Another. Teaching myself.

[J.R. Hudson]

The only mood I'm going for is an evening shot in a bedroom where a man is reading a book.

It's not necessarily a cop on the edge or a ghost story if you know what I mean. It's a man on the edge of his bed looking at a yearbook from his father's day.

I'm using an aperture 300X with the spotlight 36 mm and a kicker with a 60 watt grid

Of course there's that gnarly practical which is very bright for a lamp.

Do your worst.

 

[Alex H.]

The lamp gives motivation, though. Simple fixes include a squeezer (if the lamp is dimmable) or swapping out for a lower-wattage/lower-output bulb.

Or, increase your added light levels and reduce exposure to compensate.

But I’m not entirely convinced that simply reducing exposure* here could make a huge difference, as that will keep the lamp from blowing out but also put more focus on the subject by hiding more of the surroundings in the shadows.

Again, as with the last sample, there’s no stated intent here, so…

It could be right for the project, or it could be entirely wrong. But… there’s no project, so no way to know for sure.

*Still a very grainy and noisy image. Not knowing the camera, ISO, and exposure settings, it’s hard to say, but I don’t think there’s enough light there to make the camera happy.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

The lamp gives motivation, though. Simple fixes include a squeezer (if the lamp is dimmable) or swapping out for a lower-wattage/lower-output bulb.

Or, increase your added light levels and reduce exposure to compensate.

But I’m not entirely convinced that simply reducing exposure* here could make a huge difference, as that will keep the lamp from blowing out but also put more focus on the subject by hiding more of the surroundings in the shadows.

Again, as with the last sample, there’s no stated intent here, so…

It could be right for the project, or it could be entirely wrong. But… there’s no project, so no way to know for sure.

*Still a very grainy and noisy image. Not knowing the camera, ISO, and exposure settings, it’s hard to say, but I don’t think there’s enough light there to make the camera happy.

I think the green might be from film convert 2.0. And I do tend to oversaturate my images on purpose

Like I said there's no real mood other than recreating a shot using in this instance one light aside from the practical

Could be a drama

Could be the zombie Apocalypse

I agree with you I do believe that bulb is way too bright lol

I'll keep trying.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Another. One light 60w. And practical. Too BRIGHT indeed.

I'm shooting black magic pocket 4K. I did not use film convert on this shot but I did put a Rec 709 on it.

The flare is from the anamorphic lens

 

[Alex H.]

Could be a drama

Could be the zombie Apocalypse

And knowing which one it is, informs the mood of the lighting design.

I agree with you I do believe that bulb is way too bright lol

Again, it could be a matter of dropping overall exposure (if exposure isn’t the cause of the grain and noise) to keep the lamp from overexposing too much, while also helping to isolate the subject a bit more in a nighttime bedroom.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

And knowing which one it is, informs the mood of the lighting design.



Again, it could be a matter of dropping overall exposure (if exposure isn’t the cause of the grain and noise) to keep the lamp from overexposing too much, while also helping to isolate the subject a bit more in a nighttime bedroom.

Okay I changed bulbs out. Much better. Different. Still grinding.

TKS for feedback. I'll get it nailed eventually!

 

[J.R. Hudson]

And knowing which one it is, informs the mood of the lighting design.



Again, it could be a matter of dropping overall exposure (if exposure isn’t the cause of the grain and noise) to keep the lamp from overexposing too much, while also helping to isolate the subject a bit more in a nighttime bedroom.

I completely internalize the mood regarding cinematic lighting and how it relates to the picture and the frame

But I think even if I said this was a family drama my lighting and grading would be much different than yours

It's like comparing 28 days later to World War z

Both are apocalyptic zombie films with one being dirty and gritty in the other being hyper polished

I think whether it was horror comedy drama thriller action would be different in every single creator's eyes I don't think there's a blueprint for legit everything

Unless maybe it's noir. Lol

At this juncture I'm just trying to see if I can recreate competent lighting based on the general lighting source whether it be a window sunlight or a lamp for example

I'll worry about the mood later

And damn these days with LUTS there's probably 500 different moods for every theme

 

[J.R. Hudson]

I just realized I'm shooting in a very low ISO

Black magic Pocket 4K has native 400 and 3200

For low light I should be shooting at 3200? I'll try again tomorrow

 

[David Jimerson]

John, here's an idea, and something I think you may have once mentioned in one of your Cineobscure articles . . .

Imagine the lighting of a character who's finally giving into the pressures of becoming a villain, like Michael Corleone. Use light and dark and even color to mark that moment.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

John, here's an idea, and something I think you may have once mentioned in one of your Cineobscure articles . . .

Imagine the lighting of a character who's finally giving into the pressures of becoming a villain, like Michael Corleone. Use light and dark and even color to mark that moment.

That's a fantastic idea I'm going to do this.

 

[David Jimerson]

That's a fantastic idea I'm going to do this.

Cool. Don't just copy the movie, though.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

A couple more grabs. If anyone needs any context It's a scene where a man is sitting on his bed looking at it empty pillow because his wife died

First shot is 3,200 ISO
Second shot is 400 ISO

Bmp4k

Aputure 300x w/ spotlight 36mm

And Zhiyun 60W w/grid

 

[Alex H.]

Between the two, the second one feels more isolated, lonely. There’s enough detail in the subject’s face to see expression, but the shadow still puts him in a dark place against the outside world. Also, I’m not as distracted by the other items in the room (but get rid of that big box… set dressing is just as important in the final image).

Watch your verticals. Camera needs to be leveled.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Between the two, the second one feels more isolated, lonely. There’s enough detail in the subject’s face to see expression, but the shadow still puts him in a dark place against the outside world. Also, I’m not as distracted by the other items in the room (but get rid of that big box… set dressing is just as important in the final image).

Watch your verticals. Camera needs to be leveled.

Agree I like the second one much better.

I have to find somewhere to put that file cabinet It's heavy with guns inside.

And I need a new tripod as one of the seals broke and it won't stay vertical I've known this for some time.

 

[David Jimerson]

Between the two, the second one feels more isolated, lonely. There’s enough detail in the subject’s face to see expression, but the shadow still puts him in a dark place against the outside world. Also, I’m not as distracted by the other items in the room (but get rid of that big box… set dressing is just as important in the final image).

Watch your verticals. Camera needs to be leveled.

Agreed in full.

 

[morgan_moore]

Thw first image. The trad way to do this would be a proper dimmer or jam an mc in the practical or nd gel fire starter and light from camera left through a 2.2 frame with diff.

And don't forget to up the level on the wall the mirror sees

 

[David Jimerson]

That's a fantastic idea I'm going to do this.

Let's see the results, John!