Dimitrios Koukas

Another think that u maybe consider doing is that (if) you can rent a set of dedolights, they come with a car adapter so maybe u can hide one of them reflected on a white surface.Also they have a car mount in the case that u can clamp it on the car's lid.

Or just think of anything else that can be use the cars voltage...

Dimitrios Koukas

Did I do something wrong? I checked the globe and it seems that it indeed burned out (the middle filament is broken). If the globe is bad, will the "Off" switch light up when the ballast is plugged in?

I hope my question is not confusing (I tried to be as clear as I possibly can).

 

Thanks.

HMI's dont't have a middle fillament it's an arc that is created between the pins....

But yes, maybe your bulb have reached it's operational limits.

If you can see the switch lights on, both in the light and the ballast then the light should be on.

Otherwise it's either the safety switch that's on the fixture case as other fellows here mentioned, or a fault ballast.

Dimitrios Koukas

Richard, as far as I can remember the ARRI IIC has a bakelite pull down claw (I hope that I am spelling the been made material correctly), wich is worn really easily.You should check it's thikness.

Dimitrios Koukas

Hello,

This lights, even that they do have barndoors, are not so sofisticated made to handle their own wattage.

Even in a 2k openface quartz lamp that is made for cinema or tv u can't have 2cm openning without burning the barndoor paint. Unless u are in a place that is windy and cold.

1250w in such a close distance for the barndoors is really too much.

If you have enough safe space u can do the same effect with a square (or something) hole in a cardboard paper, just be sure that u are not too close.(I would suggest 70-80cm away from the fixture and with the light set at flood position).Also u can do the same effect with cinefoil.

Dimitrios

Hello Joe,

I guess in the General shot the ceilling will be in the frame?

If yes, then u can cooperate with the Art director and use anything that will fit in the shot aeshetically, or maybe patent some of this lights.

Dimitris Koukas

Honestly?

Only the yellow flower macro photo has something to say.

Dimitrios koukas

Hello,

Very nice indeed, I would probably use less light on the walls and especially for the female actor, also more direct light on her, or 45H-45V degrees and not sidelighting. A low contrast filter or soft-fx with hard lighting and some overexposure would be nice also, but try to keep the blacks rich.

Dimitrios Koukas

Hello,

Just look for digital ballasts, most of the consumer lighting companies make them.

You can dim them too.Down to 0%.

Dimitrios Koukas

dimitrios,

please do a test. place any object darker than an 18% gray on a white plexi surface lit from under and spotmeter the object as against the white surface which is your source of light and you will see a difference of at least three stops which is enough to separate your subject from the surface.

 

boy

Hello,

I usually do not speak or write things that I haven't done, or tested.

I see what you mean. Thanks

Dimitrios

yup but a white cyc made of acrylic sheets (white plexiglass) lit from under and behind should work better.

even then the cast should still be completely covered in black.

Lighting from underneath,

will add too much light on feets and knees.

Very difficult to wipe this out in the post.

Dimitrios

Hello,

U can use clear brand new gels in front of the lens, only if you want to change the white balance, they aren't good for shooting, they will reduce the resolution of your lens.(unless u want this).

U can use ND gels infront of lights in case that u are tight in space and don't have more scrims available.

To focus a gobo infront of an openface light or a difused one, u need distance from it.

As far as u move it away from the light it will be more focused, and the opposite, if you want the edges of it or it's shape diffused, u move it closer.Try make your own gobos with cardboard or cinefoil.

Dimitrios Koukas

Hello,

If you want to reproduce excactly what I see on the picture, you might have some problem with havin people walkin in different levels, so I would suggest to just shoot couples or single persons and then after you separate them (using the teqniques others mentioned above), then mix them in post.

U might have too much light from the white background on them, so do not overlight too much.

Just get the shapes well and adjust the luminance in the post, while as mentioned crush the blacks.

