Kitchen Set Lighting Help!

[AlexLeith]

Hi there,

Looking for a little advice to get a bit more creative with a kitchen set that we've built for one of our clients youtube channels. Mostly it's just juicing and food recipes, prepped on the front island. Occasionally there's a guest too. The set is 4m x 4m x 3m (13ft x 13ft x 9ft) with an island at the front. We have a fake window on one side (it's just a blind in front of a blank wall – although the plan is to put a LED ribbon light behind it to give it a little lift).

The set built inside a warehouse with north facing windows along one wall, so there is a little ambient light, but not much. The three practical lights are 4 watt LEDs and don't influence the light levels too much.

The lighting kit is made up of a BBS Area 48 (with snapfit softbox and a 3ft x 5ft diffuser); plus 2 x Aputure 627 (wide) and 2 x Aputure 627 (soft) with diffusers, plus clamps and magic arms to get them up into the beams.

I didn't have much time between completion of the set and our first filming, so I just threw a lot of light at it and got a functional (but not beautiful) "studio-like" flat lighting setup. Area 48 was acting as the main light source about 80% running through a diffuser, the Aputure lights were all around 25-40%, mostly trying to fill shadows on the back wall and provide some rim lighting.

I'd really like to get a more "realistic" and directional feel to the lighting without getting overly moody, but lighting a set is new territory for me. The biggest challenge is the fall-off and getting even lighting on the back wall... Reducing the intensity of the main Area 48 (and all the other lights) left the area by the cooker feeling rather dark. Reducing the intensity of the Aputure lights left too many shadows on the back walls. I did wonder whether a larger diffuser panel for the Area 48 and really bringing the other lights down would help.

Ignore the lighting umbrellas in the shots below... They were there for some speedlight photography I was doing, and that shot was taken before I set the lighting for video. The final shot is straight from camera ungraded.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received...

Thank you,
Alex

 

[Aharon Rothschild]

Generally speaking in reality a lot of light comes from the side and behind. You want to play with the dimmers on your lights untill you find a nice ratio that mimics light coming from a set of windows on one side of the set.

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

It looks good enough. What i would do is get some kind of loooong fluorescent (2x 2x4" kino) or similar to provide more even back light. I would also use larger diffusers so that the shadows are softer. Lastly i would cut out the hole for the window and shine a light through there to give some window patterns on the back wall.

 

[DPStewart]

It looks good enough. What i would do is get some kind of loooong fluorescent (2x 2x4" kino) or similar to provide more even back light. I would also use larger diffusers so that the shadows are softer. Lastly i would cut out the hole for the window and shine a light through there to give some window patterns on the back wall.

^-- This is what you want to do... Seriously.

 

[rob norton]

If you haven't read Art Adams' article, although it's a bigger set up than your listed lighting package, you might find useful information: http://www.provideocoalition.com/lighting-reinventing-the-cooking-show-for-driscolls-berries

http://www.provideocoalition.com/lighting-reinventing-the-cooking-show-for-driscolls-berries/page-2

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

If you haven't read Art Adams' article, although it's a bigger set up than your listed lighting package, you might find useful information: http://www.provideocoalition.com/lighting-reinventing-the-cooking-show-for-driscolls-berries

http://www.provideocoalition.com/lighting-reinventing-the-cooking-show-for-driscolls-berries/page-2

The OP's set up is nicer. Not only it's done using LEDs (thus less heat in potentially already hot set) it also is "cleaner" as it doesn't try to build artificial reality with fake sunshine created by S4s. The S4s make the look more naturalistic but not necessary more appealing.

 

[rob norton]

The OP's set up is nicer. Not only it's done using LEDs (thus less heat in potentially already hot set) it also is "cleaner" as it doesn't try to build artificial reality with fake sunshine created by S4s. The S4s make the look more naturalistic but not necessary more appealing.

Yeah I really like Alex's set up, I think it looks great.

