Lee Burnett

Other option I'm considering is 500T, overexposed and pulled 2 stops in lab. I really like the creaminess of the image and colours. BUT, I've not done this before so it makes me nervous. Any thoughts?

Giray, understand that 16mm is grainy. I've shot on it many times. But, there are multiple levels of grain between different stocks, and they can be affected heavily by light levels. Hence my question. Thanks for your response Phil. I think I am going to go with 200T, and light with a 5K fixture through a 6x6 on an inline dimmer, and dim it down ever so slightly, so as to keep a slight warmth. Then I can use 2K to fill, and 1k / redhead for some rim lights. Good to know about underexposing daylight stocks blue layer. Will keep that in mind for future.

Hi everyone. I'm just about to shoot a studio fashion shoot, mostly on 16mm, and I'm toying with various film-stocks and can't make a decision (I haven't shot 16mm inside before) Firstly, most shots will be relatively close, waist-up, some full-body, so lighting can be relatively close to the talent. I was considering 50D, mainly for its beautiful contrast and colour rendition. It's by far my favourite stock. But I'm worried about getting enough light in there to get a good, contrasty image. Budget is pretty tight, so was going to light with tungsten to give me more to play with, but I'm thinking that I will melt the talent and their eyes, which won't be good. I have been told that I can just shoot tungsten light on daylight stock, and just note it for the lab to correct in post. I want some warmth in the image, so will this work? So the other option is 200T, but I'm yet to shoot with it. I have shot with 500T and didn't like its' graininess. Other option is 250D, which I like, but nowhere near as much as 50D. Any advice here is much appreciated. Shall I just give up on the 50D image and run with 200T and calm down a bit? Or light with HMI? Lee

So this week I am going to make my first DIY flexi LED panel. Going to get the YUJI BC series LED's. Will mix 2700K with 6500K, with a cross dimmer. I am shooting a short film on Saturday, in a relatively tight location, and the director wants relatively free camera and actor movement at times. I am thinking this will be good to quickly tape the panel overhead / on a wall, with lots of diff, for some side/overhead tungsten, but not have any stands in the way (we don't have a gaffer either, so I will feel more comfortable with this. How do people use flexi LED panels, or just the LED strips in tight locations? Any screengrabs of work you've done with them? Thanks L

OK, height space is an issue. I think what I might do is to light from the side (camera right) with a 2k running through a dimmer, through a sheet of 251. This will give the faces almost split lighting, with the opposite wall as soft fill... can duvetyne the opposite wall if too much fill. Then I can flag this source from the backdrop, and maybe the ceiling, (although space is tight, but think I can flag most of it) Then I can redhead through 251 (maybe doubled) from a distance for the props, coming almost from the camera. That way I can control exposure for the props carefully, without the actor key lighting hitting the props too much, which will also give stronger shadows on the faces. I'm hoping this will work, can you see any issues?

Thanks again. Good tips. How would you go about getting a more graphic look? I don't want harsh shadows on faces, but the faces are the only place I can get some depth and shadow, so also don't want it completely soft... shall I just tone down the fill light as much as possible?

Here is a rough layout drawn on the shot designer app. Very useful app. So the top line is the colorama... it is 9 feet wide. The light behind is a 2k blondie, we have 7-8 feet of distance behind the colorama. It is a beige coloured colorama. The 2 people will vary, one or two shots are 3 people. mostly 1 person The line below the 2 people is a line for placing the paper props. They will be cut out of card and fit into a rail system. They will always be dead flat with the camera. Then I have 2 redheads bouncing off the ceiling to camera right. This will hopefully give a soft, but contrasty look to faces with shadows on faces, but eliminate shadows from the cutouts. A redhead through big diff to camera left to keep consistent exposure of the cutouts and fill on faces, not bounced off ceiling. We will have another 2k blondie to play with. So not sure whether to replace 2 bounced redhead key lights with a 2k? This is the illustrator who is designing the cutouts, so you get an idea of the style / colour pallettes, and reasoning for it being quite flat - http://owendavey.com/ I will be gelling the back 2k, from blue to orange throughout, as there is a sun rising on the background colorama in the song, so want the colour to change on the backdrop.

