Any help?

K

kager

Active member
Alright I'm planning on filming in low light. It's the kind of light that makes the surroundings somewhat orange (street lights), and I will have no further lighting available. My idea is to record at 24pa and edit in final cut pro. I'm used to this so I don't need help too much here; however, I would like some detailed settings that you have used to get the best picture. I've noticed the dvx100b is awesome with lighting at 24pa, it's just in low light it looses its sharpness and becomes very grainy. I want to limit this as much as possible. Like I said above, if I could get good settings ex> detail coring, iris, etc... (the whole nine yards) I would be very grateful. I understand playing around on the actual "set" would be best to adjust settings and everyone's opinion varies, but I would just like to hear what you users out there use for low lighting conditions. Forget about adding lighting (I'm too poor), advice for best results using final cut pro would be cool too, the street lights are fairly bright (not pitch black), and yes I must film in 24pa.

side note- I need to figure this out soon and this is why I'm eager about the settings. If I had more time to experiment, like I said I usually film with the aid of extra lighting, then I might be able to figure something out. So pretty much my shortened question is what are your "personal best" settings while shooting low light (please if you could include all settings), and is there a way to reduce the grainy image you get when filming in darker locations in both post and pre-post?
 
Your question is too general to give very useful answers. How much light is "low light"? How much is "fairly bright"? You need to know these answers for yourself, at least.

You say you are too poor to afford a light and not enough time to experiment. Well, if you don't have money you have to experiment. You acknowledge that the answers are subjective. Don't want to sound harsh, but you MUST spend an hour or two under some your shooting conditions or similar and answer these questions for yourself. You've got time to fiddle with menus but not do a test on location? Doesn't make sense to me. The answers are not in the menus or in FCP, they are on location.

For optimum sharpness, iris should be not wide open but maybe one stop closed from wide open. If that's not enough exposure then you have seven choices (you may have to do more than one thing):

1. Add more light. Get creative. Any source of illumination could help. Borrow something. Grab a lamp from home. Shine some headlights "Too poor" is not an option.
2. Open up your iris all the way and accept less sharpness.
3. Go to slow shutter and accept extra motion blur artifacts.
4. Raise your gain as much as you need to and accept more noise.
5. Use the black stretch preset and accept the look it gives you.
6. Correct in Final Cut Pro but recognize that you will increase noise just like adding gain.
7. Find a location with more light.

Tweaking menu items is barking up the wrong tree. You've got a big broad problem called "low light." It requires big solutions or acceptance of the inherent limitations of the location and gear. If you are under orange streetlights you also need to know that your color rendition will be all whacked out...if that's the look you want, good. But you can't white-balance it completely because big chunks of the color spectrum are missing from street lights, which will mess up your color rendition in a way that can't be corrected out. You must test and decide for yourself.
 
I completely understand what you are saying. What I meant by not enough time is I will be going to this location to film and was just curious what some, if any, settings are for low lighting. Thanks for the advice and I will try and find some means of extra lighting. In my post I aknowledge that being on location and finding the best settings is the best idea; however, I was hoping for someone to give me an example of a shot they did at night. Not because I necessarily want to copy there settings and set up, because it will most likely be different conditions, but I want to try and get some general info. Lastly, the lighting conditions are what you get from typical street lights. I'm not positive on the exact number of lights but I do know that it should be very low in areas whereas in others it can be bright. The orange light is also fine with me. I think it would be cool and maybe add to the shot. So I understand your comments but I was hoping for maybe a real life example and the suggestions. I know it's very broad but any help is nice. I would like to learn from other people's mistakes not from all of mine if you know what I'm saying. Thanks again for the help.
 
Also I realize on location testing should be done and when I mean I don't have time I mean I mean I don't have hours. I need to go and film in like one hour because it's always a big deal getting actors (friends) to go to a location for long times. I just want to make the filming as easy and fast as I can for not me but for my actors. It is a very short scene also and can probably be done in a couple takes. Anyway that's all I need to say and if it comes down to adding some extra light and spending more time on location and testing then so be it. Maybe I'll drive down myself before hand.
 
Well, there is no such thing as "typical" street lighting. The light color, quality, and intensity vary greatly based on the height, age, size and type of fixture (sodium vapor? mercury vapor? incandescent?) as well as where the talent is in relation to it. Vapor lamps in general have a lot less light output than people generally imagine.

By far the biggest variable in your situation is how many footcandles of light do you have? Menu settings will not help you if you don't have enough light overall. And if you have enough light, then just choose a scene file that gives you the frame rate and "look" you want. Panasonic's scene file presets are actually very good. I've shot dozens and dozens of commercials, including award winners, on Scene file 5 on a DVX100a and HVX200 without changing a thing.

And where are your subjects in relation to the lights? if they are right underneath the light will be very contrasty and "top-heavy", requiring reflectors or fill light or black stretch scene file. If your talent will be several feet away from the brightest pool of light, then that will require a different approach.

Also, what light is there in and around the background? if it's pitch black in the background, is that what you want/need? You have to consider not only the light you want on your talent but also the light you want on your background. How bright to you want the talent compared to the background? Very bright? Almost in darkness?

No need to take your actors to the location...anyone will do for testing. Put the camera on a tripod and walk out under the light yourself if you have no other options. If you don't have hours then take whatever time you can. It will be worth it to learn your tools.

But if it is just a short scene that can be done in a couple of takes, and you don't have the time or inclination to test, then just go and shoot it. There are five scene file presets on the DVX100b. Try all five and just go with the one you like best. Or if the scenes are quite short, shoot it several ways and pick the one you like best in post.

All of the methods and processes I've suggested are gleaned from 20 years of experience as a DP and are considered valid professional methods of answering the questions you asked. Your questions are good, but only you can answer them, based on what you want, what your location offers, and what effort you are able to put into testing.

Good luck, have fun and have a good shoot.
 
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