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Night Car Exterior Shoot - "Spotlight" Look


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Hi all,

 

I am directing a music video on either a 5D MKIII or a Red Epic. It will be shot exclusively at night and from the back of a pickup truck, following a guy running, much like the reference photo of the disabled runner I attached. Will be shot in Los Angeles and my subject will be roughly 18-22 feet away while the pickup truck will be driving 30-35mph. Always a profile shot, I'll just change lenses, not camera position.

 

The "look" I want to achieve is similar to the one from the Kobe Bryant photo, except the subject is farther away and I want the lighting to illuminate the whole subject, creating a "spotlight" halo effect.

 

 

My question:

 

1. What sort of lighting/lights will I need to light from that distance so we can light the subject well? I want to avoid HMI's at all costs, if possible. The smaller, the better. Are there any potent + powerful LED lights that do this?

 

 

Thank you!

 

Fernando

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I seriously doubt they'll have enough throw.

 

Are you insisting on LED because you want to run them off the truck battery?

 

 

Yes, and they're also more portable than anything else.

My 2nd choice would be 2 kino's...but I would prefer LEDs.

 

Any exposure experts out there?

 

2 1 X 1 LED's on a subject at night rougly 10-13ft. away? Enough exposure there?

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I can't get a putt putt. This is all stolen.

 

I did something like this when I was in film school and broke. I used an "emergency" spotlight (walmart?) that ran off a battery or DC (provided 12v to cigarette lighter plug). It was advertised as 1,000,000 candelas.

 

Shooting with any non-continuous source will result in flicker, the head won't fire, or they will be damaged because they aren't receiving clean/adequate voltage. We tried mounting a 2x4' kino for something like this last summer and the ballast got boned.

 

Go to an auto parts store, check out their spotlights and inverters. Use TUNGSTEN.

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I did something like this when I was in film school and broke. I used an "emergency" spotlight (walmart?) that ran off a battery or DC (provided 12v to cigarette lighter plug). It was advertised as 1,000,000 candelas.

 

Shooting with any non-continuous source will result in flicker, the head won't fire, or they will be damaged because they aren't receiving clean/adequate voltage. We tried mounting a 2x4' kino for something like this last summer and the ballast got boned.

 

Go to an auto parts store, check out their spotlights and inverters. Use TUNGSTEN.

 

I really want to use daylight, and I'll put a sound blanket over the putt putt if I have to. My basic question is if you think 2 1.1 LED's OR 2 Kino's will give you enough exposure with the given parameters.

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I really want to use daylight, and I'll put a sound blanket over the putt putt if I have to. My basic question is if you think 2 1.1 LED's OR 2 Kino's will give you enough exposure with the given parameters.

 

You haven't given us your intended ISO or aperture. Both are necessary parameters for determining if a light source is sufficient.

 

My answer is still, no.

 

How about a Joker 200? It runs on AB batteries.

 

 

 

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http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/586421-REG/Litepanels_RM_F_RM_F_Ringlite_Mini_System.html

 

This is a battery powered 5600k led ring light... this hits all your specs if price/rental availability isn't an issue. But I agree with above, a 2k gennie with a joker 400/800 will certainly get what you want in the par configuration... more light is almost always better than less, in my experience.

 

I used this doing something similar but had the ring light on camera, 2x400w UV blacklights, 2xfogmachines , 1x2000w putt putt mounted on a golf cart... we were shooting a 5k race at night with glow in the dark paint in slow motion with the red epic at 240fps close to wide open on a bunch of Canon L primes. It worked out okay, but as previously suggested in this threat, a joker bug 400/800 would have been a better option (electric ballast). Night + Super Slow Mo + Golf Cart + blacklights = nightmare. Anyway, good luck!

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