Thanks Satsuki, arfter doing another recce and camera tests in the space, I reckon we will use a 2k Blondie from behind, flooding the paper. We have about 7-9 feet behind the colorama, do you reckon this would be enough space behind to get a decent flood on the backdrop? We will be showing roughly 8feet width of the colorama on the widest shot, any idea how to work out the rough flood of a 2k from about 8 feet distance? It doesn't really matter if we get some gradient. The other option would be to bounce the blondie off the back wall of the room. Also, would you just ND the light in order to control exposure of backrop? Going to make a rough lighting plan of the location and set to work out how we are going to light the talent and objects. We will have a 2k blondie and 3 redheads to work with on the talent. Thanks

Hmm, that's good advice. I was mainly thinking soft ambient bounce light because there will be multiple props with different coloured cards and illustrated details. Therefore they need some emphasis and don't want them lost in silhouette. That being said, I think we have some freedom to mess with it, the storyboard follows a sequence, but it's rough, and thinking it through now we can cut from silhouettes, to bright fill, to contrast. How would you go about lighting the backdrop with one 2K? I don't really want a big hotspot, or strong sidelight. If I had 2 x 2k's then I'd diffuse them both from either side, but not sure with one? Base ISO on FS7 is 2000 - so still pretty high. I'm doing another recce tomorrow and going through storyboard again, so I'll get some lighting references and a light setup sketch / diagram done after that to help cement this all. Thanks

Now considering bouncing the 2K off a muslin on the ceiling, although it's not a very high ceiling. This should get me good soft ambient and soft shadows. Just not sure if I can get a redhead behind for some sort of backlight, just not sure whether this would need some diffusion or bounce. The space is quite tight.

To start with I'm just starting out with lighting stuff. I've had experience lighting a lot of interviews, but I'm a complete newbie except for book theory and watching lots and lots of stuff. I'm shooting my first music video. It's very low budget, shooting on FS7. It will be a small set with paper backdrop and paper / card props with people interacting / playing instruments in the set. We have an illustrator who is building all of the paper props to be used. The set is built so that the scene will be changed by people moving the props by hand, into and out of the scene. These people will be on and off camera at different points. It is meant to be sort of crude and have a handmade feel to the whole thing, with the talent interacting with the set. So there is a colorama backdrop, then about 2 or 3 feet in front of that will be props, people interacting, scenes playing out. The props will stretch out to about 8 feet in front of the colorama we think. We will be shooting wide (the whole colorama in shot) and then close-ups on sections of the scene. Some scenes will use a dolly for tracking in and out / left to right. The scenes don't all have to match up, as there will be moments where it all changes, so the continuity isn't such an issue there. Some scenes will be night time. Considering there are a lot of flat paper and card objects, as well as people and a lot of movement, I'm thinking one big soft source off to camera right, above head-height. Then a soft fill to camera left... I'm not sure how I'm going to light the backdrop yet. I'm currently thinking of using a set of 3 redheads through diff for fill / backdrop (as I already have these) and then a 2k arri tungsten fresnel for the key, blasted through a 42in x 78in diff frame. Am I going about this completely wrong? What would you advise me to think through before I make any decisions. Do I need a lot more lighting than this. I find redheads are plenty powerful, so with a 2K I should be fine, it's just getting the backdrop a consistent exposure throughout, or being able to control it depending on scene. Amateur hour. Thanks Lee

And if you work on shoots like that all the time, amazing. I'm not saying they don't exist. It just seems sort of crap that people who get work like that all the time can't see the struggle that lots of production companies go through not getting budget to get the things that are usually standard on bigger shoots. And then kind of shun them as if it's not professional?

I am finding it funny how this thread has progressed. I mean, I do see c-stands all of the time, especially with kinos, but I guess the argument people are making isn't really about c-stands at all. It's about the fact that there are many many professional, paid shoots in the UK, where the budget is butt-tight, and money going towards extras such as c-stands and excess lighting will come out of people's day-rates. That means that a lot of shoots just 'make do'. I've only worked on a couple of shoots that had a g&e crew, let alone a truck. These are professional shoots. I make my living from camera opping. Most of my wages (although not all) comes from shoots that can't afford to get a 1st ac, 2nd ac, a g&e department or a lighting truck. Now that sort of shoot is rare, rarer than any c-stand.

Seems like a fair price. and I can just attach a normal 40inch gobo arm to that?

Is that a basic light stand i.e. a lightweight combo stand?

