matthewb

I need some advice from all the soundies out there. I have a room that i am fitting out as a green screen studio, but the floor, walls and ceiling are all concrete slab and one of the walls is glass windows. Needless to say echoes are a bit of an issue. Are there any solutions for soundproofing or sound absorbing material, that are cost effective. Budget is not huge, so the best value solution would be great.

Take at look at fixtures from B&M as well: http://bmlighting.com/site/ Maybe consider some used Mole(s). In his posts, Brian makes a number of excellant points. You wan your basic kit to have a much versatility as possible, while minimizing the the quantity and weight.

Thanks for the suggestion JD.

So you're thinking of using the 300s for the green and one of the 650s for the key? Or are the two 650s for the green? That would leave you with only the 300s for the key and backlight.

 

Let me just reiterate that anything less than a 650w fresnel won't give you a wide enough spread to light enough of a greenscreen for the standard head & shoulders interview shot. You could back the 300s up to get that spread, but you'd lose intensity quickly not to mention that to get the light even, you'd have to shine the units directly into the subject you're interviewing.

 

I suppose you might get away with using a 650w and a 300w to light the green, using the 650w on the lead-side and the 300w on the short side of the frame, but you'll still be having a hard time.

 

 

If anything, you'd do better with 3 650s and one 300. Or give up a 300w and add the 1K. The extra 300 and the 150 won't be very much help in most cases, in my experience. Yeah, those extra lights do come in handy from time to time, but for a general all-purpose kit for most interview situations including greenscreen, you really need at least 2 650s and then something comparable or better for the key.

 

Just my humble opinion. :)

What i meant was getting the 2x 650's, the 2x 300's, and a 1K, but also a 150 as a just in case. I have since decided to scrap the 150 for another 650, as i can always ND a light down but can't brighten one up. So i will still have the 1K as a key and 2x 650's lighting the greenscreen like you suggested earlier.

Thanks for all the help guys, i have decided to go with the 2x 650's and 2x 300's, and then add a 1k and a 150 for times when i need the extra light.

If you want a few more options, you might consider the Softbank IV kit also, which is my most popular rental kit. It's a 1K w/ Chimera, (1) 650, (1) 300, (2) 150. You would need to add another 650 to the mix, but the 150s are nifty little fixtures. Very small and light - easy to rig up on a suspended ceiling when shooting in corporate offices, etc. If you decide to look at a used kit - check to see if the case has wheels or not. Arri only started putting wheels on the kits a few years ago. They do help to get the case around, plus you can tell how old the kit is.

Thanks, looks light a good kit.

What kind of a gel kit would you recommend (aside from 1/4, 1/2, and full CTB)? What sort of colour effect gels would be best for general corporate shoots and interviews?

@Brian - i completely agree that its all about personal preference. Atleast with the basic Arri kit i have a good starting point with room to grow my lighting kit.

@Michael - The Kino option would be great, but a little out of my price range (the Diva 400 is nearly the cost of the softbank Arri kit).

My kit of choice that gets me through most non-greenscreen AND greenscreen interviews is:

 

one ARRI 1K openface with small or medium chimera (for the key)

two ARRI 650w fresnels (for the greenscreen or other background elements)

one ARRI 300w fresnel for backlight (hung on the outstretched arm of a C-stand)

 

In my experience (after lighting hundreds of these kinds of interviews) is that this kit is really the bare minimum you can get away with before you run into trouble. The way I go about lighting this setup is to start by setting the frame. The greenscreen goes up first, a 9-foot seamless green (paper) mounted on a backdrop stand (I use the stand from Calumet). If there's enough room, I'll place the interviewee chair roughly eight feet from the green to eliminate splashback. The camera goes about 6-feet from the subject to give "comfortable" space between the interviewer and the subject without being too far away. All of that, of course, varies depending upon the space I have to work with.

 

Once the screen direction is determined (looking to camera left or to camera right), the ARRI 1K goes to the interviewer side of the camera.

 

The backlight is hung from the outstretched arm of a C-stand which keeps the stand itself out of frame while placing the light itself roughly just behind the subject. A dimmer is placed on that to be adjusted later when levels are finalized.

 

Now, the two 650w units go on either side of the subject, as far back and as straight on to the screen as possible. You need to get them as far back as you can in order to maximize the spread of the light across the green. If they are placed too close, then the green that is in your frame will "fall off" on the edges. Note: with this setup and these units, you really cannot light the entire green evenly but you can get a perfectly even light across only the area that you need. Once I'm happy that the light looks even, I'll whip out the old Spectra (with the moving needle) and just move it across the green (that is in the frame... I turn the monitor so I can see where I'm at in the frame) and I can very quickly and visibly see the needle move as the meter passes bright or dim spots. If those exist,I can make adjustments on the 650s, moving them forward or back.

 

If the 650s are so far back (from the green) that they are in line with or slightly in front of the seated interviewee, I put blackwrap or set c-stand/solids to keep them from spilling onto the subject.

