Lighting seems a time killer if you direct as well

M

muroshi

Well-known member
And no one likes to do it, cause it's like relocating. Did you ever pay someone for your lighting? If so, how much did you pay?
 
DP, Direct, light, write, shoot and act as well, why bother to hire anyone else. That's the Hollywood way isn't it?

Plenty of people love lighting BTW. If you don't like it you shouldn't be allowed near it.

Just find a "gaffer" or "lighting director" in your area. Price will vary.
 
It depends on how you light. If you're bringing a grip truck full of equipment and setting up 12 different lights, you won't have time to do anything else. If you only use one or two lights (at the expense of less overall control), you should be able to set them up reasonably quickly.
 
I'm a proponent of auteurism, but every moment a director fiddles with other things is a moment not spent working with and strengthening the talent's performance, and that's where a director's focus should always be. Most actor's don't appreciate being ignored while a director puts on his gloves and fiddles with scrims, and those productions generally show it.
 
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A little bit of advice on doing the old one-man-band routine:

Work it out so that you have access to the location well in advance of your talent's arrival.
Set up all your toys, tweak it, test it, make sure it's good.
Then take a little break, have lunch, go for a short walk, and put on your director's hat.
When the talent shows up, give your full attention to the acting.
 
stuckfootage said:
A little bit of advice on doing the old one-man-band routine:

Work it out so that you have access to the location well in advance of your talent's arrival.
Set up all your toys, tweak it, test it, make sure it's good.
Then take a little break, have lunch, go for a short walk, and put on your director's hat.
When the talent shows up, give your full attention to the acting.
Click to expand...

Yup. If you're not living for the performance, are you even really a director?
 
Of course, lighting setup is a time killer even if you have a separate lighting crew :) But yes, once you get past the "I'm the entire crew' stage, a lighting person is an early priority. Although some DoPs are happy to do their own lighting, which can also work pretty well.
 
Maybe it's just me, but with DoPing and lighting, I hardly find time for getting to work with the actor and it's nearly impossible to light something properly without a person in place.
 
stuckfootage said:
A little bit of advice on doing the old one-man-band routine:

Work it out so that you have access to the location well in advance of your talent's arrival.
Set up all your toys, tweak it, test it, make sure it's good.
Then take a little break, have lunch, go for a short walk, and put on your director's hat.
When the talent shows up, give your full attention to the acting.
Click to expand...

That's all well and good, until you finish that shot. Then you need to go back to re-lighting, tweaking, etc.

I've always lit and directed myself, but I'd love to have a committed DoP on an upcoming project, because directing and DoPing is VERY time consuming and usually takes a toll on the production.
 
Yeah having someone else there to set up lights is always preferable, if you spend an hour setting up your shot and you have 15 minutes left to get it before you loose the location how are you gonna give any proper notes to your actors? But if you had that last hour to rehearse and hone the performance you are gonna get that shot in 10mins. In my experience having a DOP and a gaffer is waaaaay more conducive to proper direction. Guys like Rodriquez may also DP, but they most likely tell their gaffer what they want for 10 mins then the directors hat goes right back on until shooter hat goes on during the scene.
 
If you are DP and Director you really must have a gaffer that you can collaborate with and trust his eye and decisions.
 
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