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Hello! I am new to this forum and this is my first post B) I have attached the pictures of the room below following my explanation! I would like to achieve a nice glow with an obvious gradient to the falloff and some sun beams in the following room while the 2 talents walk through in 50 fps. I will time it to shoot as the sun goes down and fills the room with sharp shadows and golden light patches. So I believe but please correct me if I'm wrong... If the camera is facing 12 o clock from picture 1, the sun will be at 7 o clock so behind the camera, I'm hoping in this scene to get a nice soft ambient glow with falloff at least filling the room. Then for picture 2, the sun will be at 2 o clock which is a good angle for rays, I will put some covering on parts of the window for some rays and again I'm hoping to get a soft glow with falloff, similar to picture 3. I also have 3x arri 1k fresnel tungsten lights with barn doors and was thinking I may use it for a soft light on the talent before they hit the rays. Gelled for daylight through a light diffuse for a moment of natural colour. What do you think and how would you do it differently if you only had my lighting setup and the sun to play with? Image/angle 1 Angle 2 (the shadows were lifted a lot, it will be similar brightness to picture 1 Picture 3 (if I can get a soft glow like this I will be happy)

Hey everyone, This is my first real post on this forum so bare with me. I've come here for a few years when I have questions but have always found the answers without needing to make an account. Anyways... Like some of you guys, I bought into the hype around the Aputure 300d about a year ago. I own and operate a lighting rental company here in Phoenix and the promise that this LED could potentially replace some of the smaller HMI's we generally use was enticing. Not long after using the fixture for the first time, a huge design fault became apparent, as I'm sure it became apparent to a lot of others. So I decided to do something about it. After a few sketches on the back of a call sheet and a few hours in Solidworks, I came up with a pretty decent work around. The issue that faces this fixture, as well as a lot of other LED's is the shear amount of junk you end up hanging off the bottom knuckle of a stand. The bracket I designed helps to tidy up the cable management as well as keeps the components close so they can clamp to a stand via a mafer clamp. After getting my first prototype back from the machine shop, I was finally able to release the kickstarter with an effort to pre-sell a decent amount of them, with my goal being what the machine shops minimum order quantity was. We surpassed our goal within the first 48 hours. So I'm sharing the project with you guys to try and broaden our reach. Thanks for checking it out. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thundergrip/thunder-grip-aputure-300d-dimmer-bracket?ref=creat

Hey all... I'm shooting a film and we have a few scenes that incorporate a taser being used as a weapon in the story. I'm shooting with a Panasonic EVA1, not sure if there are any in camera solutions to avoid stroboscopic issues...? I would love to maybe see the taser in close up at least being triggered. If not, then maybe I can stage the action for the taser to be triggered hidden from camera, in that case what lighting gags can I do to sell as a taser? My gaffer suggested 2 things for off screen gags... using those small finger glove lights used at raves and/or getting blue maybe even purple coloured bracelet beads from a hobby shop and having them shift around over a flashlight. Is there a better alternative for creating a compact and caustic lighting effect?

I'll be shooting a short hopefully this autumn or winter. It takes place in a forest and I want to shoot it in natural light. But because of the weather these upcoming months, I've started to wonder if I'm actually able to do so. For so far, I'll be using my only lens, a zoom lens which its widest aperture is f 3.8. And a 0.6 ND filter, because I love the DOF touch it gives. I'll be shooting on Vision 3 7222. What can I do to avoid using a lighting setup?

Hi All, I'm shooting a TVC on Sony Venice next week, and have been looking for Sekonic / X-Rite exposure charts for S-log3.cine, preferably in both Native ISO's so that I can load the data into my Sekonic L758-Cine light meter. Does anyone have any good sources for this? Cheers, Lewis Jelley Cinematographer T: +44 (0)2920 251 255 M: +44 (0)7929 174 457 13 Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, CF10 5EE http://stormandshelter.com Lewis Jelley Cinematographer T: +44 (0)2920 251 255 M: +44 (0)7929 174 457 13 Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, CF10 5EE http://stormandshelter.com

Hi all, Just a quick note to spread the word about our new student program. Hudson Spider is dedicated to helping student film makers enjoy and thrive with their new craft. We have set aside several kits that include three Redback heads, a Stealth unit, DMX control and a quick lesson on how to use them. This program allows students access to the exact same state of the art lighting equipment being used on the largest film productions worldwide. The Redback is a revolutionary new LED light from Hudson Spider the emits an embracing specular soft wrap from a parabola of 3456 LEDs. It is quickly and easily deployed into either a 3ft parabolic, 6ft soft box or 3ft lantern modes and folds down to 7.5 x 13 inches and weighs only 7lbs. (www.hudsonspider.com) The quality of light is similar to HMI, Tungsten or flash umbrella bounce light fixtures and is typically used as the key light. The kits are are available for 1 week blocks and are free of charge. Apply as soon as you can because the dates are booking up fast!! https://www.hudsonspider.com/edu

