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Must shoot in lantern light! Suggestions?

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    Must shoot in lantern light! Suggestions?

    Hey guys and gals,
    I've been hired to shoot a prominent sculptor's gallery opening with my DVX100a on the Steadicam.
    Problem is, the artist is going to do a presentation in the style of Rodin. She will be wearing all white and carrying a tornado lantern. She approaches each bronze piece (some are very large and they're all spectacular...) and talks about the piece and the process while moving the lantern slowly next to the sculpture to emphasize the depth and form.

    The CLIENT will not let me set up ANY other lights. I am afraid the gallery will be quite dark, with only the lantern light, which will be very red, I imagine.

    ANY SUGGESTIONS?

    If I shoot at a slower shutter speed (1/24) will I lose the 24p effect? How should I deal with chroma?
    I'm afraid the gain boost switch on the DVX will introduce too much of the dreaded blue snow.

    I plan to set up a test shoot this weekend, but was hoping to gather some suggestions to make the most of the TEST RUN.

    Thanks all,
    Michael

    #2
    Don't shoot in 24p, that extra stop of light will come in handy. Process it in post if you want a "less" video look.

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      #3
      60i = 1 stop brighter than 24p.
      1/24 shutter = 1 stop brighter than 24p.

      Either way will net out to equivalent brightness. 1/24 will be smearier than normal, but it won't look like "video".

      That said, you've got a problem. Maybe the way to deal with it is to show her doing her tour or whatever, but then go in and add insert shots of the sculptures where they're properly lit or something?
      ..
      The AU-EVA1 Book - The DVX200 Book - The UX180 & UX90 Book - Lighting For Film & TV - Sound For Film & TV

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        #4
        Or..get her to carry a really really big lantern - put a 500 watt bulb inside or something

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          #5
          Can you talk her into sneaking a small battery powered HMI into the lantern so that it will look like a really bright lantern?

          Maybe you could dissect a LTM camera mounted HMI (like the 18W one) and use it as a bare source within the globe of the lantern.

          Its daylight balanced and if close to the sculpture would give you a pretty serious source.

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            #6
            Show me the light

            No lighting allowed? Okay, I'd cheat and use *her* lighting. I'd bring a large mirror and reflect her lantern light on her - maybe even two, one key and one focused to spotlight her face.

            Good luck, Michael

            Comment


              #7
              Thanks for all the responses.
              Every one is relevant to the shoot and that's what I love about this forum.

              I like the idea of sneaking additional light into the primary source carried by the artist. However, the presentation is tailored to an audience of high-profile clients that will be standing there (with their pupils all dilated from the low light in the gallery- aren't human eyes amazing?)
              So I really can't add light ANYWHERE.

              Barry, your suggestion is right in line with my thinking. I'll be there the day before the show for a run through, so I think I'll shoot some slow Steadicam movements around the sculptures (they really are amazing...) So like you said, those could be integrated with the live footage...maybe even darkened and color matched a bit- as if shooting day for night. Having that backup already in the bag when I walk in should help.

              The mirror idea is interesting. I'll have some extra hands. I'm just worried that it might be intrusive.

              So, I'm thinking 1/24, then...

              -Michael

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                #8
                Another, different approach if you can't "sneak" additional lighting into the lantern is to rent a really good 2/3" ENG style camera that supports progressive acquisition. The one that comes to mind is the SDX900. Its low light performance is notably better than the DVX100 by a big margin and you can shoot 4:2:2 color space (DVCPro50) and it has native 16:9 mode. The other up side is the images (even in DVCPro25 mode) are much better than the dvx by a large margin.

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                  #9
                  Or, using her lantern and the afore mentioned reflectors, shoot the b roll of the sculptures after her presentation . She gets her dramatic presentation, you get better lighting and cleaner shots of the works. Everybody happy?

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                    #10
                    Ok. I'm going to give it a shot. If anyone has more suggestions on camera settings that would be great, since it may be the area where I have the most latitude.

                    Also, I forgot to mention that I won't be editing the footage. I'm just handing it off at the end of the day, so I won't have a chance to sneak in B-roll. But if I shoot it, maybe someone else down the line will integrate it.

                    Cheers,
                    Michael

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                      #11
                      Put it in, and if their editor can use it, all the better.

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                        #12
                        OR tell her that she is asking you to create great video without reasonable equipment - always be careful that you dont promise something that wont work.

                        Make sure you test any of the above suggestions before you are at the shoot
                        SLM Production Group
                        http://www.slmproduction.com - HPX500 available

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by smelni
                          OR tell her that she is asking you to create great video without reasonable equipment - always be careful that you dont promise something that wont work.

                          Make sure you test any of the above suggestions before you are at the shoot
                          Good advice and I would tell her your concerns. So she won't come back and say, "Hey how come everythings so dark"!
                          www.imdb.com/name/nm0566053

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by GaryinCalifornia
                            Good advice and I would tell her your concerns. So she won't come back and say, "Hey how come everythings so dark"!
                            You should firmly assure her, that just using a lantern for light, she might as well be using a match- either way, it won't be enough to show the detail in her work. Artists... sheesh! What a fickle crowd ;)

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Just now jumping in -- from what everyone has said, I think your ideal B-roll would be to shoot with her holding the lantern with a bright light mounted inside -- since she will hold it close to the sculptures, it probably would not have to be too bright. Have her walk through the entire presentation this way without the audience or with stand-ins. Then just shoot close-ups of the sculptures and her face, and avoid shooting the faces of the stand-ins, if any. During the actual presentations, don't focus on the sculptures -- use the B-roll for that. Focus instead on the audience. Then the editor can combine shots from both rolls into a "single" presentation.
                              Richard Jackman
                              Bus No. 8
                              busno.8@gmail.com

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