I Need to Create Soft Light in an Office - Not Much Budget...

[Kenneth Fisher]

Hey Friends,

I have a project coming up that is a little off the beaten path for me. I am most concerned about lighting, though I have addressed all the different aspects I have to deal with below.(Moderators, if there is a better place for this post, I apologize and please move it for me.)

***

Background: I have a client who owns an up and coming firm in the financial services sector. To raise their profile, the principal is doing a web series that he hopes will become a weekly feature on a prominent financial website, but also they want the quality to be good enough to be re-purposed for broadcast, like CNBC, Bloomberg etc. He occasionally appears on those types of networks. To be specific, the video doesn't have to be shot on a broadcast-spec camera, but in a pinch should be able to hold up on a high-definition screen, and he doesn't want it to look like cam-girl footage off of Youtube.

***

The Challenge: They showed me a previous video and it was awful! They used a 1080p webcam and used the inset ceiling lights, creating horrible shadows in the subject's eyes, under his nose and chin. Also, there was quite a gleam coming off of his head.

***

The Project: They want to raise the quality of their video plain and simple, with a turnkey setup they can replicate without me being there. The video will usually be the principal talking directly to the camera, but occasionally may consist of he and another person talking to each other. So we are looking at medium 1-shots or medium 2-shots.

***

Space: We have a choice of two small offices to set this up in, and I don't think either will be dedicated 100% to the video. The rooms are very similar in size, approximately 10' x 14' or 12' x 14', with about 9 foot ceilings.

On one end of these rooms are floor to ceiling windows that face West. Opposite those windows are floor to ceiling windows that face an open office space with people walking around.

My immediate idea is to place the subject against some kind of backdrop so the shot always looks the same. If setting up a backdrop isn't feasible, his back will be to the open office area and I want blur the background so people walking around behind him won't be too distracting. While the background of midtown NYC through the floor to ceiling windows looks cool, the light will change throughout the day, and I don't think they will have the ability to compensate for bright backlight etc. If they really want to up the cool factor, they have a conference room that has a very dramatic view, of the Pan-Am building (The Met-Life building to you young bucks) and I believe the Empire State building is in the view as well.

***

Lighting: I want to create some sort of soft light in the room, that will work for either one or two people. I can't use halogen lights, hot lights are just too dangerous for this space and untrained people, so I am leaning toward an LED or fluorescent setup. Is there a way I can create a soft light atmosphere that will make shadows soft that will work for one or two people without having to re-light every time? And also be easy to setup? I am open to all suggestions.

I really need help with this aspect. I am thinking I might be able to figure something out with a Coollights package, but I really don't know. I am even thinking about Chinaballs with strong fluorescent bulbs.

***

Camera: This is quite a pickle. They have neither the budget nor the in-house expertise to operate a reasonable prosumer video camera so I have to make this as easy as possible. The other problem is the small foot print we need to work in. I have vacillated back and forth between the following ideas for a camera:

• HMC40 - Sharpness is good, and they should be able to focus it, but I am concerned about light performance.
• Low end DSLR - Because of small size, the pleasing aesthetics and the ability to de-focus a background, but at the same time I am concerned about moire on ties and shirts, recording time limits and operation.
• A consumer camcorder - But I am not up on what is good these days about what gives me a good 1080p picture. I almost feel like there should be something tapeless but similar to the HV30, which I have.
• An HX9V - It is really sharp, and I have one to test with.

***

Audio: I have explained to them that audio is really important, as important if not more so than picture quality. I am thinking about using a zoom H4N. I have been very pleased wit the results I have gotten in office interviews I have used it for in the past.

***

NLE: They want to be able to throw the video on a timeline, make simple edits and spit it out quickly. I am thinking Vegas movie studio pro. I feel they will be able to work with it in-house. I am open to suggestions.

***

Thanks for reading, and I really appreciate any advice or suggestions!

Ken

 

[Bern Caughey]

So they're asking you to build a setup so Kenny from the Mail Room can light, shoot, & edit, they're web series!?!

Does Kenny manage their retirement fund too?

 

[Kenneth Fisher]

QUOTE=Bern Caughey;2505417]So they're asking you to build a setup so Kenny from the Mail Room can light, shoot, & edit, they're web series!?!

Does Kenny manage their retirement fund too?[/QUOTE]

Teehee! :cheesy:

I wouldn't describe that as an accurate summation. They want me to set up a space so all they have to do is sit down and turn on the lights, camera, and microphone so the boss can sit down and do a talking head shot without it looking like a camera-phone youtube video.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Lighting: I want to create some sort of soft light in the room, that will work for either one or two people. I can't use halogen lights, hot lights are just too dangerous for this space and untrained people, so I am leaning toward an LED or fluorescent setup. Is there a way I can create a soft light atmosphere that will make shadows soft that will work for one or two people without having to re-light every time? And also be easy to setup? I am open to all suggestions.

I really need help with this aspect. I am thinking I might be able to figure something out with a Coollights package, but I really don't know. I am even thinking about Chinaballs with strong fluorescent bulbs.

