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Something bugging me


robfowler_dp

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Howdy folks,

 

Been a while. Been very busy.

 

I was asked to gaff a independent short not long ago. The DP was a twenty year film veteran, not a twenty year DP veteran. He has only DP for about six months. With his film credentials, he has been able to land several DP gigs.

 

This short was shot on a Canon XL-1.

 

Someone please help me clarify the following,

 

As a gaffer I was in charge of placing the lights, the dimmers, stinger, gripping, etc. (remember this is an independent short). As I went about my business I had my light meter and I metered the light and took notes to keep the same F stop throughout the scene. As I did that, the DP told me that it was unnecessary t o meter the light because we were dealing with video. That he could adjust the iris accordingly. I tried to explain that it didn't make sense because of iris continuity could be detected from scene to scene specially if they cut back and forth between master and close up. He scolded me because he was the DP and I was the gaffer and I shouldn't question his twenty years of experience. Once that happened I just did my business and didn't question anything else throughout the three days of shooting. But I was grinding my teeth throughout because the light continuity was awful.

 

I learned lots from reading on AC and from this board and from being on sets that you don't mess with light continuity. That once a DP is set to shoot on a specific stop, the entire scene from master to close up is kept at that F stop and they don't fiddle until it looks right. Even for my own projects I try to keep the f stop the same throughout. And even if at some points it is rather impossible I look for a multiple that I can then stop down/up using post. I haven't seen/heard/ of anyone just setting up the lights and then going about fiddling with the iris from scene to scene.

 

Can someone amplify for me the above?

 

How do you go about it ?

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I feel that consistency can only be a good thing, although there are times when I need to break that for the needs of a shot or a scene. Depending on the project or type of shoot I might not be so dogmatic about keeping my stop the same as I am on a traditional narrative feature. I find a lightmeter useful even on video shoots but I know others who never bother. Certainly for prelighting or matching levels from room to room, end of dolly to other end, etc. a meter is a very useful thing. But a proper production monitor and a waveform are even better. I had a dinner table scene with six people and keyed with a China ball that I had to reposition for each actor's closeup. The only real way to keep consistency was to use a lightmeter, at least for me.

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Mitch,

 

That is exactly what happened in one of the scenes. Using a dolly to go from one room to another. Outside of the room it was lit with several 650 watts, gelled down, and then a "practical" outside of the room.

 

By the time the scene was finished, the f stop went from a 4.6 to a 1.8 which I beleive is the max on a XL-1. I cringed because I could see in the monitor the difference in the stops knowing how bad video does with low light situations I couldn't help but feel distraught that knowing, a tad bit more, it could have been lit much better.

 

Thanks for your feedback. I welcome other's to provide amplifications as well.

 

Thanks again,

 

Rob.

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You don't have to be a slave to the meter though.

 

For example, I don't really use a meter much for video but I leave the f-stop on the lens the same as the master so that when I start lighting close-ups, I can adjust the light level based on how the zebras in the viewfinder look, or how it looks on the monitor, etc. adjusting the levels so that I end up shooting at the same stop.

 

It's faster than you think or how I described it. Besides, often you are lighting with the same units -- i.e. if you use a 1K through a 4x4 216 on one person, you probably will be using it on the other person when you turn around if they are in the same key source. So you won't be far off in terms of the level unless you start bringing in new units.

 

So end up shooting most of a sequence at the same f-stop. However, not always -- for example, I might light inserts to a higher level so I can stop down -- there's so little depth of field in macro shots that shooting one at f/8, for example, may not look all that different than the wide master shot at f/2.8. But if you shot the macro shot at f/2.8, it looks SO shallow in focus that it might be distracting. I always tell people shooting second unit for me not to get to pendantic about matching the direction of the key and the f-stop when shooting insert shots because I certainly would make a change if it made the shot look better if I were shooting the insert.

 

I generally shoot HD at f/2.8 indoors because the lenses get soft at f/2.0; however, I have occasionally lit the lead actress' close-up at f/2.0 to soften the image a little while keeping the background more out of focus. So it's a mismatch technically.

