My new ARRI Kit Screentest

Cody_Jordan

Cody_Jordan

Active member
hey guys, just got my new Arri Softbank 1 kit in this week. I actually got the kit used off ebay saving me about $500 bucks and its in almost new condition. Here's some grabs from the DVX. Sorry I didnt have another camera to showcase the lighting setup. I thought this was pretty good though for my first ever pro lighting test.

dadFINAL.jpg

dadFINALwide.jpg


As you can probably tell, I had a little fun in FCP and played around with the DOF by blurring out some of the edges. Kinda looks like a 35mm adapter effect. Im sure some of you can tell how it looks fake though. Here is the RAW capture straight from the DVX without CC and the DOF effect.

dadRAW.jpg

dadRAWwide.jpg
 
I think this is a decent start, but your ratios are a little off. First off I'd probably start with a stronger key light (or more appropriately said I suppose, would start with a more open aperture). The images seem to be a bit underexposed, especially the last two (at least for an interview. I would move the key off a bit and add either a fill light or a bounce card to get some depth to the individual so it doesn't look so flat. Generally your lacking depth. I would also put a hair light on him to gain some separation. I would use two dimmers in this situation. The first dimmer I would put on the hair light. You wont need any gels as the warming of the light will have a very nice effect on his dark hair (for a blond you can add a blue gel to the hair light when you dim it down). The second dimmer I would put on the practical, it's way to hot for the seen and draws your attention away from the subject. I would probably also move it further left or otherwise change the composition a bit to find something a little more visually pleasing. Also, after I dimmed the practical, I would probably add a small background light, either with a cookie or spotted somewhat, again to add depth.

I would also select a shirt for him other than white... Something that still offers separation from the background and yet goes with the general art direction (yes, there is still art direction, even in interviews). Plus you don't have to worry about blowing out the shirt to get the right ratios.

Were you using a meter or a monitor when you lit this? I find both really help, but a monitor is all you really need.

Matt
 
Nice job on these. They look very good for a first test.

Once again, MattC proves you don't need film school when you have DVXUSER feedback of this caliber. I learn more by reading input like Matt's than I did in all my production classes in college.
 
Thanks - but I sure hope you're being sarcastic!!!!

Cody, a couple of other points, it looks like you added some blur in post. Did you? If so, I think you would be better served getting things right without it (you CAN achieve a nice shallow DOF with DV it just takes some work). If you didn't, then I think there's something funky going on...
 
For my taste:

1) more key, at least a full stop if not two (will help with the key to practical ratio)
2) never let your talent wear a pure white shirt (gray is OK, but not white)
3) add a kicker (his hair is nearly gone in relationship to the background)
4) frame it a bit tighter, the background isn't really adding anything of value so let your subject fill the frame a bit more
5) tilt down just a bit, this type of shot doesn't need any headroom
6) not certain as to his skin tone, but he looks really warm (not a bad look, but perhaps just a bit too far).
 
THANKS GUYS!! I wasn't expecting this good of feedback. (in good i mean great constructive criticism). It's exactly the kind of feedback I need because I admit, I have no clue what I'm doing with these lights!

Matt... your tips sound great. Stopping down would have made alot more sense. That way I wouldn't have to bump up so much contrast in post to bring him out - hence the messed up contrast ratio.

So I had a 650 fresnel to the left of the camera as the key. And a 650 fresnel with a softbox on the righside (pretty far away and my 1000watt Arrilite had a blown bulb otherwise it'd be in the softbox i guess) So you're saying take the key off a bit more and move the softbox in so he'll be less flat? I understand all flat lighting is bad lighting (in most cases). However, I originally had the softbox in closer and it looked completely flat. (not dramatic enough for me) Was it because my lights were so bright? (but i even remember using a bunch of scrims) Would i be better off using a bounceboard?

So it seems like your saying the key should be less intense than the fill? Could you further explain how to position the key and fill and what exactly is it I'm looking for on the subject's face?

I actually had a hair light, I guess it was just poorley positioned. Im thinking about getting some dimmers for the kit. Should I get one for every light though? What other accesories are a must that aren't included in the light kit. All i can come up with is some gells and a bounce board. Would it make any sense to replace the small chimera with a bigger one?
 
also, where can find some replacement bulbs for cheap? It seems bhphotovideo almost doubles their price... this is a quote i got from arri:

1000W - DXW $19.00
650W - FRK $22.00

is there anywhere i can get them for this price?
 
Key light is your main light source and should be positioned to provide your main illumination on your subject (typically something like 45 degrees off the main camera axis is a good place to start). The fill is just that, something to fill in the opposite side of the main subject. The ratios between these two light sources are typically anywhere from 2:1 (kind of flat) to 4:1 (more dramatic). Keep in mind that light falls off at to the square of the distance (so twice the distance yields 1/4 the light).

I would not recommend dimmers as they will change the color temperature of your lights, the better approach is to use wire scrims (assuming that your fixtures will accommodate them) or ND (neutral density) or just position them further from the main subject. You may also want to use other devices to control the spill from these two lights to other parts of your scene. Things like scrims, silks and beadboard are also very useful to change the quality of the light from each instrument

Interesting that you mentioned that you did have a kicker ("hair light") but I don't really see its contribution.

