jeff woods

The Kino could be a useful tool if you get both daylight and tungsten bulbs (unless you shoot at night so the window isn't an issue). Assuming you can frame so that it works, you have a large, light-colored ceiling to bounce off of; that can at least bring up the overall ambient lighting level, and then use the Kino for keylight. It also appears to be a drop-tile ceiling; there are T-clamps that can be used to hang small units (and manage cabling); could be useful to "extend" the color coming from the neon. Above all else (in my opinion), don't make it look different than it really is, just emphasize what exists to get your exposure. One man's opinion, -j

I can't tell if this is tongue-in-cheek or not, but it brings up a good point: it's all subjective. And I'll second (third? fifth?): exposure has little bearing on a genre. Exposure can ruin a scare if you can see too far in to the shadows, but in my opinion, it has more to do with contrast (how much the audience can see vs. not). One man's opinion, -j

Agreed. Have you played with the EDLT lenses? Pretty nice, and much higher contrast with patterns.

Based on the lack of blue hilation on the edge of the field, it look like a 26 or a 36; the 50's are really blue around the field (and also don't get as flat). The edge of the field also lacks the telltale "steps" of an iris in focus. It also looks like it's coming from a balcony rail position, although not too far from the subject (the aperture of S4 lenses is about 6"; it looks smaller than that compared to his head size) . The ellipse of the field seems to be getting foreshortened by the perspective. Is this a frame grab from something we could look at? One man's opinion, -j

If he used artificial light, then he used one GIANT source: there are not multiple shadows from multiple sources, AND he apparently lit the background with it as well, as its light level changes too (watch the treetops on frame left). I'm siding with your friend. No question. -j

This will only make matters worse, as their irises will open up when they close their eyes. When they open their eyes again, it will feel brighter than if they had just left them open. -j

I'll have to go watch it again to back up any of this, but I don't think you can just say a gel number and make it work. Was it L200 on a tungsten fixture, or on an HMI? Any filters in front of the lens? Shooiting on daylight or tungsten film? I would also venture that, like a lot of Cameron films, it has every bit as much to do with the lighting as it does with the timing of the film in post. One man's opinion, -j Jeff Woods Portland, OR

Can you correct the windows with some Plusgreen (3315 or something similar)? -j

What about a silver reflector next to the camera (since it's overcast), and a polarizer for the lens? -j

My feeling is they were different sources "back then", mostly hard sources. The old softboxes were not that big, and probably needed to be used fairly closely. Today, with Kinos and LEDs, softlight has become much more the norm. I really need to watch The Artist again, because it kind of bridged the gap between contemporary and classic lighting. I'm also halfway through (again) The Man Who Wasn't There, but I'll watch anything Mister Deakins shoots... My suggestion is watch some classic B&W films with the sound off, and the pause button at the ready, then deconstruct scenes that inspire you. -j

If you go the Malick approach: nothing, save for the o c c a s i o n a l bounce fill. I don't know off the top of my head what his camera package was, but I recall it was film, not digital. If you have any way, I would recommend a fogger to show off the shafts of light (assuming clear skies). You have reminded me that I have yet to see Antichrist. One man's opinion, -j

Others may chime in with better opinions, but I'll tackle what I feel comfortable with: Reduce sure, but be sure to not eliminate the shadows. Some light as a backlight/high-side will create shape on the edges of the hands, and help separate them the signer's body. Also importand will be choice of clothing for the speaker; nothing distracting or bright (IMO). If the presenter is in front of the green screen, be sure to leave room in between so their shadow doesn't fall on it. If it's in your garage, and this project is budget conscious, spend the money on getting the green screen flat and even. You can always use off-the-shelf lights like clip-lights or halogen worklights. You can use shower curtain as a diffusion, just keep it far away form the source so it doesn't melt. How will people see the final product? Webcast? Movie theatre? iPhone? My take is get the best quality you can afford, but understand you may not need it if people will be streaming it on You Tube. Hope this helps, -j

Just for my own brain, where did you get 35mph from? A dead sprint by an Olympian is 20mph-ish... :) -j

#2 and #4 are essentially the same, just white balance accordingly. Not knowing what you have for equipment, I'd go with #2, just for pricing on additional rental equipment. If I had to pick between between #1 and #3, I'd personally go with #1; the background will look warm, but I prefer that vs. #3, where the background will be blue. One man's opinion, -j

When you say "feel warm and intimate" do you mean in person (for the subject), or the final image? -j

To create a hard edge, you need a point source. Taking the blonde away from the window is the right direction, as it decreases the size of the source in relation to the window (and it will also make your shadows more parallel, akin to real sunlight). Another option would be either a light with a clear lens, or an Ellipsoidal. -j

Ah spam, my old nemesis. How you find me everywhere.

It looks like a striplight or molefay, bounced into a rotating piece of glass. -j edit: beat by 6 minutes and a cached webpage...

Perfect shmerfect; very pretty work. -j

What about other places in the studio? An office, or a closet? -j

Tape a white piece of paper to the non-camera side of the bottle. -j

Good people. -j

If the issue is the car being too reflective, then perhaps "dumbing it down" with dried-on mud, watered down toothpaste, or pre-buffed car wax? -j

No help in the camera department, but you are leaving out 3 important 80's colors: bright pink, yellow and electric blue. -j

Gas powered lanterns are very noisy (or at least that has been my experience), but do put out good light when compared to either lamped or LED options. -j