 

Once I'm happy with the spread, I'll then work on the levels. The 1K for the key is generally a couple of stops less than what the green is kicking back, so I'll take a footcandle reading on the key then scrim down the 650s until I get to that level or close. Then, finally, I'll adjust the dimmer on the 300k to generally a stop or two below key.

 

That gets me close with a sit-in. When the real-y sits in, I may have to make a quick adjustment on the key and backlight, but always around where I've set the green levels so I don't have to mess with all of that again. On some occasions, I'll have to take the key down a little, I might toss a scrim in if I can't (or don't want to) physically move the stand back.

 

 

That basic kit gets me through 99% of situations I'm tossed into, including greenscreen. I do carry an additional 500w OMNI that fits nicely inside my AKS/Grip/Electric pelican case as a "just in case I need one more light" light.

 

If you need to light a larger area of the green, then you need more real-estate to get those units back even farther, BUT beware as your levels start too drop quickly. The above scenario has me shooting nearly wide open (on an F900 or similar0 so dropping the levels even farther means really pushing the limits.

 

 

The other reason this kit works for me so well is that it packs nearly everything I need in just two cases. The ARRI light kit case (the big gray one they sell) has all the lights, stands, scrims, etc and the pelican case has stingers, dimmers, grip clips and most everything else that can fit in there. I also carry four NORMS c-stands, a few sandbags, and just a few solids of varying size. If needed, I also have in my truck some duvateen (for windows or floors), two Westcott ScrimJim kits (one large and one small frame) if I shoot outdoors and need to take the background down a couple of stops and/or take the sun off the subject. All of that plus the camera, batteries, monitor, tripod fit comfortably on a Magliner so I'm making just a single trip inside the location instead of needing to take several trips. This gets me inside the location quickly and setting up quickly. Any less gear, and I find myself struggling to "make it work" though I know that the setup could be better and quicker. Any more and I can't get it all in quickly (usually by myself or with the help of the Sound Mixer) and I generally don't need anything extra. Why carry in extra lights or hardware that will just sit there for the duration? It just means that you have to drag it back to the truck which drags out wrap which cuts into your time at home. :)

 

 

I took the attached pictures on a stage where I got to set up (mainly because I had room to set up and take wider pictures of the setup) but the same setup works in most office, home, or otherwise "practical" locations.

http://www.dzyak.com/greensetup1.jpg

http://www.dzyak.com/greensetup2.jpg

http://www.dzyak.com/greensetup3.jpg

Thanks for the detailed post Brian, it really helped me clear up a few issues i had. The photos helped tremendously. Do you think that soft box attachments for the 650's would give a more even screen light and possibly a more even key?

When you say you dim the 300watt, does that change the colour temp at all?

Should i consider a third 650watt as a just in case light/fill light/ or another background light?

I was hoping to get people's opinions on what would be a good all round light kit for greenscreen, interviews, and narrative. My budget is not huge, but i don't mind paying for quality gear that will last me for years. At the moment i am looking at a 1K Arri Fresnel, 3 x 650 watt Arri Fresnels, and a 150 watt Arri Fresnel (boomed as a hair light), all with coollights softbox attachments (except for the 150watt) and scrim kits.

What are everyone's thoughts, would such a kit get me out of trouble in most situations, or is there something better for the same sort of money?

Apertures have not been De-Clicked. Lenses are all less than 18 months old. I've shot a hand full of things with them. They have never been dry hired. Glass is Perfect. Just a few cosmetic paint flecks on a couple of the lenses.

 

Regards

What brand F to EOS adapter? Would you ship to Australia? If so what would be the postage cost to postcode 4207?

I'm considering selling the following kit:

 

1x Zeiss ZF 25mm Lens.

1x Zeiss ZF 35mm Lens.

1x Zeiss ZF 50mm Lens.

1x Zeiss ZF 85mm Lens.

1x Zeiss ZF 100mm Lens.

6x Quality Alloy custom made focus gears (already mounted on the lenses + 1x for a 28mm ZF Lens).

5x Zeiss Lens Hood/shade.

5x Zeiss Rear caps.

5x Zeiss Lens caps.

5x Lens Adaptor Rings (Nikon to EOS).

5x Canon Rear Caps.

1x Yellow 1510 Pelicase to keep the lenses safe.

 

Would rather sell as a complete system.

 

The only reason I'm considering selling the above kit is that I've placed an order for a set of 5x Zeiss CP.2 Lenses.

 

So, if anyone is in the market for a pretty comprehensive set of quality glass then get in touch. Any reasonable offer will be considered.

 

Suffice to say there are no marks, chips or dust in or on the glass elements of the glass. There are some cosmetic chips/marks on the barrels of the lenses. The Lens caps and lens hoods have all got professional yellow vinyl graphics dictating what lens it goes with (25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 100mm).

 

You will not be disappointed.

Have these lenses had the Duclos mod or is the aperture still clicked? Also how old are the lenses and how many shoots have they done?