Ryan Kroboth

Thanks for your suggestions guys, I like the idea of a mix of hard and soft light, seems like the best of both worlds. And David, I am looking to burn them out pretty significantly, to 1) avoid seeing anything outside of the windows since it will be a set and I'd like to avoid backdrops, though some slight green to give more placement I am not opposed to, and 2) to give the illusion that it is a super bright/hot day outside. Might even consider warming the light up a bit to give that extra heated feel. Think of the light provided by the window as being the natural occurrence, the realistic spill, while the indoor ambience can be brought up significantly by the 'film crew' within the scene. Because there is something filmed inside the actual story, I can get away with creating an ambient fill within the space without it looking 'unnatural' because that is part of the script. I do like the idea of bouncing off foamcore, I only worry about how the set will be enclosed. It will pretty much be sealed off, with a false ceiling, as I worry that on long walkthrough takes, we would see any raised (or lack of) ceiling creeping at the top of the frame. Realism is the key I'm trying to sell, at least in the elements that should appear realistic. I'm playing around with the film lights within the scene only being on during certain sequences, so there may be times when the only thing appearing to light the scene for mood and atmosphere are the window lights. So their spread and reach could play out to be important at times.

Nope, the entire set will be enclosed, so all the light will be artificial.

Hello all, Our production company is starting to drive it's first feature film well into production mode, and as a result, I start to ask all sorts of questions that pertain to the cinematic nature of the beast, especially due to budget constraints (this will be a micro-budget). So, here comes the pivotal question at this point in time, and it has to do with lighting advice. Here's the setup: A funeral home in the middle of summer, moderately sized, with main parlor maxing out at 30x30', and adjacent rooms and hallways being pretty small in comparison. Now, based on specific action of the script, it is not very likely that we will find an existing funeral home to fit the bill, and certain long takes 'touring' the location prevent us from using multiple locations to sell the effect. So, I am exploring the possibility of having a set created of the home, which will give us full control over the chaos the script calls for, as well as consistency, and the ability to shoot anytime that isn't mid-summer. That being said, I have never lit for set work. Location lighting is my specialty, so I need some advice on how one would light the potential funeral set from the outside, with all action taking place in daylight. Here are some specifics to help out in solving my conundrum: Camera used will more than likely be of the Blackmagic line (possibly a pocket since we own one), that being said, expect around 13 stops of DR, with a high probability of the sensor size being super 16, so lighting will not have to be as intense to have a manageable f-stop (the script is a comedy, so we aren't going for a DOF that's super shallow). Lens wise, in an ideal world, I'll be able to use my buddy's ultra primes, but I'm going to bank on the possibility that he won't have them in time, so I'll probably be left with lenses that are sharpest at f4, so I won't want to shoot more open that. Also, we have a speedbooster for the Blackmagic which gives 1 2/3 additional stops of light to the sensor. Regarding ISO, as long as I'm using the Blackmagic cameras, I don't want to go above 800, and would be happiest at 200 or 400. So there's the technical set up, as for room specifics, ranging at 25-30ft, square, with sheer over the the windows, so the windows can be somewhat blown out to avoid needing to see a backdrop of some sort, and also to give a softer light entering the home. ALSO, there is an actual film set inside the funeral home that is part of the script, so film lights inside the main parlor can be seen, and can add to any additional light levels, I am just looking for the lighting solution from outside the building. So, with all that setup, for a 30' square room with sheer in front of the windows, what type of lights would anyone recommend to mimic the daylight on a hot summer day. Keep in mind budget is a factor, so the cheaper the better. I've read on several forums that bounced firestarters can be used to sell a soft but bright effect, just not sure if that will be bright enough for a room of that size, and to achieve a consistent enough exposure from the windows. Or if something like 5k fresnels will be able to sell the effect as well. Any advice would be most appreciated, as this is all new to me. Cheers, Ryan

This definitely works, I originally grabbed this trick from some photographers I knew. Closing your eyes while looking at the sun essentially "stops down" the theoretical f-stop of your eye. Sounds crazy, yes, but when the eyes are closed, and a harsh source is hitting them, light still gets through, so rather than the normal black seen behind the eyelids, some light squeezes through. As a result, your eye adjusts, and what it used to think as a good "black" is now much brighter, so handling those brights becomes much more manageable. It's the same thing (only opposite) as turning on any light in a pitch black room, the eye was adjusted to complete darkness, and essentially "opened up" in order to get some detail in the shadows. The eye is constantly adjusting to its environment, so if you get it used to the brighter scenario, it will compensate.

