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Shooting into practicles


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I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me...I am shooting a music video in which they want banks and banks of practicles in the background (they are supposed to look like maxi-brutes, like that linkin park video, where you are looking at their backs and into 100's of lights) but I am having problems getting rid of the flares, some are fine but I am getting a small flare from every globe.

 

Is there a certain globe/lamp-lense/lamp or camera lenses/filters that I can use to minimize the flares from these lights? I am using Cooke S4's right now, they usually don't flare as easily, any other ideas? I would like to do this while shooting, should we just add it in post?

 

Would using diffusion or frosted globes help?

 

thanks

 

Ian

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The simplest solution would be to shoot with Zeiss Master Primes. Getting a flare with those is a major event and will create quite a stirr with both Arri and Zeiss I can tell you from personal experience.

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The simplest solution would be to shoot with Zeiss Master Primes. Getting a flare with those is a major event and will create quite a stirr with both Arri and Zeiss I can tell you from personal experience.

 

 

Frosted globes might help a little, but this is probably the best answer. In addition, read the American Cinematographer with "Chicago in it to see how they solved the problem.

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The simplest solution would be to shoot with Zeiss Master Primes. Getting a flare with those is a major event and will create quite a stirr with both Arri and Zeiss I can tell you from personal experience.

 

Hi,

I agree with this, I seem to remember even super speeds flare less than S4's, Most Zeiss lenses flare less than most Cookes, from what I have experienced.

Cheers.

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I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me...I am shooting a music video in which they want banks and banks of practicles in the background (they are supposed to look like maxi-brutes, like that linkin park video, where you are looking at their backs and into 100's of lights) but I am having problems getting rid of the flares, some are fine but I am getting a small flare from every globe.

 

Is there a certain globe/lamp-lense/lamp or camera lenses/filters that I can use to minimize the flares from these lights? I am using Cooke S4's right now, they usually don't flare as easily, any other ideas? I would like to do this while shooting, should we just add it in post?

 

Would using diffusion or frosted globes help?

 

thanks

 

Ian

 

Hi,

There's another simple trick.Just rub some bathing soap to get a mild coating of it on all the practicals.Yes you need to spend some time in doing this,but still try this out.Believe me ,this really works out to cut that extra flare ...! All the best...!

Ratheesh Ravindran.

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Hi,

There's another simple trick.Just rub some bathing soap to get a mild coating of it on all the practicals.Yes you need to spend some time in doing this,but still try this out.Believe me ,this really works out to cut that extra flare ...! All the best...!

Ratheesh Ravindran.

 

 

Um, soap=fat...won't that just melt and then smoke and smell terrible? :huh:

Edited by Christopher D. Keth
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Golden rule. Never use an in shot light as your light source. Put all the lights in shot through a dimmer to bring them to a level where they dont flare.

 

Use seperate lighting for your subjects.

 

For me this has always been a golden rule and I've yet to find an exception

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Golden rule. Never use an in shot light as your light source. Put all the lights in shot through a dimmer to bring them to a level where they dont flare.

 

Use seperate lighting for your subjects.

 

For me this has always been a golden rule and I've yet to find an exception

 

I've lit people with in-shot practicals, like a gooseneck/flexarm desklamp for example -- you can keep most of the bulb hidden by the lamp housing so you don't get much flare and light the actor at his desk with the real light. I did that in "Akeelah and the Bee" because I had to dolly 180 degrees around the desk as Akeelah worked at her computer. I've always been inspired by that shot in "E.T." where Eliot is lit by the desk lamp and E.T.'s hand comes into frame over his shoulder (a homage to "War of the Worlds".)

 

Also if someone is close enough to a table lamp, you can use it to light the person and not get flare.

 

And many times I've lit a bar scene with a bare flo in the shot, on the counter, lighting the person.

 

I like bright practicals in frame that actually look like they are putting out enough light for the room & subject whenever possible.

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