U need to separate black from white, and make it look absolute, so u need to overexpose the white by 1-2 stops.Or just go for a luma key, ( just needs pure white background without so much overexposure).

Dimitrios Koukas

Hi folks, I'm brand new to this stuff so please bare with me. Shooting digital video in my house during certain hours of the day, it is almost impossible to get rid of all the zebra strips showing on my LCD. I want the most professional looking footage I can shoot. (I don't have a project going on right now I'm just trying to learn how to get the shots when I want them) My question is: Is it acceptable to have a few items in the frame overexposed (zebra stripes) or is the goal always to rid of "ALL" stripes. I'm just having a tough time getting rid of all of them and then still getting good exposure on the rest of the shot. I've tried stopping down and/or increasing shutter speed until stripes are gone but then the rest of the frame is too dark. Should I buy ND filters or will this give the same results as stopping down too much. I don't have any shades to reduce light in the family room where we shoot....and I just want to work with what light comes in and deal with it somehow with the camera "to learn camera techniques". Sometimes, the overexposed area is an object that can be removed, like a magazine or picture frame but I just want to see what a professional would do in these cases. Thanks. :)

Hello,

What camera do u have?

I am asking you this cause in some camera's the Zebra pattern is adjustable.

Or others have two Zebra patterns that u can adjust.One for the 100% of signal (white) and a lower zebra for other percentage of the signal,(like 70-75%) usefull for skin tones (white caucasian skin exposure).

The zebra isn't recorded in the tape if this is what you mean, and u should avoid it only if it's set at 100% of the signal and you see it on a face for example, wich means that you are overexposing the face.

For example 100% zebra can be seen on a cloud, (I hope that psychiatrists don't read this) ;)

in a white table, white walls, highlights of a wet face etc.

It helps you adjust your exposure, or warn you if you are overexposing too much.

Try to use your eye, if it looks good for you, ignore the zebra pattern.

Dimitrios Koukas

i am shooting soon an advert and i would like to achieve the soft warm cozy look of a student house party. (main reference garden state, the party scene). i am shooting on vision 2 200T and i was thinking about using diffusion and slightly underexpose it. the camera is a 16mm arri SR2. would you recommend and filter or gel to use to get that soft tungsten light orangish look? but not extreme, just noticeable...

 

thanks

 

federico bonfanti

 

edinburgh college of art

I guess it is a night party?

Some china balls in the set with photoflood bulbs in it will do the job, they can be hanged easily and they don't require huge wattage.

If you dimm them you will get the warm look you want.

Also use as many practicals as u can in the frame or near the actors, they will give a nice warm-soft look, if placed in the right places.Avoid green/blue ones.Use red, amber or orange.

Dimitrios Koukas

Can anyone reccomend a good Sekonic or any other light meter for a photographer/ aspiring DP? I need something that I will be able to use for a long time into the future and hopefully for when I eventually find work as a DP.

 

How does the Sekonic L-558Cine DualMaster rate? Is this for both Photography and Cine usage?

I don't know the excact type, but if you want something to use it for still photography, you should find one that takes flash readings too.Sekonic is a very reliable brand, and Minolta also.

Dimitrios Koukas

Aaton XTR prod,

Nice S16 camera, silent.Npr is cool too but only for standard 16mm.

I would suggest you go for the S16, maybe you will do a movie later on that u can blow-up to 35mm.

Dimitrios Koukas

I would probabaly used a hard wooden piece across the center of the open, hangin a C-clamp on it, but all has to do with the quality of the construction...

U have to see it to say it's safe or not.

If you can't find anything long enough to hang it to a pipe, at least chain the light to the pipes.

Dimitrios Koukas

Well, obviously the foreground is not the hard part to light, but the far background. You could side-light with a big unit if you can't backlight, or you could just light the village with lots of spots from the ground, which of course is time-consuming. Or shoot the shot at twilight....

Thank you David,

I think that going for magic-time will save me a lot, Vision2 200T would be my main stock, so maybe push +1 will do the job.