***

Camera: This is quite a pickle. They have neither the budget nor the in-house expertise to operate a reasonable prosumer video camera so I have to make this as easy as possible. The other problem is the small foot print we need to work in. I have vacillated back and forth between the following ideas for a camera:

• HMC40 - Sharpness is good, and they should be able to focus it, but I am concerned about light performance.
• Low end DSLR - Because of small size, the pleasing aesthetics and the ability to de-focus a background, but at the same time I am concerned about moire on ties and shirts, recording time limits and operation.
• A consumer camcorder - But I am not up on what is good these days about what gives me a good 1080p picture. I almost feel like there should be something tapeless but similar to the HV30, which I have.
• An HX9V - It is really sharp, and I have one to test with.

***

Audio: I have explained to them that audio is really important, as important if not more so than picture quality. I am thinking about using a zoom H4N. I have been very pleased wit the results I have gotten in office interviews I have used it for in the past.

***

NLE: They want to be able to throw the video on a timeline, make simple edits and spit it out quickly. I am thinking Vegas movie studio pro. I feel they will be able to work with it in-house. I am open to suggestions.

***

Thanks for reading, and I really appreciate any advice or suggestions!

Ken

Camera + Audio... I'd recommend looking at the AG-HMC80 rather than the 40. The 80 has XLR imputs, and probably would provide a better solution to recording audio in sync with the video for editing, that some sort of two system setup.

I demo'd the HMC150 when it first came out, and was going to buy it, but then the DSLR's hit a price I could afford, so I opted for that solution... but it is not for a Billy Joe Bob operator. The MSRP from the panasonic site is $2500 or so. While $500 more than the 40, with the XLR inputs and recording the audio with the camera, one would not need to buy any additional audio device.

Lights.

I've been working through the transition from still photography using strobes to continuous for filmmaking. So, I'm not all that familiar with continuous lights. But for such a set up, for a still, I'd use some hair light, and a large softbox nearly over the camera, for a fairly 'flat' light.

As a note, the wall behind the subject/talent needs to be a bit darker so as to not interfere with the subject.

Select lights which would deliver about 100 Footcandles to the subject. This would give a f/5.6 @ 1/60 exposure with effective camera ISO of 200-400. The HMC80 has a wave form monitor feature, and so, one could verify the proper illumination by using that feature.

Billy Joe Bob could be trained to turn on lights, look at the wave form monitor, identify the light level form the 'talent', and make slight adjustments as necessary. If the mic can be on a desktop stand or fixed boom which can be positioned out of the frame, this would allow the setup to be relatively fixed. Put markers on the floor for the lights, camera, and various stands.

From the audio section, a hypercardioid mic is frequently suggested for use 'indoors', and so that would probably be case here. The HMC80 has phantom power, so, one can select a mic accordingly.

 

[sonofaresiii]

So they're asking you to build a setup so Kenny from the Mail Room can light, shoot, & edit, they're web series!?!

Does Kenny manage their retirement fund too?

Teehee! :cheesy:

I wouldn't describe that as an accurate summation. They want me to set up a space so all they have to do is sit down and turn on the lights, camera, and microphone so the boss can sit down and do a talking head shot without it looking like a camera-phone youtube video.

chrissakes, they're in nyc, tell them to hire any of the bajillions of film students (myself included) to run it for them. most will do it for free (and not be great, but certainly better than what you're describing)

 

[Greg Smith]

I agree with almost everything j1clark says, especially about the HMC80 (got one ... like it). I'd suggest the following modifications, though:

One softbox over the camera will be awfully flat. Use two, about 45° to either side, and light more strongly on one side to suggest a light source from the windows. If I were buying new lights for this I might look at Lowel Rifas with the fluorescent option. You could use smaller lamps, or turn some bulbs off, in one of them to regulate the key-to-fill ratio.

For talking head shots with one or two people, a lavalier mic on each will be easier to handle than anything overhead or on a boom, and will give more consistent quality with inexperienced operators. Wired mics are fine for this scenario and more reliable than wireless. Just plug one into each input on the HMC80. The Rode Lavalier (with the MiCon-5 XLR adapter) might be a good mid-range choice here, but it depends somewhat on the voice quality of the talent. (Come to think of it, the Rode PinMic might work well here when mounted on the speaker's tie or lapel, and be pretty inconspicuous.)

In a room like you describe, with a few fluorescent softboxes at close range, you won't need to worry at all about the sensitivity of the HMC80. The 100 footcandles or so of illumination that you need to make a solid picture with it is only a little bit more than modern fluorescent office lighting levels. (If you wind up at 150 or 200, that's perfectly OK too.) Use manual focus, iris and audio levels for maximum quality, and white and black balance at the beginning of each shoot.

Don't forget you're going to need a decent fluid-head tripod as well, although probably nothing terribly high end.

Or you could just hire me and my equipment to do this for you, although the cost of transportation from Illinois might be excessive.

- Greg