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Day Exterior lighting setup for TV commercial (w/HMI)


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For my first small TV commercial I'm shooting all over the day, possible semi-overcast conditions.

 

I'm looking for a "correct", well exposed, nice colours, soft shadows and soft backlight, nice skins look. Shooting on EX1 with tweaked Picture Profiles.

 

I'm planning to use:

-12x12 frame with Half Soft Frost for overhead difussion (not too low).

-6K HMI PAR through a 12x12 frame with white Silk at 45º to the right, the silk could also be at a 45º declination to add some sun-bounce fill at the same time.

-12K HMI PAR at 45º back for backlight with 1/2 CTO (if there's stable sun and I can arrange the correct camera positions, just use the sun as backlight -> winter sun on theses latitudes, so it's going to be up 32º elevated over the horizon during the whole day).

-Pola on camera to bring out some color tones.

 

I cannot use 20x20frames because of windy conditions.

 

Question are:

- Would you put the 6K as backlight and 12K as key or the other way around?

- Would you add a difussion (say 250) to the front HMI that goes thorugh the Silk to the actor's face?

- Would you add some difussion to the backlight or which lens would you use? (I'm looking for a natual "not studio" back)

- For wide shots (a bunch of people around a 20mt line), would you just put the sun behind or also add some fill with soft reflectors + 12K + 6K through Silk? (I have 4 soft and 2 soft available)

- If its too cloudy all the day, would you still use an overhead difussion or leave it clear?

 

Thanks!

Luis

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  • 2 weeks later...
Question are:

- Would you put the 6K as backlight and 12K as key or the other way around?

- Would you add a difussion (say 250) to the front HMI that goes thorugh the Silk to the actor's face?

- Would you add some difussion to the backlight or which lens would you use? (I'm looking for a natual "not studio" back)

- For wide shots (a bunch of people around a 20mt line), would you just put the sun behind or also add some fill with soft reflectors + 12K + 6K through Silk? (I have 4 soft and 2 soft available)

- If its too cloudy all the day, would you still use an overhead difussion or leave it clear?

 

Thanks!

Luis

 

Yes.. 12k Key..

 

Take a look at the silk first.. you probably won't need 250.. also.. aim the silk in the direction you want the light to travel (towards talent).. do not tilt the silk upwards to try to bounce some sun as well as that will only make your 12k key light travel upwards as well. Whichever direction you aim the 12x silk is the direction it's light will travel (for the most part).

 

I almost always use diffusion on backlight/ edgers.. you may also want to add 1/4 cto as edgers can look cool or bluish.

 

I would absolutely use the Lamps and Reflectors on the wide shot(s).

 

If it is cloudy, adding the overhead won't do much but be there for (if/ when) the sun breaks thru in the middle of a take... not a bad idea to have it rigged.

 

One note.. flying a 12x is about as difficult to fly as a 20x when it come to wind. Take a good Crew and lots of Sand Bags!

 

Best of Luck.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In fact we took some tent pegs (I worked with Luis)...they were totally useless. We used a lot of sandbags and tied the 4x4 frame and tripods to them, but sometimes even with that, someone had to hold the tripods of the 4x4´s because of the wind peaks...

The axles deep buried would have been nice.

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