Cinematography lighting game

Gave it a try. It's a little blurry due to bad focus / shutter but you kinda get the idea. Was fun trying to do this with 3 cheapo LED lights. Came out not too bad - one light flagged on the face, one rim light to the side and one lighting the background. I used my phone light to light my face (i played the extra on the left heh). Look forward to seeing anyone else's attempt ! I wish I took care with the focus/shutter, and I wish I put more light on the subject's face. Neesons face just completely POPS, but in my example, it doesn't at all.
Schindler Sam.jpg
 
That is looking great Andrew, you got the wardrobe right and everything :) ! I hope I can find some time tomorrow to do a take of my own. Only need to find a good location around the house, That I can make look a bit similar.
 
Last edited:
Thanks man. heheh yeah, I got my bro to put on a shirt and tie. I also wanted to get the background similar by draping a black sheet thing in the back and opened / lit the curtain to sort of maintain the verticality that's in the example. Good luck, I look forward to seeing it!
 
Hmm close, looks like eyelight should be cut with a bottomer of something non-opaque like a soft edge net/silk and cut closer to subject for a harder edge, and rimlight should wrap less so walk camera left and go up stick a bit.
 
ok gave it a try:
One 650W with scrim as RIM Light, One Arri 300W as key light (with some home made half scrims to create difference in lighting in face). And a flash light and led light to light background and extra. (shot with GH3 and 50mm 1.8)
2rpcms3.jpg
 
Last edited:
Not to just toot my own horn, but this is exactly what I'm talking about. Brightest spot is in the background. Creates depth, gives you a "partial silhouette" on the subject. Biggest amateur overlooked opportunity is not lighting the background. Ill be quiet now and leave the posting to the challengees.
 
From his left side a Arri 300W black wrapped so only a small hole is emitting light. As it was raining I could not put my Arri 600W outside, instead I put up some table sheet paper onto the window and bounced some light of it with my Arri 600W.
Lessons learned.
- My location wasnt too great for this
- I should have lighted the left wall more
- I think they used some CTO on their light, as it appears way more orange then mine.
- I should have lowered my cam a bit.

22l4c7.jpg
 
Last edited:
From his left side a Arri 300W black wrapped so only a small hole is emitting light. As it was raining I could not put my Arri 600W outside, instead I put up some table sheet paper onto the window and bounced some light of it with my Arri 600W.

Nice effort. If you were able to get outside with your back light that would have gotten you much closer. I would have even left the paper up and blasted through it (for recreating the shot in the space you have).

Also your lens is much to wide and close to the subject. It's been awhile since I've watched Skyfall so forgive me if I'm off here but that shot looks like a 28mm or 35mm. Yours looks much wider. (18mm?) Watch the Skyfall shot and take note of how large he seems to get in the frame in his last 5 steps to that mark. It can give you great clues to how wide the lens is. If all of the sudden he gets huge in the frame its a pretty wide lens. From memory he doesn't. And the camera needs to move up, not down. Look at how much of under the nose (or not) you can see on both those shots.
 
Okay, so this was super quick but I just had to bust out the kit when I came across this thread. 2x 750 totas in back room against a closet door with a white bedsheet draped over it, and 1 pro light with 1/4 or 1/2 cto on it through torn black wrap.SKYFALL.jpg
 
Pretty close and from what Deakins himself answered on his forum, also pretty close in terms of how they pulled it off. Slit in the door on Bond's right, designed so it would creat that light which was made with a tweenie. Love Deakins light…. it's so simple, yet so effective and pretty. I like that he tends to turn things off just before the take rather than add more lights.
 
Back
Top