James Chindley

Great post Michael - thanks for sharing. I'm going to try and commit that last part to memory!

Thank you for that great explanation Guy - very cool to see in action! I will check out 'Birth' Albion - like the sound of a super soft overhead book light.

Great answers guys, much appreciated! Lovely frame grab Bradley, it's so useful to see examples of people's work to illustrate their point. Thank you David for your input which seems like a very clever and simple solution and I also appreciate Robin's point about being able to cheat the lighting to suit your needs.

Hi guys, I wanted to find out what techniques people are using to combat/harness overhead light. I've got a scene coming up where there's a bunch of fluorescent fixtures in the ceiling (the only motivation for light in the location) so I'd like to use it as the main source but keep it fairly low-key with nice shaping to the faces. In my previous experience I've found it difficult to achieve a flattering look on the talent (such as the attached image from Skyfall - which works well for the scene but is what I'm trying to avoid). Are there any techniques you employ in your own work to avoid overly shadowy eyes? I thought Rodrigo Prieto's work in Wolf of Wall Street (image attached) was really well handled as there's a nice shaping of light on the faces in what would otherwise be quite a flat looking environment with banks of fluorescents in the ceiling of an office - would he have employed additional lamps from lower angles in conjunction with the practical lights in the ceiling to create a pleasing lighting contrast to the faces? There are a few ideas I've already experimented with such as softening the overhead light with diffusion - which I like but, again, still gives pools of shadow under the eyes. Bouncing the light from below with reflectors softens the contrast of overhead lighting but always feels like an additional source coming from an angle which doesn't feel natural? Maybe I need to be more subtle.. What techniques do you recommend/use in every day situations? I'd be interested to hear advice for all manner of situations (low key, high key, dramatic, experimental, etc). I love Robert Richardson's top-light look but I'd like to avoid this style in favour of a softer, more natural feel for my upcoming project. Thanks in advance! - James.

Hi all, thank you so much for your advice - really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post. Dan - Kino's are a great idea and what I was leaning towards too Stuart - Love the example, it's really helpful to see something that's similar to what we have planned and done well! I'll have to check out those plasma lights.. David - I like the idea of using a tungsten tube amongst daylight to give that little bit of warmth Guy - I only wish I had you on the set with us! I'll see if there's any way of hiring a 4k, my only worry is that there's a big drop right outside the window so actually getting the light high enough would be a whole problem in itself (as well as the lack of budget!). But it's great to know that it's possible to power such a big light using household if you know what you're doing. The shoot's not til next week so I'll try and post some screen grabs from it to show you how it went. Best, James.

Hi guys, I've got a project coming up filming a cookery video. There's no budget for big HMI's to punch through the windows so I wanted to ask what other solutions people were using when you don't have access to the bigger lights? The sun will be on the other side of the house so I don't think we'll be having to work against it which is a slight bonus! We're shooting between 9am and 4pm. There will be a presenter/chef stood just behind the chopping board for the duration of the video talking to camera and going through the recipe. I want a relatively bright, daylight look with a nice shaping to the face (the presenter is female and around 40). We do have money for a couple of smaller lights but can't rig them outside unfortunately. Thanks in advance for any advice you have! - James.