Have to shoot a short little scene of a character brushing teeth, washing his face, going thru normal night routine. Suggestions on how to light this so it resembles Fincher's cinematic world a little bit? The greenish yellow tint that alot of his films have? I'm shooting 2.21 aspect ratio but the practicals might end up in a wide shot. From outside the bathroom, I think I might have a tungsten kino from the ceiling that can give a slight dirty orange/yellow glow onto the bathroom door, and then I'd like to make the bathroom interior have more of a greenish tint. I'm sure negative fill might be my best friend in this bathroom. At my disposal, I have a Joker 800,4 ft Kino tubes, 1x1 Westcott Flex light, Quasar T12 tubes, and some smaller LED lights. And flags, a couple different diffusions, etc.. Any suggestions?

I'm working on a short film and the main location is a forest, at night. Most of it is set on a muddy road with trees surrounding either side, but there is a little section where our main character is running through the trees. My question is in regards to lighting, and what is the suggested method of lighting for this type of location? On previous projects, we have blasted 4 x 2Ks through the trees from a distance and used a smoke/fog machine for different looks and to help spread the light. We also used smaller lights for tighter shots, but I have found that this can often lead to quite harsh lighting and create ugly shadows. This setup has allowed for some great shots, but I'm wondering what other options there are? I have read a few other threads which suggested lighting a background road or something to give the shot some depth, but also have read that using paper lanterns up in the trees can provide great soft lighting. The only problem then is wind! Would love to hear some suggestions! Will likely be shooting on the BMPCC. Thanks! :)

Hey all, I'm fairly new to grip work so I'm a bit stumped by this. So I'll be shooting this scene involving 3 subjects, all of which are situated behind a table with a black backdrop behind all of them to act as a background. It's just going to be the one wide shot, so the camera will be positioned dead centre in the middle of all of them. I've attached a photo complete with my expert illustration skills showing the placement of the subjects in the scene. So I'm looking for a lighting solution that can efficiently light all of them using as few lights as possible. The overall look will be fairly high-key, with a light on the backdrop so it won't look like a black hole behind them. My existing kit consists on 2x Nanguang Luxpad43 LED Panels, and I have the go-ahead to rent any additional lights I need (within reasonable cost, of course) I'm torn between two possible setups: 1. A large diffused soft key in the centre that casts on all the subjects, with one light at camera right near the backdrop to act as fill for Subject 1 and backlight for Subjects 2 and 3, and one light at camera left near the backdrop to act as fill for Subjects 2 and 3 and backlight for Subject 1. Finally, 1 additional light for the backdrop as described earlier. This is the cheaper solution; I'm guessing the centre key will eliminate the need for a backdrop light but I will have other scenes that make use of the backdrop light so I'm just thinking about continuity here. 2. Similar to above, but with 1 diffused key light at camera left for Subjects 2 and 3, and 1 diffused key light at camera right for Subject 1. The fill/back lights stay the same as with the above option, together with an additional light for the backdrop. This is the more expensive option, but I'm worried about the spill from the key lights onto the backdrop as the backdrop will be situated fairly close to the subjects. That and they might mess with the lighting from the backdrop light too. The obvious solution would be to get LED Panels with built-in barndoors; I'm just wondering if this would be the more reasonable route to take. The kit I'm looking to rent is a set of 3 Coolcam 1' x 1' Bi-Color LED Panels with barndoors, failing which I might get a set of 3 Litepanel Caliber 150W LED Fresnels or Aputure LS-mini20s. I might have the luxury of additional stands and flags but I'm trying to keep the set-up lean, and I'm already running on a tight budget as it is. Also, I'm a one-man Cam Op/Grip/Director/Producer with no extra pair of hands available (ridiculous I know). Any help would be appreciated!

