How would you light this with 3-5 lights?

[George Loch]

So, I want to add some crispness to this setup. It is a basic training scenario but, I want to bring the light quality up. The shots are standard fare with this shot combined with CU b-roll. I had 3 low powered LED lights (Aputure AL-528) The obvious problems are the background (reflection on the vinyl kills), the machine needs more light and the talent could use a kicker (I would say hair light but, nothing to see there).



I am looking to add some Kino knock offs or Diva 401 as a key and maybe a fresnel for the background then use the existing lights for fill/hair. Thoughts?

-gl

 

[edinc90]

His dark shirt definitely disappears into the dark background. Either a backlight, or a light on the wall behind him would solve it. The big spot on frame left seems unmotivated, and I can see the source in the reflection. If I were doing this I would either light the background evenly with a couple Divas, or use some small fresnels to create beams of light cutting across the wall.

 

[Michael Carter]

For bald guys with faces that are reasonably hard/chiseled (IE not round & soft & fat) switching the "hair light" to something that hits cheekbones/shoulder/temple can look pretty cool.

I'd consider green screening something like this if the product doesn't have chrome. Other than that, move him away from the wall to give you some options.

If those reflections on the logo wall are killing ya, take 2 stands and 10' of conduit, hang some diffusion and make a giant "soft box".

That can eat a stop or two, maybe look on Amazon or Cowboy Studio and grab a couple biax duals or quads... there are quad biax units on Amazon for $90 now. That's a lot of daylight. (You kids and your LEDs!!!) (Sorry, that's my grumpy old film-era guy persona...)

 

[Egg Born Son]

A light on the logo, a light on the product, key/fill/backlight on the talent. With a backlight taking in his hair/shoulders he will be pulled nicely off the dark background. A stronger key and a fill to complete the look. I like the light on the backwall (creates a gradation) but the logo should be lit as a focal point. The product is the point of the video, it should be lit.

 

[George Loch]

That can eat a stop or two, maybe look on Amazon or Cowboy Studio and grab a couple biax duals or quads... there are quad biax units on Amazon for $90 now. That's a lot of daylight. (You kids and your LEDs!!!) (Sorry, that's my grumpy old film-era guy persona...)

I realize having a variety of lights available is a good idea but, I wonder what kind of modifier options I would have with Kino knock offs? Can they be adapted to Chimera or speed ring modifiers? I assume not but, I am coming from a photography lighting background.

-gl

 

[Michael Carter]

I realize having a variety of lights available is a good idea but, I wonder what kind of modifier options I would have with Kino knock offs? Can they be adapted to Chimera or speed ring modifiers? I assume not but, I am coming from a photography lighting background.

-gl

Very little - Cool Lights sells duals with metal slip-in grids; I usually shoot a quad through light diffusion, and you can use floppies or fabric to make a "soft box" for lower key scenes.

I've thought about modifying a softbox with stubby little sticks and shortened sides to sit in front of a quad and use a fabric grid - seems like a no-brainer item but nobody's done it. Or some kind of lightweight box that could clip on the barn doors? Still, the shape and weight of a quad gives you limited placement options vs. a softbox which can be boomed in or (my fave) placed over the camera position facing down at the talent.

Some people are liking the new Alzo led units which are more like a fresnel form factor and likely could take a softbox or grid... the cool-lights 150 HID is a really nice fresnel that takes a softbox and puts out about 650 equivalent of 5400k, but it's about $500-600, really a great light for the price though. If you're good with DIY you can buy the ballast and bulb and convert a Fresnel, but the ballast is overpriced at like $399. From there you get into used HMI 200 stuff, killer little par setups but usually $1k or so used.

I have several of the old Alzo 150 daylight fixtures and bulb & ballast sets, those are gorgeous light but not super-dependable (sometimes they're just "I ain't gonna strike today" and Alzo's canned them but they're on eBay often).

 

[George Loch]

Thanks Michael.

I am leaning towards just getting an Arri tungsten kit and moving on. I could throw in a flo at some point for a talent key but, what I really need in my basic kit is power and control.

 

[TheDingo]

Light your subject and the background separately...

Use a fresnel off-axis to light up the background without getting glare from the logo. Make sure that the background is lit well enough that it separates from your subject's dark shirt.

Use a large soft light from the side to light your subject and the product he is demoing. This could be a softbox with an eggcrate, or use a scrim that is flagged off so it won't light the background.

Use a fill light from the side and/or a kicker light from behind to balance the main soft light.

 

[Michael Carter]

Thanks Michael.

I am leaning towards just getting an Arri tungsten kit and moving on. I could throw in a flo at some point for a talent key but, what I really need in my basic kit is power and control.

That's really the easiest way to build up a lot of versatility.

My most-used tungsten stuff is either open-faced rectangular theatrical lights for bounce and diffusion (basically "work lights" with real barndoors and spuds, can be lamped cheap from 100 to 1k) and 3" and 6" fresnels. When I was a still shooter in the film days, I bought a ton of used tungsten stuff. Nowadays you can build a huge kit from used eBay stuff, Pyramid Films, etc.

One you start with the daylight stuff it's hard to go back though - no more blown breakers, no more heat, no more running stingers all over a location... and modern camera sensors seem to prefer daylight.