A bigger Chimera would help to fill a large area with a more consistent quantity of light so you should think about the size of the setups that you will be lighting before deciding to replace your current one.
 
Khmuse that link to filmtools wasted another hour of my life...window shopping as it were. :shocked:

I would say grab some c-stands and some flags, silks, scrims, to control those nice new lights you have. Also get a M2 and lose the post-blur effects. :beer:

WHERE did you get an Arri kit for $500? You must show me!
 
escozooz said:
Khmuse that link to filmtools wasted another hour of my life...window shopping as it were. :shocked:
Click to expand...

Yeah, its even worse when you go there in person. I always leave with a few more scrims or silks or some other new toy besides the items that I planned on purchasing.

Its a great resource with really decent prices.
 
thanks guys, wow filmtools seems like a really nice store. I wished i lived in CA so I too could walk in and browse through everything. I wish there was a lighting store where i live!

khmuse, you say 2:1 and 4:1 ratio and it really helps me see how to balance the key/fill. In the test I was trying to get that 4:1 ratio for a little dramatic but I found it very hard!! It seemed like i was stuck somewhere around 2:1 and the only way to get more dramatic was to pull away the fill light. Im confused now because some are saying take away some of the key and bring in the fill, now its more of the key and less fill? I guess i just need to experiment more with what you guys are saying!

escozooz, yea the more i look at the blur effects the less i like them. It was fun at first but it looks way to unrealistic. I'm waiting for the amazing G35! However its starting to become like the release of Halo 2... xbox anyone?
 
Khmuse,

I agree with your assessment of dimmers for main light sources, but disagree with you in their use as I've outlined. As for the practical, it's common to dim those. Yes, you could also replace the bulbs with those of lesser intensity, but really all you want is for them to seem on. Dimming the already warm practical down a bit, with better ratios on your main lights, will not result in them seeming "off" color wise. Dimming the hair light WILL result in a warmer color temperature - something that can be highly desirable on a brunette. Try it sometime. As I said, I also like adding a touch of blue to the hair lights of blondes. Certainly neither of these techniques is mandatory, but they work well creatively - especially the warmer light on the brunette.

Cody,

I would urge you to do a search on "three point lighting" - you will find a great deal of useful information. I'm in the middle of packing for a trip to Africa, so my replies may be short, but I'll do my best.

Try this: Start by reframing your subject as khmuse, suggested (watch some interviews on cable channels such as History Channel or A&E). Now, use your softbox as the key light. Move it in just out of frame and adjust your iris so that his skin is reading around 80 IRE (using your zebras). Now move this light around a bit - from almost in front of your subject all the way to 90 degrees perpendicular and watch the results on your monitor. You will see that you can have a tremendous impact on how your subject will be perceived. After your experiment, place your key light about 45 degrees to your subject. If he's facing left (slightly - as in your grabs) place your key to camera right. you want to be able to illuminate the subject but you want his right side (camera left) to have some shadow to it. Now, instead of using another light, try using a bounce card opposite your key light to bounce a bit of light back onto your subject. You're not trying to bounce so much as to light him flat, you're trying to achieve a good ratio as Khmuse suggested. This is accomplished both by light intensity and light position, so experiment. If you don't like the bounce or feel you need more light, then add in a fill light. For this you could use the 650, but you'd either have to scrim it down a bit or move it much further away (or, more than likely, a combination of both). Now you have your key and fill (even though the fill is a bounce card or reflector). Now position a hair light (also called a rim light). As I've stated, I like dimming them on brunettes as opposed to moving them further back - try both and see what you like. What you want here is just enough light to provide separation - a very slight halo if you will around the subjects hair (and sometimes shoulders) to separate them from the background. What you don't want is to make it look like they're backlit. Ok, so now your subject's lit. But the background is dark, except you still have that practical that's competing with your subject. First things first, let's take care of the practical. Either dim it down, or put in lower wattage bulbs. In this instance, the light doesn't need to really "light" anything, you're just using it as a prop, so all you need is it to look like it's on. Now take your 650 fresnel (the one you didn't have to use since you're using a reflector for fill) and shoot it at the background. UHG! Yeah, I know it looks like crap. Turn it off, but leave it there. Now get another piece of foamcore (Staples) and start cutting out patterns in it. Before you start doing this, google Cukaloris, that's what you'll be making. Now that you have your "cookie" turn the background light back on. Now put the cookie in front of it and shine the light, at an angle, through the cookie and onto your background. This will give you a mix of light and shadows on your background. If you had lots of lights and grip equipment, you could do this more creatively, but you'll be surprised how nice a cookie can look. You can adjust the intensity by moving the light, scrimming it down, or even dimming it, if you like the look of temperature shift (for example it can look nice in a wood paneled room). Keep working with your monitor, and adjust the lights until you achieve the look you like.

Hope this helps.

Matt
 
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