Hey guys! I was recently on set and it was my first time with quasar science T8 tubes. I noticed the director brought his own “clip on” gels that covered the whole tube (looked like a tube that was cut so it could snap onto the light). I’m interested in getting my own quasars soon and wanted to ask if anyone knew what gels I could purchase in order to do the same thing in coloring my lights? If anyone knows the brand / or can lead me the right way it’d be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hi all, I'm prepping for a Christmas promo, for which the director wants a "winter evening cosy warm family house glow". We're building a set inside a large hangar, and it will require a roof as the sound is super echoey. There is space outside of the set for lighting and rigging. Talent will be sat on the sofas, two people per sofa. They're playing charades so may be standing up and being quite active. There'll be two cameras cross shooting as we only have the talent for one hour. My initial thoughts are to rig a scaff pole across the top of the set and create a skirted soft box with 2 x Skypanel S60 or Litemats. However I worry that might be a bit too 'toppy'. We'll have fake snow falling outside the window so I thought an M18 pushing through diff with 1/2 CTO + 1/8 Green should make a nice soft moonlight effect. All other fixtures will be set to 3200k, the lights on the Christmas tree and the practicals will be doing a fair bit of work inside the set, and the two Skypanels behind the cameras will be for additional fill / motivated practical light if necessary. Practicals should be on dimmers, maybe even with RGB bulbs. Art department will be putting in a fake fire, it would be nice to have a Skypanel on fire effect mode but i'm not sure where it would go. Hoping to shoot on Alexa Mini and Ultra Primes but suggestions for a warmer/more Christmassy combo would be appreciated. Am I missing anything? Would you build anything else in for keying the talent? Some bounce around the table height? Thanks.

Hey everyone, so I'll be DP'ing a project this upcoming weekend. I'm thinking of using a LED Tener and a couple of the LED Seniors to use as my main sources of daylight. I'm trying to keep it consistent throughout the day because it's one scene happening within an hour. The units will be shooting into Ultra Bounce's and going in through the windows that will have warm sheers. I'm wondering if the Tener and Seniors will be capable of giving me a good amount of light within the interiors. Going for a High Key Soft Look. Ideally looking to shoot at a 4-5.6 if possible so I'm wondering if theses units can help me. I've drawn and attached an overhead as to what I had planned.

Hello, I'm lighting an approx. 20ft by 20ft area for a Medium-Wide shot in a large studio, soft high-key lit. Looking at bouncing an M18 on a 20x20ft Muslin (or Ultrabounce?) frame, full front slight overhead - to add as fill/general ambient sunlight. And then using a 1.2k Arrisun (or 1.2k Briese) as a side-y key sunlight source with an opal or 216 diffusion. Just checking if the M18 would be a good bounce source considering it's limited focusing, and if the lighting ratio with the key source at 1.2k (Arrisun) sounds right or wrong? Keeping everything on household power (16A 220v here in Europe). Let me know if you need more info! I know that there is no 'one way' of doing things but just thought I'd hear some thoughts and ideas. Thanks!

Im scouting for a film now where one of the main locations is very dense forest with a solid canopy. The undergrowth is green, the leaves are green, the moss is green, the light even feels green. The tree trunks have very little character and are skinny. I do have a fogger setup and it has tested well- so at least I can bring areas out from what looks like an infinity of skinny trees and greenness. The sun is almost nonexistent, save for some very small dappled beams. My question to you is how can I bring the characters out- especially in the wider shots -without it looking lit or fake? Ill use negative fill when possible and I have some 8x & 12x frames w/ rags and a couple 1.2 hmis. Its a remote location and tiny budget. I was just surprised to see how flat the light was and how a person gets swallowed by the busy yet uniform environment. Oh- and the actors are wearing dull colors-jeans, dark sweatshirts, etc. I will ask wardrobe get a little color contrast against the green environment. Thanks,

Director wants a really moody look and feel ... Interior day But the location we have has 5 massive open windows , no sheers or curtains Its a wide shot like the location picture - but Actor will be sitting on table in fromt of windows on laptop Exposing for the outside obviously makes the actor silhouetted and the room quiet dark Just wondering what ideas you guys may have for such a location... would you bounce Say a hmi from fill side , or throw in more light from the outside in ? Reframe so we dont see all the windows , that way could black some out ?

How is this look basically achieved and how can it be reproduced with low budget modern lights today? Probably a simple question there. Did the cinematographer basically use lights with blue gels placed outside windows for the cooler look and use basic tungsten lights for the warm look? Thanks in advance!