In Greece twilight lasts for about 20 minutes, and F/stops steping down (or up) really quick.

I have to plan a reshoot for it, just in case.

I have to check the shot's direction in relation to the sunset (or sunrise ) to be sure that I will have an even dark blue sky.

We will probably add the moon after (sorry I didn't mentioned it).

Dimitrios Koukas

This sounds like Lindos (Rodos) where I took my wife for our honeymoon!

 

Maybe you can talk the shopkeepers into hanging christmas lights along their facades?

I hope that you have had a great time, not a bad idea at all, thanks!

The island is Ydra, near Athens.

Dimitrios, you are showing us 1 *divided by* a 24th of a second's worth *multiplied by* the amount of still images you are showing us...which doesn't really go far...all in all, less than a second... it might be especially nice to see some of your moving images with sound and, perhaps, some of your aerial work...

Well,

No problem, but how???

I am not so much into compression technology and video streamming.

I have just followed the same rule (posting frames) like other fellow cinematographers did.

Dimitrios

You should try marketing and communications fields my friend,

You really got the biggest attraction here!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Dimitrios Koukas

Hello,

The scene is like this:

Night exterior,

A well lit pool with a woman swimming in it, night party lit with candles mostly,

camera is doing some crane up movement, passes a fence, leaving the pool behind, to a big, general shot of a village with narrow (really narrow streets, not for vechicles), there is a small port on the far background.

I was thinking about using balloons, but I ve got the fear that would be on the frame!!

Any thoughts?

Musco lights (cross-lighting) is a second thought, but unfortunately the streets are too narrow to let light pass thru,so I guess I have to spread thousands meters of cables all around to light it.

Thanks in advance,

Dimitrios Koukas

Your thoughts are so clear like petroleum gelly on a low contrast 5.

Dimitrios

I'm immensely interested in the field. What you guys are doing is absolute art.

 

I remember as a kid i'd see a really amazing shot and i'd wonder, "how did they do that? what did the cameraman do to achieve that kind of shot?" It's the same thing these days. Whether it's a T.V. advertisement, an epic movie... anything.

 

Nowadays i just feel the urge to buy a camera and start shooting. basically, i'm camera-dumb and have had no experience on these things...

 

How does a young, naive but enthusiastic college student like me get on this? did you take any classes? What kind of camera (and computer software) does a newbie start off with? How did you "break into" the business...

 

any info would be greatly appreciate,

Thanks!

Hello,

Cinematography is Art, but technical too.

Yes you should take any class that includes photography (not digital), directing, filming or scriptwriting, then u will be able to find out what u like to do most.Anything that includes fine arts is good too.

As for how we get the jobs it has to do with the pottential cappabilities of each.

You can make some good friendships from your class and continue together, one as a director and the other as a cinematographer or the opposite, or both.

After u get some experience you can go out and start looking for any job related to the things you know.

Try to experiment and don't affraid to make mistakes to your personal projects, learn from them and carry on.

Dimitrios Koukas

Also pretty good for keeping rain off the lens!

It depends of the wind direction! :)

Matte boxes are good cause some have (if not all) rotating filter holders that you can use for pola's or graduate filters.

Dimitrios

Maybe you won't need the HMI at all for dv,

Even an 1,2K is big for dv.

If you have more than one window in the scene u can have two 1k tungsten fresnels with double CTB on hard in for each window.

It depends of how big the room is.

As for the hallway as mentioned by the rest posters here, keep the light coming in from one side.

If it is a hotel an ambient light could be the sign outside for example.

There are many types of ambient light at night, unless it has to be moonlight only.

U can have a yellow street light coming in from the other side for example, it's always good to mix warm and cold light.

U will definately need some fill for the close ups, and MS's, but it can be moonlight bounced off of walls.

Maybe u can have it slightly warmer. If it is a yellow wall for example it could be more white bounce than a white wall!

Dimitrios Koukas