Patryk, what's the difference between Art's S4 fake sunshine and your suggestion to get some window patterns on the back wall?

Thanks.

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Yeah I really like Alex's set up, I think it looks great.

Patryk, what's the difference between Art's S4 fake sunshine and your suggestion to get some window patterns on the back wall?

Thanks.

My reasoning is 2 fold: 1. practical and 2. psychological.
1. In lieu of adding a "spice" to the frame you might want to differentiate exposure value in the frame - thus some S4 spill from the direction of the window.
2. Psychologically it's a cooking show - meaning everything here is "true." There is no point in trying to convince the viewer "it's the truth" as no viewer would bother questioning this truth. As such there i no reason to light in traditionally realistic fashion (with sun rays etc) as it doesn't help our case (it actually does the opposite by complicating the exposure values when the performer moves from properly exposed to over exposed beam of light). It's OK to intro those sun rays in the background for purely aesthetic reasons but no reason to complicate one's life in the foreground.

 

[Grug]

I don't mind the current setup, but I find key/fill ratio a little unnaturally flat, and the kicker coming from the opposite side to the key is a little distracting.

Personally I'd go for a larger key source from the window side, and let it fall off a bit more naturally to the left side of frame, a splash of 'sunlight' on the background could add a nice touch of visual interest, and I'd bring the backlight/kicker round to the window side (and diffuse it a little) for a more natural feel.

But of course, lighting is a personal thing, so this is all just my taste.

I generally prefer to light kitchens quite high-key and soft, when your subject is food, I just want things to look as nice and inviting as possible:

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

But of course, lighting is a personal thing, so this is all just my taste.

I generally prefer to light kitchens quite high-key and soft, when your subject is food, I just want things to look as nice and inviting as possible:

Read your second sentence and then ask yourself if indeed the first sentence of the quote makes sense. When you find out why "high-key and soft" is preferred (in certain circumstances, and you can identify those specific circumstances) then you will discover it has very little to do with personal preferences and more too do with basics of human psychology.

 

[BrianMurphy]

IMHO:I think you have a design issue. The "practicals" hanging should go, they are hot spots in the frame. The wall covering and the subway tile wall in the back shortens the field of view. Loss the hanging lights put in a fake window nd create some depth to the set. In all the cooking shows I have done (many!) our standard was a large built soft box the size of the island or two suspended overhead. These were normally lit wth a couple or more 2Ks or Kino banks with this as a base other instruments were used to warm up and model the talent and product. I also think that the comparing an all white set to a multi coloured one is not fair. The all white "commercial' look is not what our friend and colleague is after.

 

[AlexLeith]

Thank you for everyone's feedback and opinions. I really appreciate the input - and although I didn't reply (it's been REALLY busy) I did read and take it all on. Thanks to those who said it looked good as it was.

Art Adams' article was really helpful (as was everyone's feedback). As was suggested I added more light from behind to give the impression of a motivated light source. I kept it fairly subtle and didn't go fully high key (even though I like the look) as there isn't quite enough space or budget to get bigger / brighter / softer lights in there. I added a light above the "window" which is focussed (through a snoot and a gobo of sorts to give it some texture) onto the background. I got rid of the practicals as they were creating a bit too much spill. I wasn't allowed to cut a hole in the set, so I added LED strips behind the blinds to give the impression of a window. I turned the left-side kicker down so there's just a hint of it there. And the key now goes through a larger diffuser (4½ ft x 9 ft).

Here are two screen-grabs... Not graded.



I think I got something that feels natural enough. The only bit I'm not 100% happy with is the left hand side - the light levels drops off and it's a bit boring (lighting-wise). But that's where the two camera ops are working, so it's a bit hard to know what to do there.

Thanks all for feedback and help. Really appreciate it.

 

[J Michael]

Could you place a china ball high/front/left to mimic an overhead practical? That might add sufficient fill. The food on the lower right looks great with what you have - appetizing.