how to flag

T

thome

Well-known member
hey,
I know this question might have been asked alot before..anyway..how do you use flags?And what are they exactly?for example how do they normally light actors in such a way that only their upper body is visible and everything else is dark or in some cases the actor can be seen but the background and surrounding is dark??????
 
flags are used to flag/cut light to avoid spill and place light where u want it. it salso used for negetive fill...so just like u have a bounce card to provide some light to fill out shadows...a flag can be used to create more shadow. Anything that is dark can be used to flag light i believe. I guess they have official stuff to use but for broke folk u can just use foamcore with some black material pasted on of stapled on or whatever. Do they have black foamcore? i dont know.

watch this clip..towards the end they talk about flagging. you'll get the point from that short explanation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6snm0mHkfSE

you can also watch part 2 on the right hand side after ur done watching that. I really want that documentary. cinematography is so damn cool.
 
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Duvetine on a C-stand arm can work pretty well too although I have to say that flags are not real expensive. Especially if you can find used ones.

Dan
 
Thanx Dan!!!!think im going to improvice coz i needed to use one for a shoot tomorrow...
 
Thanx barry...but im not getting one thing...if i dont want light to spill to the background,how do i place it without it appearing on the shot?
 
ok..its just that iv not done it before..do you know anywhere i can find examples of how to do it?something like on the first link i was give above?
 
You are making this way more involved than it needs to be, it is so simple. Put flag on C-stand grip head. Use C-stand arm to position flag in front of light to remove light from where you need to. I don't know of any websites that show you how to do basic gripping.

Done.

Dan
 
you may have to move the camera a bit to one side or tighten up your shot a bit but it isnt hard to move things around a little bit at a time to get the look you want. Getting it in the shot, or not in the shot isnt a big problem at all
 
zeroblank said:
you may have to move the camera a bit to one side or tighten up your shot a bit but it isnt hard to move things around a little bit at a time to get the look you want. Getting it in the shot, or not in the shot isnt a big problem at all
Click to expand...

Thanx zeroblank,dont know why i thought its something soo technical!!will try it out on my next shoot!!
 
That is how you learn to light and grip, you set up a bunch of gear and experiment (not on a shoot with talent and crew). You can learn a lot by just playing with lights and grip gear. It is simple cause and effect. Controlling light is the essence of photography/cinematography.

Dan
 
Yeah Dan makes a good point!

You generally shouldn't try new things on a shoot. That's what your home is for! (and you all thought it was for eating and sleeping...ha) Set a scene in your living room or bedroom or anywhere and just play around..... It truly is the best way to learn.

I do a lot of corporate video and truth is I never know what my "set" is really going to look like until I get there. What we try to do is get the client out of the room we will be shooting in and let them sit with the producer to go over questions and what will happen on camera. While that is happening we set the scene for the interview in which case we may need to play around moving things or flagging shots. For this it's is almost ok to try something new but you can't spend the day getting it to work. Which is why it is important to practice at home. I tend to try to practice in the smallest spaces I can since an interview may need to take place in a small office. This way I am prepared for anything.

Anyway I hope my little rant there helps you out!
 
zeroblank said:
Yeah Dan makes a good point!

You generally shouldn't try new things on a shoot. That's what your home is for! (and you all thought it was for eating and sleeping...ha) Set a scene in your living room or bedroom or anywhere and just play around..... It truly is the best way to learn.

I do a lot of corporate video and truth is I never know what my "set" is really going to look like until I get there. What we try to do is get the client out of the room we will be shooting in and let them sit with the producer to go over questions and what will happen on camera. While that is happening we set the scene for the interview in which case we may need to play around moving things or flagging shots. For this it's is almost ok to try something new but you can't spend the day getting it to work. Which is why it is important to practice at home. I tend to try to practice in the smallest spaces I can since an interview may need to take place in a small office. This way I am prepared for anything.

Anyway I hope my little rant there helps you out!
Click to expand...
Yes this has been very helpfull..advice taken :thumbup:
 
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