Still pictures for changing setups?

HybridCreations

HybridCreations

Well-known member
Does anyone in here take a still picture of their setups during a shoot to make sure the lighting matches? Someone told me to do this for every setup in order to preserve lighting continuity. Meanwhile, I maintain that it shouldn't be necessary if I can organize everything in my head in advance. I agree it could prove helpful, just an unnecessary extra step on the set, I just wanted to see if anyone else approaches it this way.
-Ryan
 
If you plan on setting up at another time continuity is always imporant but one should'nt be changing set-ups until they're done with that particalur set-up right ?
 
You got your dvx in your hand, why not just take some shots of it with that, 10 seconds or so, before you break everything down.

Why a still shot? That just seems silly with video, I could see that with film.
 
It's hard to describe this. I think he's referring to when you are jumping around a script (i.e. shoot 1A then jump to 2C then back to 1B). Yes I could always review the tape, but who wants to scroll across that much footage (it may not be right before it on the tape).

For the record, I don't agree with this method. I think that with proper scheduling and a shot list, things like lighting continuity become much easier. I just can't seem to get it into his head this is the way to do things. He seems to think that, as the director, if he knows how its going to cut and he's the one doing the editing, then the DP just needs to shoot it and not know how things are going to cut together. I think part of a DP's job is to make sure the photography is seamless (meaning it will cut together perfectly, whether that be angles or lighting) so shouldn't he/she know how things are supposed to cut together? Of course, things can change in the edit bay, but shouldn't it be a DP's concern?
Thanks for listening guys.
-Ryan
 
Depending on what kind of crew you have and how many cameras you are running and how many different shots of a scene you need, sometimes it is a good idea to have a still to reference between takes. Helps to set up for reverse angles etc and maintain continuity. If you have the luxury of having a crew member (or two) set aside just for the purpose of script continuity, then no, I would say you dont need it.

I've worked both approaches.
 
Filmjunkie677 said:
You got your dvx in your hand, why not just take some shots of it with that, 10 seconds or so, before you break everything down.

Why a still shot? That just seems silly with video, I could see that with film.
Click to expand...

Most of the time, on a shoot, time is a precious commodity. You dont want to be spending a lot of time on playback to check the scene, when you can do it with a still. Just my opinion.
 
This tactic is commonly used in film production, in fact it was used extensively on the production of Peter Jackson's "King Kong." With a digital production, and a decent size set-up it could be very important/useful to take stills of your locations.
 
I take stills, but more than anything I draw lighting diagrams that I measure out. Just in case I screw up and want to redo something later (and I screw up A LOT), I can recreate the setup. The time it takes to draw the diagram is nothing compared to the time it takes me to try and look at the video or pic and try and figure out what I did.

setup8.jpg
 
I take stills constantly for continuity as well as lighting.

With digital cameras being so cheep I don't know why you would'nt. It only takes a second to snap a photo.

The last thing I want to do is keep a crew and actors waiting while I rewind a tape and try to figure out who was wearing what or where the teacup was or what light was where.

Errors in lighting/continuity that are discovered in the editing room are heart breaking sometimes theirs no way to cheet the light and the mistake can quickly slip your production into amature teritory.

Also why keep it in your head from preproduction? Free your mind to direct not to rack your brain about where a light was 2 weeks ago. Tonight I had a reshoot of a pick up shot from two weeks ago. The setup was a snap. I was comforable directing because I wasn't worrying about my lights and if they were the same position or how it would cut in with the older footage.
 
Thanks everybody,
So I guess quite a few people do it this way. Personally, I tend to agree with MattC. I think diagrams would be a more efficient way to go for me most of the time. I recently did a shoot that felt like a whirlwind and realized in the edit bay that the lighting didn't cut together as well I would've liked. I'm trying to find a groove that will help me smooth things out and still work at lightning speed. Thanks so much for your opinions, its been very helpful.
-Ryan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top