforehand. You should, first, manage expectations by telling them exactly what to expect (people, tools, disturbance/changes to their space, etc.) If they are still game then everyone could have a very pleasent shoot. If they seem reluctant, you are only asking for trouble anyway. One of the things I do once we're underway is invite the homeowner to sit at the monitor. You would be surprised how enthusiastic they become when they discover how you have altered their space to serve the film. Handing them a production insurance document helps a lot too. I think a "civilian" might be quite enthused to see a real cine light in their house. A worklight might be kind of dissapointing. :) The more professional you look, the more they will trust you. At around equivalent 125ASA, the Z1U needs a bit of light so most practicals would have to have higher-wattage bulbs. If the practicals appear in frame, they should be given sufficient wattage to appear nice for camera and supported by an instrument from outside the frame. I often use midgets and tweenies to support a typical table-top lamp with shade. If you can't have anything on the floor for tracking shots, then you're talking wall spreaders, door-top clamps of various sorts, and hidden cabling. That would frighten most homeowners so be sure to advise them of your setup and how you will keep their walls and doors safe from damage. The "worst case" can be avoided by educating and informing everyone. Then they feel empowered and excited to support you and your team. Have fun,

We pulled this off on a low-budget feature recently. Our super spy (played by Pepe Serna) watches from across a street as the explosion he set in the villian's lair goes off. recipe: 1x Medium on Pepe. 2x 1K fresnel on hand squeezers. 1x 2x3 flag. Pulse the lights to taste. Whiff the flag out of frame to create a "concussion" on talent. Also consider: bits of paper "debris" dropped in front of the flag just before the "whiff." Enjoy,

Nor, Congratulations on your ongoing search for education. Here are some manufacturer's web sites that have quite complete information about a large variety of lighting instruments: http://www.mole.com/ http://www.arri.com/entry/products.htm http://etclighting.com/ http://etclighting.com/ "Leko" is one brand name often used generically to describe ellipsoidal spots. There are several dozen types of ellipsoidals from a variety of manufacturers. A very popular one comes from the "Source 4" lineup made by ETC. The "Dino" light is a recent addition to the film set. It is an array of 1Kw PAR 64 bulbs like that shown here: http://www.licht-technik.com/eng/html/dino_light.html The Dino is similar to a long-time standard fixture on the set, the FAY light (named after the bulb used in the array.) Hope that helps.

Miguel, Absolutely georgeous frames! :o Keep it up. Michael

It would be nice to receive a simple answer. :) How many stops on the straight-line portion? Would somone check me on the following assertion? I did a bit of rough reverse-engineering for the 7231 characteristic curve when I found that Kodak '29 documentation includes f-stops and log-exposure in its characteristic curve graph. I guessed 1.0 Log Exp = ~ 3.2 f-stops. (Should it be 3.0?) By reviewing the characteristic curve and doing some quick math, 7231 has a straight-line latitude of around 6 stops. Testing, as described above, can reveal how much the exposure breaks down as you push latitude into the knee and the toe as well as where your middle-point is.

Um, could we talk about lighting now? While the advise about warm colors on dark skin is good, I saw effective use of blues (and a great article on it in American Cinematographer, if I remember rightly) in 1990's "Mo' Betta Blues." The great thing about lighting dark skin is that one may choose to take advantage of the motivated sheen of sweat and body oils to cast colors across the character. Lighter skin tones suffer from blowouts sooner and must, more often, be matted by makeup. Look at some of Mapplethorpe's B&W photos too. He did a fine job of using sheen to shape and reveal his black models.

Yes, a dichroic filter is somewhat more efficient than its gel cousin. Dichroics use a molecularly-calibrated coating that reflects part of the spectrum, allowing other colors to pass. Gels work by absorbing the unwanted spectrum into the medium and are slightly less efficient. If you've ever seen a FAY light globe, you've seen a dichroic coating on a tungsten light that converts it to daylight. (FAY filaments also burn a bit hotter than normal tungsten/halogen globes in order to get more blue out of the filament -- hence their dramatically shorter lifespan.) High End Systems as a good article on dichroics.

I tried to fly a 12x12 on a rooftop on a day forecast for 16mph winds. When we experienced gusts up to 20-25mph when I told my crew to strike it. That was just too much sail for a sandbagged frame.

I love my Modern doorway dolly and channel/skateboard wheels setup -- especially when hauling it and the Amarican scissor track onto a rooftop shoot. Clients are always impressed with how solid the setup feels. Now, if I could find a pneumatic arm like on a peewee...

Modern, magnetic breakers do not trip earlier as they age. They may eventually suffer a mechanical failure after many cycles and adverse conditions. Usually that is pretty instantaneous. When trying to trace branch circuits to their breakers, consider using an audio tracing tool. There's a picture of one in my article on powering your set on DV.com. (Note: There are a couple factual errors that slipped by me and the editors but the information is generally accurate.) http://www.dv.com/news/news_item.jhtml?Loo...view/morlan0505 Michael

Thanks for the feedback MikeL. I tightened that opening sequence and ending sequence per your recommendation. I also added my new commercial reel to my site. Give me your thoughts. The old page is no longer valid since I re-vamped the entire site today, so go here: http://michael-morlan.net/ Best, Michael