Hey All,
I've read several posts regarding some of these issues, but haven't found any solid answers.
The Situation:
I shoot a fitness and cooking show where the main portion of the show is in the kitchen with throws to segments. The way the show shoots has me on hand-held for the entire kitchen segment (which is about 3-5 minutes long) while the hosts chat and cook. No cutaways.
Critically difficult setup for a TV show, I know. But I'm the camera operator, not the producer.
The Problems:
(1) LIGHTING
The hosts are a married couple, but here's the catch: the husband is very dark skinned black, while the wife is very fair skinned white.
My Current Solution:
I light the majority of the kitchen using KinoFlo Parabeams and try to keep the hosts from crossing one another's paths because he needs more light and her less. As it happens, of course, she does walk into his light and gets blown out.
I added an amber gel ("bastard amber" for the curious and childish ... like me) to help bring out his skin tones with less light. That worked, but the white balance on her gets thrown off, so she looks pinkish. If I gel all the lights and balance to that colour, the gel becomes useless.
(2) FOCUS
Though I light the kitchen as best as I can, it's still a consumer open-concept setup, which means no lighting grid available and only 9-foot ceilings. The background is 1 stop darker than the foreground.
The HVX shoots at about f/4.0 in this setup, but goes out of focus every now and then when using the autofocus feature. I try to move the camera at a steady speed and avoid tight macro to medium-focus distance shots in a short span. Manual focus control while hand-held and using the LCD screen is about as accurate as guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar.
MY SITUATION
It needs to be taken into account that not only are the segments 3-5 minutes long without cutaways, but also that I'm going hand-held. Manual control of the iris and the focus ring (while monitoring the audio) is perhaps not realistic. I have tried, but the camera steadiness or the fluidness of the changes is certainly affected.
THE REQUEST
Has anyone come across similar challenges using the HVX? Have you noticed issues with regards to the autofocus in a similar lighting setup (shooting around f/4.0)? Any recommendations for a lighting scenario that allows both hosts to be clearly seen, while mobile, without lighting that is too dim or over-blown?
I've thought about using an ND gradient matte, but since I take shots of the food regularly, and the hosts move often, and there's no cutaways, the effect would definitely be noticeable.
Any help is appreciated. The Producer is on me every week for these issues and I'm out of ideas.
Thanks plenty, ladies & gents.
I've read several posts regarding some of these issues, but haven't found any solid answers.
The Situation:
I shoot a fitness and cooking show where the main portion of the show is in the kitchen with throws to segments. The way the show shoots has me on hand-held for the entire kitchen segment (which is about 3-5 minutes long) while the hosts chat and cook. No cutaways.
Critically difficult setup for a TV show, I know. But I'm the camera operator, not the producer.
The Problems:
(1) LIGHTING
The hosts are a married couple, but here's the catch: the husband is very dark skinned black, while the wife is very fair skinned white.
My Current Solution:
I light the majority of the kitchen using KinoFlo Parabeams and try to keep the hosts from crossing one another's paths because he needs more light and her less. As it happens, of course, she does walk into his light and gets blown out.
I added an amber gel ("bastard amber" for the curious and childish ... like me) to help bring out his skin tones with less light. That worked, but the white balance on her gets thrown off, so she looks pinkish. If I gel all the lights and balance to that colour, the gel becomes useless.
(2) FOCUS
Though I light the kitchen as best as I can, it's still a consumer open-concept setup, which means no lighting grid available and only 9-foot ceilings. The background is 1 stop darker than the foreground.
The HVX shoots at about f/4.0 in this setup, but goes out of focus every now and then when using the autofocus feature. I try to move the camera at a steady speed and avoid tight macro to medium-focus distance shots in a short span. Manual focus control while hand-held and using the LCD screen is about as accurate as guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar.
MY SITUATION
It needs to be taken into account that not only are the segments 3-5 minutes long without cutaways, but also that I'm going hand-held. Manual control of the iris and the focus ring (while monitoring the audio) is perhaps not realistic. I have tried, but the camera steadiness or the fluidness of the changes is certainly affected.
THE REQUEST
Has anyone come across similar challenges using the HVX? Have you noticed issues with regards to the autofocus in a similar lighting setup (shooting around f/4.0)? Any recommendations for a lighting scenario that allows both hosts to be clearly seen, while mobile, without lighting that is too dim or over-blown?
I've thought about using an ND gradient matte, but since I take shots of the food regularly, and the hosts move often, and there's no cutaways, the effect would definitely be noticeable.
Any help is appreciated. The Producer is on me every week for these issues and I'm out of ideas.
Thanks plenty, ladies & gents.