BB&S Area 48 Studio LED - 48 Volt Fixture for Remote Phosphor Panels https://www.bbslighting.com/collections/area-48-studio-led/products/copy-of-area-48-studio-led-fixture-with-remote-phosphor-panels https://www.bbslighting.com/collections/area-48-studio-led/products/area-48-soft-high-cri-media-3200k Comes with.. v mount adapter 5600 and 3200 interchangeable panel ac adapter dual light soft case cstand mount snapgrid 40 degree $1600

Hello! I’m shooting a short skit for a restaurant promo video. I’m the cinematographer and someone will direct. It’s a low-budget project. The skit is for Grandparent’s Day. A kid is being spoiled at the restaurant with food as his mother looks on. It’s mostly shown through closeups until it is revealed in the wide shot that the grandmother is the one spoiling her grandkid. It’s a simple setup with the family just sitting on a long table, no standing, no moving around. The mood is light-hearted and comedic. We want a high-key look but our lighting gear is pretty limited. Here is a list: 1x1 Bi-color led light (with softbox and grid) 1x1 Bi-color led light (with softbox and grid) Portable led light 85 watt daylight bulb with chinaball 201s, CTBs, CTOs, orange sodium vapor gel, ND gel 5-sided reflector We’re shooting with a Sony a6500 with Rokinon/Samyang 14mm and 50mm lenses. And a Canon 70-200mm (for food shots). And we might be able to rent an Aputure 120D with a light dome. Here are photos of the location. There is a small part of the restaurant where there are windows but there is also a possibility where we would shoot at the inner part of the restaurant where there are no windows. Here are the complete photos of the location: https://www.evernote.com/l/ANwMH-Y3EplFWppkEhcC6xZdoZQ7EmxGZ4s I would like to ask if you have any lighting ideas with the gear that we have. Thank you!

(Reposting this with new working links of my references and photos of location cos I couldn't edit the first topic. Sorry!) Hi! I am currently doing preproduction for a music video. It’s a horror themed music video set to reggae music. Half of the music video takes place at night. There’s a campsite scene with a bonfire and the rest of the night scenes are at the woods where the band members are exploring a creepy dark forest and eventually chased by a monster. I would like to ask for suggestions on how to light certain scenes and shots :) I did a lot of research on lighting ideas for bonfire set ups and moonlight set ups and there are various ways to do them but I’m not sure which style can work with the limited gear I have. We’re shooting with a Sony A7SII and prime lenses. Here is my lighting gear: 1x1 Led Light Bi color with softbox and grid (2) - can be battery operated 1x1 led light (medium sized) (2) - can be battery operated Led Worklight Portable led light - battery operated 1 small portable led light 85 watt daylight bulb with china ball Aputure 120D with light dome and spacelight attachments 25 W Beam video led light (2) - can be battery operated Par light (Rgbw, 3watts, 50 bulbs per par) (3) Smoke machine CTBs, CTOs, 201s, ND gel 5 in 1 reflector 2 large styrofoam Basically the first part of the night scenes is the campsite with bonfire setup. The 5 member band will be sitting by the bonfire which will be the main key light with moonlight at the side and the back. I might enhance the closeups with a led light with CTO or orange gel with fake flickering in front of them. I’m not to sure how to do the moonlight at their back. The location looks like this: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tLfMqZSe8XSW8Z-PVwtNZx7RjOoh0npV My reference for the lighting is this: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bKG5UMzLXQ85qTShpKMYHUJRu68j6UaN The second part of the night scenes is the band exploring the dark creepy woods with their flashlight and emergency lights. So I’m thinking of having them use strong flashlight so I can bounce the flashlight light with a styrofoam back into their faces while the camera is front of them. And when the camera is from their POV, the strong light of the flashlight would be enough to light the trees (with a focused beam of course) or I can use the the portable beam lights to fake the flashlight light. I haven’t decided yet if the light will only be the flashlight cos I’m thinking I want some faint moonlight in the surroundings as well but I don’t know if it will work. The coverage for these scenes would be medium of them. They are huddled together as they walk so the light will be only concentrated on them. Then there will be pov or OTS shot of them of each other when they face one another. The location for these scenes are: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BKV7fSi3HqX6D6ESecWEY-UfBksDJgUY My reference for the lighting is: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1P8l0ZEVsnEZglSVuGNgC0b5KjPJorWi1 The third part would be the two last remaining characters dropping their flashlights so the key light would be the moonlight now. The monster (a bloodied haggard-looking woman) would slowly appear to them. The moonlight would be more “visible” or stronger at this point. The last remaining person would run down a hill. I would shoot a shot where the camera peeks through the trees as he runs down. It might be also important to note that the person last standing is half-black. I am planning to have our makeup artist put shimmery makeup on him so the light would reflect his skin. My reference for the lighting is: https://drive.google.com/open?id=14h2bA_yWDlCbj_OCRlSvf9F3YJ1RmPz_ I am not just sure how I will execute the moonlight light as key and background. I’m thinking of using the chinaball with the bulb wrapped in 201 and the ball wrapped in black foil attached to a boom pole and follow him as he walks and runs. I apologize if this is such a long post. If you have any suggestions on how to light the particular scenes and shots I’m not sure on, I would really appreciate it!

