Cory Smith

So I did a lighting test of sorts this past week with the Sony HVR Z1U just to get a general idea of how things will look. I ended up putting the Kinos (pointed towards the ceiling) in this opened cabinet on the left side of the bathroom. The resulting image did not really mesh with what I have in my head, as everything ended up looking like it was lit from an overhead white light, not the daylight streaming in from the window. I am shooting on the Aaton XTR Prod with Kodak Vision3 500t 7219 this weekend, and I will definitely try taking the Kino tubes out of their casing and taping them above the window, but I have a feeling that I will end up with the same problem of things looking overly lit and flat. Also, in the test shoot I did, with all four 2ft. Kino tubes powered on and directed toward the ceiling, I only had an f-stop reading of 2.8 on my actress' face (I rated the film at 320), which seems really low to me, especially since the scene looked over-lit to me. Just wondering if anybody has any extra tips for ensuring I get that natural look I am after, while still having enough light to not shoot with my lens all the way open. I should also add that I don't want my actress to be too dark, as her expressions are important to notice in the scene. Thanks for all the help once again!

Sounds good! I'll definitely try that. Thanks!

thanks for all the advice everybody! luckily a Kino Flo 2 ft Four Bank Select light kit is now available for me to check out at my school's equipment office, so i have that in addition to the dedo kit now. any advice on how exactly to rig the kit above the mirror or shower? i don't have any experience with that at all. thanks again

Yeah, that definitely seems to be the option that most people suggest. But wouldn't doing that not give me the daylight/bluish look that I am after? I am sort of confused about the difference in the final look of using tungsten balanced film and adding CTO on the window versus using tungsten balanced film with an 85 filter and gelling my lights with CTB. Wont the first option result in a warmer look and the second a colder look? Thanks again for the help!

Unfortunately I am unable to light from outside the window and only have access to a Dedo Light Kit K4300M. I was planning on using those with full CTB. I am wondering if I should make an investment in some chinaballs, or at least replacement bulbs for the bathroom. Would replacing the overhead bulb with a daylight bulb work out, or would that not be enough light? Also, I probably should have mentioned that the window is frosted glass, so you cannot really see out of it to begin with, so when I said I didn't want it to blow out I just mean that I want the texture/color of it to be somewhat apparent. thanks for help!

Hello, I will be shooting a S16mm film in a few weeks and one of the scenes will take place in this bathroom (it will be framed in more or less the same way and there will be an actress in the scene). I'll be shooting on Kodak Vision3 500t 7219 with an 85 filter and was wondering if anybody has any recommendations for lighting this scene. I want it to look naturally lit from the window, so I don't want to implement any tungsten sources. I also don't want the window to blow out because it has an interesting color to it which I want to preserve (this isn't too noticeable in my picture). The camera and tripod will be blocking the entire doorway, and there isn't much more room inside for lights. There is a light in the ceiling, so I was thinking I could do something with that to add more daylight by switching out the bulb and adding CTB, but I'm not too sure what to do. Any suggestions are much appreciated!

thanks for the help! just to clarify, if i go the route where i use an 85 filter on my camera and use full CTB on my lights, are you saying I would not be able to use chinaballs with daylight bulbs? would the daylight bulbs be too warm in comparison to my dedo lights that have full CTB?

I wont be able to light from outside, and as it turns out I wont have access to any HMIs at all either. The shoot will also take place during the day. Windows will be visible in some shots so putting CTO on them is not an option (unless I understand that concept incorrectly. wouldn't the gels be noticeable in the shot?) So I need to work with just daylight. I will probably put CTB on my dedo lights, and was wondering if I could also use daylight bulbs in china balls. I read online that the daylight bulbs are rated at 4800K which is warmer than daylight, so I am wondering if they will work out, both with the natural light from outside and the dedo lights with CTB. Any suggests are much appreciated! Cory