 

I've also sometimes lit wide shots to f/5.6 for deep focus and better optical definition and then put an ND.60 filter in to shoot all the close-ups at f/2.8 for less depth of field.

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I agree with both David and Mitch and would add that the approach can vary depending on the shoot.

 

However, I just want to point out one thing. If you displayed this level of attention to detail on my shoot I would buy you lunch every day.

 

I'd find it comforting to know I had a guy professionaly invested in the shoot and that I could relax knowing I had someone who had my best interests in mind.

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You've already gotten some good responses about maintaining f-stops throughout a scene. Personally, I try to keep it about the same unless there's a need to change it. In the case that David already mentioned, sometimes on an insert or extreme closeup you might select to bring up the f-stop to restore a little more depth of field. Or you might deliberately choose to drop the D.O.F. for dramatic effect.

 

So I'll address the other aspect of your post, which is getting along with the various personalities that DP's bring to the set. I've been involved in film and video production for 15 years; been DP'ing for probably 10, and since moving to LA 5 years ago I've held the subordinate positions of AC, operator and gaffer for other DP's while continuing to shoot for myself.

 

There's a learning curve that comes to "stepping down" from the position of DP and working for someone else. You'll likely find that DP's come in all shapes and sizes, and bring a huge variety of experience, temperament, and styles to the set. Your job as "right hand man" is to get along with the DP and help him/her do his/her job. Sometimes this takes some serious teeth-gnashing and tongue-biting to get through the day, but with the proper attitude you can make it, and as Bill Cosby used to say "and if you're not careful, you might even learn something" (okay, I guess that dates me).

 

As the gaffer you're working for the DP. It doesn't matter if the DP is a neophyte, a veteran shooter or in your case a veteran/neophyte. Your job is still to help him do his project. As you indicated your job is to manage the lighting and let the DP do his thing, but when the questions such as f-stops come up you allow the DP to ply his trade the way he sees fit. If he offers you an explanation and you don't agree with it it's generally best to let it go. The very act of discussing it brings it out into the open, and then there's no question as to whether it's the DP's decision or your own.

 

Whenever possible I try to get in a little discussion time with the DP during preproduction or scout to suss out the DP's approach and personality. Sometimes they're very knowledgeable and I actually learn something from them; sometimes they're right there with my own sensibilities and we hit it off great, and other times the DP is very confident in their ability although their style is the polar opposite of mine. And on rare occasion you just encounter an idiot who's in way over their head. But no matter the personality, I always approach the project like a roller coaster you're not sure if you're really going to enjoy. You challenge yourself to hang on for the ride, and find the best way to get through it.

 

One trick I learned is allow yourself a "cooling off" period when a decision rubs you the wrong way. I've learned to let some things go, then bring them up later at a more opportune moment. Lunch is a great time to sidle up to the DP and discuss philosophies about lighting and likes/dislikes in movies. In the neutral setting of a casual lunch, you can be more open about your own approach and treat each other as equals, rather than in the hierarchy and pressure of production. Sometimes you'll learn something new and valid; sometimes you'll disagree, and sometimes you'll simply discover common ground.

 

I recently gaffed a project where the DP was also a longtime grip and gaffer, but a short-time DP. He was a royal pain in the ass to work for, but I kept my chin up and tried my best to offer him every bit of support I could. Upon wrap he said his good-byes to the crew as we were all at the liftgate of the grip truck, and when he got to me he offered a special big and gracious THANK YOU. A couple days later he called me to give me an update on the dailies and thanked me again for all my hard work. I've never gotten a post-production phone call from a DP before.

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The zebra is a useful thing. as long as there is no contrast variation one can play a bit with the f-stop. but as David=) I stay around 2.8 also.

Bottomline! As a DP I would never act in that manner! The end result should be a show of colaboration in every frame. My gaffer is the most important guy on set along first ac and the dirctor. The state of the team also shows on screen.

Tak care ya´ll :D

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