How to Achieve this Blown out Look.

[TiE_Shepherd]

I'm helping a friend with a music video. While bouncing ideas around for the look of the video, he sent me a link to this video...

I'm trying to get an idea on how they got that look for the performance stuff. Obviously they used a lot of back lighting, but trying to figure out what exactly they did to get those flares? Most of the lens flare tutorials I've seen are for more or less a traditional anamorphic flare. The flares in the video seem to be large and spill everywhere. Would that just be from using larger light sources or can you tweak the size of the flares in some of the software?

 

[Greg Smith]

Perhaps not in post at all. Fog filters, or maybe the old vaseline-on-a-clear-filter trick, in front of the lens. Plus, of course, intense backlights either in or just outside the frame. They might even have shot with cheap flare-prone plastic lenses or something -- the whole thing is pretty soft. Check out the whole variety of diffusion, fog and softening filters on the Tiffen site; there are a zillion possibilities, and they can be combined with DIY stuff like stockings material in front of, or behind, the lens. I'm not experienced enough with this to identify exactly what they might have used, but many old-time B&W cinematographers in the film days used to each have their own favorite bag of diffusion tricks that they carried from job to job.

- Greg

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

I'm helping a friend with a music video. While bouncing ideas around for the look of the video, he sent me a link to this video...

I'm trying to get an idea on how they got that look for the performance stuff. Obviously they used a lot of back lighting, but trying to figure out what exactly they did to get those flares? Most of the lens flare tutorials I've seen are for more or less a traditional anamorphic flare. The flares in the video seem to be large and spill everywhere. Would that just be from using larger light sources or can you tweak the size of the flares in some of the software?

Open wide up, expose for the 'dark' areas, and have lights blasting. As for other 'effects', perhaps in camera with filters on the lens, or later via After Effects, or equivalent.

There may have also been some fog/dust on set for the band. But I've gotten a similar effect just opening up the f-stop to way over expose for the back light.

 

[TiE_Shepherd]

Great ideas guys. I'm going to try some experiments when i have some free time and see what I come up with. Thinking along the lens/filter combination, something like a lens baby might be cool for something like this.

 

[TimB]

Its a mixture of Light Frost Glass Filters & Vaseline (both on the windows) - and 800w Redheads