Hello, I'm planning on shooting a S16mm short film next month on Kodak Vision3 500T 7219 with an Aaton XTR Prod. The shoot will primarily take place in my actress' studio apartment. Anyways, I want the film to be very naturalistic in its lighting and be devoid of any tungsten sources. I basically want it to look like the windows in the room are the only main source of light. I would also like for the film to have a very cold, wintry feel akin to Oleg Mutu's work on 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 days. In terms of lighting, I am planning on buying some china balls w/ daylight bulbs, and have access to an Arriflex AD 575W HMI, Kino Flo 2 ft Four Bank Select, Dedo Light Kit K4300M, and a variety of Arri Fresnel kits through Temple University's equipment office. I was wondering if anybody has any advice on what types of lights I should use and/or any advice on working with Vision3 500T... Thanks!

hey, i opted to go with what Tom suggested and film 10 seconds of a white board and blend that with still photos that i have scanned onto the computer. could somebody elaborate on how to do that, specifically in FCP? if the blending thing doesn't work, i am wondering if there is anything else i can do in Final Cut to avoid the jarring effect of going from 16mm footage to a still photo with static grain.

thanks

For the sekonic light meter, do you use the lumidisc high slide ALWAYS when you are outside? i am wondering whether i should use it if im shooting outside on a cloudy day/later in the day when the sun is setting

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! That helped a lot

I recall my film professor talking about using an animation stand for still photos in a piece he did a while back. What exactly is it?

If I wanted to incorporate still photos into a film, what would be the best way to do so? I'm shooting with a Bolex, 16mm and was wondering if I should just take still pictures with that and then stretch them out in Final Cut Pro, or something else??? I'm unfamiliar with the whole process, so any advice would be great... Thanks

yeah, i guess i am just going to have to see what works best for each individual shot. i shoot in a few days so hopefully everything runs smoothly

yeah, thanks for the advice! do you think it makes more sense to switch out the practicals in the room with better lights and just use them, or turn off the practicals in the bathroom and just use the omnis, or a combo of the two???

I think I've seen you around, actually. I used to go to the TECH a lot last year to edit, but have not had to so far this year. I'll be sure to stop by next time I come around. I'll look into getting some new bulbs and see how that works out. I was not able to get the digital light meter, so I will be using the Sekonic for the first time. I've heard it is more confusing to use but also more accurate. Do you have any tips, or is it actually easy to use?

Yeah, I am at temple! I take it you are as well...? Anyways, my partner said that they are general purpose 15 Watt bulbs (the eco-friendly type) and that they are located above the mirror in front of the sink. You are probably right about the silhouette idea being a bit too difficult to pull off. After all, we would probably need to have the subject backlit from inside the shower, which does not seem feasible at all. I've always taped up the Bolex cameras, but I have not cleaned them out. Would I just use a standard lens cleaner for the inside? Any other advice would be great as well!

Ha, sorry, I didn't write that clear enough. Our actor will just be taking off his shirt in the undressing shot and in the shower shot it will just be from his chest up, not waist. So nothing risque. Unfortunately we do not have another bathroom we can use...so we're stuck with this space.

I am shooting a few shots in a small bathroom next week for a short film I am doing for school. I am using a Bolex (rx 4 w/ 10mm, 25mm (prime), 16 mm (prime) lenses) and Tri-x reversal 16mm film (200 ASA). For lighting I have a Lowell omni kit that comes with 3 Omni heads, 3 barn doors, 3 power cords, 3 omni stands, 1 spare bulb, 3 scrims. In terms of the shots I need, I am planning on getting a shot of the subject undressing before getting into the shower, a shot of the subject from waist up in the shower (perhaps silhouette against the curtain...), and a shot of the subject (in the mirror) brushing teeth, combing hair, etc. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on how to light the scene in a very classic way for black and white given the lights/camera I am using. Below is a simple diagram of the cramped space.

I'm looking to achieve the shot in the shower scene in psycho where the camera shoots up towards the shower head. Wikipedia and other sources say this about how it was accomplished: In order to capture the straight-on shot of the shower head, the camera had to be equipped with a long lens. The inner holes on the spout were blocked and the camera placed farther back, so that the water appears to be hitting the lens but actually went around and past it. Does anybody have any more details on how this was accomplished? Im confused how one would go about filming this, even with a long lens. Here's a link to the scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN47mpzxgYA

as of right now i'd say... 8 1/2 City of God Paris, Texas The Godfather 2001: A Space Odyssey