And one reason I started this post is because, as has been mentioned, I'm aware of a few things that are industry standards that seem to be just tradition and habit. Now that isn't true for everything of course, but being clever, having initiative and saving money on certain things that aren't completely necessary can often save a production rather than ruin it,

No need to apologise Freya, it is interesting. Having entered the film scene about 5 years ago, at a time when everything got completely shaken up by DSLR's (which allowed me to even consider entering the film industry) - I think there has to be a complete shake down of what is considered a professional or amateur shoot, as you've mentioned. A lot of shoots I work on are 8 / 9 crew, lighting, amira, budget, time and precision. But some of the projects I work on are 2 or 3 crew doc. Now, you could say these are amateur, but in reality the small crew and minimal kit approach is one that reaches a goal for us. We don't want to be intrusive, we don't want to scare the bajeebas out of anyone we interview. It has a purpose, and I think that the term professional should apply to this. No we may not light with umpteen HMI's, flags, bounce boards, c-stands, jibs and dollys, but we specifically DON'T want that on some of our shoots. Also you've mentioned that a lot of lower budget stuff can't afford c-stands and trucks and 12x12's. In my mind, a professional is someone that can work in these situations and come up with solutions that still feel professional and high-budget. These jobs are the majority now, for better or for worse, but one thing is true - these sorts of jobs have allowed me, and many other people, to enter the industry and move their way up, learning cinematography as they go. I don't think I'll be forever working on these sorts of shoots, and I hope not, but film and video are no longer restricted to high-budget, big set shoots, and being a cinematographer means adapting to that. Yes, high-end cinematography will always be high-end, and will always need the kit and precision to get beautiful results, but is a film shot entirely in ambient daylight any less professional? That being said, I will be buying a few stands. Luckily, I can afford a couple, but a year or two ago I definitely wouldn't have been able to - other kit was far more important to me. So I appreciate what you're saying.

Sorry Freya, I thought your first post was a slight about people without budget asking the same questions all the time. I'm new to this forum, some forums can be pretty heated about that sort of thing ha. So you reckon if I just bought some metal rod and 2 gobo heads, then I could attach that to a combo stand / c-stand as I please? Is the rod 15mm?

Interesting, what brand do you recommend? or are they much of a muchness?

Mark, I totally agree with you on all of those points. I only asked the question to see alternatives before forking out for them. I've already decided to buy two c-stands... combo stands do seem better so I'll have a think. And Phil, I totally agree with you. My only experience is working in the UK. Having spent a lot on kit in the past 2 or 3 years, I can safely say it isn't easy. And I realise that even that amount is relatively small, and I don't have half of what I need. If I didn't love what I do, I'd definitely do something else. But luckily I really enjoy it, and getting new kit feels like christmas every time. Thanks for the offer of borrowing yours, I really appreciate it, but I'll just buy a couple of c-stands. I realise they'll last forever and I do need them.

And I don't think there's a huge difference between 'indie' filmmakers and higher budget things. It could be a matter of months, or vary job to job. I do a lot of high budget jobs as camera operator, I've just never had to buy gels or diffs myself. So if a company was to smugly turn me away because I'm 'only an indie filmmaker' then it's highly unlikely I'll go back there when I'm looking to rent a lot more kit. I'm doing a lot more personal projects on the side with friends - small crew documentary, 2 or 3 crew max, and that means I need a lightweight set-up that's adaptable. Getting 3 extremely heavy c-stands may end up causing more issues on shoots like this. Hence why I started this thread. Anyway, there's been a lot of interesting and useful tips here, so thanks guys.

Is this because you get a lot of people from London trying to cheap out on things like this? I get that it's not good to be cheap over things and bodge job it. I have budget for C-stands if there's nothing else that can match up to them, that's why I've asked about people's solutions. What's the least I should be looking for in a c-stand? The prices vary so much and I don't want to get a knock-off version that won't last.

The thing I'm confused by is that, let's say I want to make 48" x 21" panels, these obviously aren't big enough to lean on the floor and have at eye level, so I need to find a way of holding them up at a specific level and control them. Is there no way of doing this without C-stands?

Thanks. I was considering making them from wood, but that makes a lot more sense. Do you disassemble them at the end of a shoot? I guess you could carry them like that and assemble them on the day? As for the stands, they are (at the moment) out of my price range, so I guess there's no harm in just hanging them from a cheap light stand and then upgrading when I can afford to? Thanks

I guessed someone would say that, but after minor googling couldn't find a UK website?