Hello Cinematography lovers! I hope you're all well! I recently shot a music promo using all natural and golden hour light! Filmed on location in the UK, where normally it's not like this! Hope you enjoy & thanks for watching!

Hey, quick lighting question. I am shooting a music video, and the concept heavily involves a sprinkler in a park at night. The talent is supposed to “dance” with the stream of water as it circles around the grass, and eventually passes over the talent at the end. Like “Singing in the Rain” but with a sprinkler at night. We have a location with a sprinkler that puts out a lot of water, but I’m having a hard time lighting it so the stream of water shows up on camera as a solid mass. It just looked liked it was raining, but it needs to look like a wall of water moving closer and further away. It’s low budget, I don’t own any high-end lights to test ahead of time, but I plan to rent some. We have an A7S so we plan to take advantage of a full moon. Looking for advice on how you might approach this problem in general, and advice on any light(s) to rent. I’m really trying to highlight the stream as a solid, glowy, “wall” of water that the audience can clearly track. Thanks!

I wanted to add my new book as an option alongside the classics from Blain Brown, Harry Box, and John Jackman. Shaping Light for Video in the Age of LEDs; a practical guide to art, craft, and business of lighting. By Alan Steinheimer. 2018. Available now at Amazon and B&N websites. Shaping Light ... is a practical, hands-on guide to lighting for video. Using a Dummies-style approach, the book explains lighting techniques through real-world examples, including recent updates on the groundbreaking use of LED lighting and wireless control options. This book focuses on firsthand application of technical knowledge, to appeal to cinematography students and video freelancers. Beginning with simple lighting setups and progressing to more complicated scenarios, the book holds the reader’s attention with illustrative anecdotes, and links theory to real-world applications. There is a 30 page glossary/set vocabulary at the end that would be useful to most newbies. The e-book is coming as well as peering into the first 16 pages at Amazon.

Hi all. Excited to ask my very first question on this forum! For an upcoming short, I'm trying to achieve a pastel, somewhat low-contrast color palette in a bright daytime exterior, very much like the attached reference image from Vertigo. Being a micro budget project, I don't have the opportunity to pre test a bunch of filters or lenses. Any recommendations on filtration for this reduced contrast, slightly blooming look? For the project, I'm using the Ikonoskop A-Cam DII. I own this camera, and the colors from its Super16 Kodak CCD sensor feel inherently pure and dare I say film-like. I'm pairing it with oldish glass, the Cooke 9-50 Varokinetal (T2.5). I've rented this lens before and it is not only affordable but renders a very creamy three dimensional image. I've attached a sample I shot with this configuration, no filters. Just need to turn that into something less contrasty, more talcumy, more "vintage" for lack of a better word. Thank you! Jall

Hi guys! Once again thanks to those on here for their help & support. I am about to do a shoot at a theme park on a dark ride. The client wants to show 2 rides. The 1st is completely pitch black except for some areas - eg. passing through LED fire ring, LED star, etc) but add not a lot of light at all. The other ride lighting is hitting the props/character installations but no light on the coaster or people. I went for a recce and the lights hitting the character installations on the 2nd ride expose around F 2.1. So I have gathered lenses that can accommodate for this. I am in the middle of planning what lights I will need to highlight the areas in complete darkness for both rides. I am trying to decide whether I need a 5k Arri Tungsten with 2x 2k Blondes or will 3x 2k Blondes be enough without a 5k. My idea is to not make them look lit in the most case going around the ride but more to just bring up the ambient light on the actors. I can take a 5k and bounce off Polly for the ambient, filling in other areas if need be with 2k blondes or just do this plan with only 2k blondes. If I choose to use a 5k I will have to do a long cable run from the control panel, however, I can power 2k's from inside the location. I also am debating whether to rig small lights to the rollercoaster next to our rigged camera for our reverse POV, so I have a consistent exposure on the actors while they go through the ride. Or if I should lock the ride off and try to recreate this with lights, a fan, and a dark background. Any thoughts on this also would be appreciated. I am attaching some pictures below. Please let me know your thoughts:

I have a short coming up where I'll be shooting in a subway car standing set. I need to accomplish two things: a chase for the lights within the subway tunnel and a flicker of the overhead practicals. For the flicker I'd like to see the practicals themselves. Unfortunately I have yet to scout the set as production is a mess. This is a really low budget shoot so I need to figure out something crafty. My immediate thought for the practicals was to replace the existing units with Quasar or Astera tubes (especially since the Astera can be used wirelessly). The chase and the flicker will occur in the same scene. Any advice/ideas is greatly appreciated!