Tim, I have two Litepanel 1x1 bicolors budgeted, as well as the 2 Arri Locaster LED bricks (which have a wide range of color selection). Thanks for the heads on the EU6500, I'm 95% positive that is the generator our rental facility carries, so that is good to know. Guy, I've seen that article on power distribution before (I also own the Set Lighting Technicians Handbook), it is very informative and ridiculously detailed. You do raise a good point though, at the very least, a 60A transformer like that could pose to be very useful, because many of our locations supply many of those 240v higher amperage receptacles, and that would alleviate a lot of time worrying about distro and tripping breakers throughout a confined space. I am highly considering this option. As for the 4k, I do agree with you as it's usefulness, especially when retaining consistency of a 'skylight' coming through the window. We don't really have the need for deep background in night exteriors, as there are very few, and what ones there are take place in areas that naturally pose good lighting contrast, and outside daylight fill isn't entirely critical, there is essentially only a handful of shots that are exterior day. That being said, it would be a nice light to have around for when I need it. It comes down to the ability for the budget to compensate for it, because it's not exactly a cheap light. I will definitely run this by my producer.

The current plan is to run the majority of units of house power, with a 6500w portable genny (20A edison and 60A bates inputs) ready when needed. I'd rather not deal with a large distro system because of time and manpower constraints, also because the smallest tow-away genny the rental facility has is 600A, which is plenty more than I need. Yeah, I really am a fan of the M18, I haven't used them extensively, but their punch is incredible. Are you suggesting the Pars just to have more punch at my disposal? I haven't worked with those lamps much, only the fresnel, so I'm not as familiar with their light quality, especially compared to the M18.

Thanks David, Paper lanterns I somehow completely missed, so thanks for the heads up, that could be very useful. As for the Lekos, do you normally have certain heads dedicated to the Lekos, always on standby, or fix existing lamp heads to a Leko on a per-needed basis? I guess I ask because in the past, we've only ever transformed, say, our jokerbug 800 into a leko when we needed that defined ray, but for time saving, I guess it may be smart to order another Joker to avoid the pain of assembling the fixture. I have a few PARCANs sitting around, but I'll make sure we have the ones with maximum punch. Finally, for the Image 80, I haven't worked with those much, and I'm not entirely sure our rental house in town has them (limited here in Pittsburgh), but I'll definitely check them out. One further question, do you think it is a complete mistake to not have any larger fixtures like 4k HMI or above in the package? Based on my smaller locations, I am limited, and by the budget, but I don't want to skip out on anything that can potentially improve the overall look I'm going for.

Hello All, Our production company has been slaving away for many months to prepare for our first feature film. The film is a dry comedy with a relatively low budget. Being as this is our first feature, I don't know precisely what equipment will be adequate to produce a polished project, keeping in mind our budget and time expenses. My lighting style typically is pretty minimalistic, but with the scope of this project, and the number of different scenes/scenarios, I want to make sure I am prepared for whatever we might have to tackle. So here are a few considerations regarding the film: -Not a very large budget with a modest crew, so very large lights and genny trucks are out of the question -Being a comedy, I would like to shoot at least at a f4, don't want everything to be too shallow -Shooting on the Alexa w/ Ultra Primes -100% location shoots, NO studio. That being said, 98% of the film is inside, and of that 98%, a majority of the scenes take place in relatively small spaces (such as houses), though the larger locations (concert venue, large restaurant, banquet hall) all take place at night, so I shouldn't need quite as much light, as I want to keep the natural ambiance of the space, just obviously light it for the camera. That all being said, this is currently what I have written in for a lighting package: HMI: 2 - Arri M18 2 - Arri 1200 Fresnel 1 - Jokerbug 800 1 - Jokerbug 400 Open Face: 1 - Arri 2000+ 3 - Arri 750+ Fresnel: 2 - Arri T1 1000w 3 - Arri 650w 3 - Arri 300w 3 - Arri 150w Fluorescent: 2 - 4x4 Kinos 1 - 4x2 Kino 1 - 2x4 Kino LED: 2 - Litepanel 1x1 2 - Arri Locaster As previously stated, I try to make my lighting as minimalistic and naturalistic as possible, with practicals playing a big part, but at the same time I never settle for less than a polished look (not a fan of just going with what light is available). That being said, I try to light primarily with the tungstens and HMIs, and only really use Kinos if I can't fit a light where I want, or need a subtle fill (I hate overlighting with Kino's, because the image looks too plastic-like to me), and the last thing I want is for our film to look like a product commercial, oversaturated and plasticky. The LEDs are just there as a backup mainly if power becomes an issue (tho we will have a 6500w genny), and also for some interior lighting on a few car shots. So yeah, those are my two cents. I would appreciate any advice anyone has, as I have never shot a feature before. I just want to be as prepared as I can be, as time is critical when shooting time comes. Thanks! -Ryan