Photographer new to the video world. Arrilite is good?

T

Tokidoki

New member
Hi!

As you can see from the title of the post, I am a photographer that is new to the video world. However, I am responsible for the video production on my day job. I tried doing some research using this forum but I just can't understand how lighting work on video.

We currently have 2 Arrilite 1000w and 2 cameras (the sony HVR-A1U and the HVR V1U).

My biggest question is that there is no such thing as power adjustment on the arrilite. Does that mean that I have to buy some kind of power reducer? or just gell the heck out of it?

Also, why is it tungsten? Does that mean that I have to use CTB gells at all time? so far I have just been setting the white balance on the camera to tungsten, but that means that I can't shoot near the windows.

Nobody here (on my day job) knows whats going on and I have just been given $8,000 to purchase new equipment. Being a photographer, I told them I want a 5D Mark II with shoulder mounted rig and a boompole kit. They also asked me if I need more lights.

Since I am a new to the video world, can you guys give me any recommendation of whether I should purchase more arrilite head or just get a new system all completely. What kind of a boompole kit brand is good? audio tecnica like these?http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...chnica_AT897BK_AT_897_Shotgun_Microphone.html

as far as for shoulder mounted rig I was thinking of red rock micro for the 5D Mark II. Oh, and also I have Zoom H4N.

I am really clueless here :embarasse

Thanks!
 
Cool, I'll check it out. The reason I have to make the decision is because the money has been chartered, and I have to submit the list in 48 hours. I guess my biggest question is, how to reduce power on these lights. I already know most if not all of lighting techniques for photography, so hopefully I will be able to watch "Professional LIGHTING FIXTURES and GEAR" section before then.
 
I am curious why you feel the need to buy a dslr when you have a couple of decent cams. You didn't mention what you are shooting, but unless you have a specific need for what a dslr offers, IMHO, they are a kludgy way to do video. The primary reason to go DSLR is for the limited DOF they offer. After that, the benefits diminish quickly. The two Sony cams you have, while not fan favorites at DVXuser, will do a decent job of capturing basic corporate video. If you were compelled to buy a new cam in order to ditch tape based work flow, or some other reason, by the time you outfit a MkII with everything to make it work, you have a lot of other choices which would be easier for basic video work. In the Pannasonic world, there are several choices within your budget that would still leave room for some accessories.

For your Arriltes, you can purchase dimmer units, use smaller wattage bulbs (luminares), or add scrims. Using the BH link, click on accessories and expand the sections on lamps and light controls. Your Arrilites are good lights, but if that is all you have, it will be limiting. You might add a few smaller units like a couple of fresnels with lower wattages, and or a softbox.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/71448-REG/Arri_571100_Arrilite_1000_Watt_Focus.html

Balancing your light temp indoors near windows is always challenging if you are using tungsten. As you mentioned, you can gel or use a dichroic, you can gel the windows, or cover them - avoid them, or get daylight lights like this:

http://www.coollights.biz/cl455-cool-lights-watt-fluorescent-video-soft-light-p-31.html

Note that you can lamp these for 5600k daylight, or 3200k tungsten, and would be a nice addition to your lighting kit. There are lots of other options, this is just a simple and versatile suggestion to add some softlight to your kit.

For a basic primer on audio, read the stickies in the audio section for a start, and ask questions there. Kits like the one listed are ok, but you can usually make better choices by hand picking your kit. The AT897 is a fair shotgun, I have one, but depending on your budget and what you are shooting, you might want consider other options. Shotguns are primarily for outdoors, so if you are shooting indoors, think small condenser hyper-cardioid.

You have a lot of stuff to figure out in a couple of days, I would beg more time and make more researched decisions.

Grant
 
Tokidoki said:
Nobody here (on my day job) knows whats going on and I have just been given $8,000 to purchase new equipment. Being a photographer, I told them I want a 5D Mark II with shoulder mounted rig and a boompole kit. They also asked me if I need more lights.
Click to expand...

Gee, can I have your budget... and especially 'nobody knowing what's going on'...

But anyway, There are perhaps better posts on this site about dimming lights, etc. But the basic issue with 'dimmers' is change in color temperature if the light is a 'tungsten' light... Tungsten light produces a color temperature of about 3-4500 K, Sunlight is about 5-6000 K.

In film film (still or movie...) one would buy film that is appropriately matched to the light source. In the digital world one can do one of 3 things, 1) in camera white balance, 2) post-production correction, 3) change color temp using light sources and gels. Depending on when the 'color correction is done' in the digital process, one can have undesireable effects. So, for the moment if you have the budget, for you to buy gels to allow you to adjust color temperature in the source light, rather than either in camera or post production corrections.

If you look at the Behind The Scenes materials on many DVD/Blurays, you will see most sets have any combination of gels, screens, baffles, etc... so, the answer seems to be 'yes' you need to have use that sort of technique if you want 'quality' results.

In still photography, given most people these days shoot with strobes, the light produced is consistently 'daylight', and the power can be adusted, depending on the pack, in at least f-stop increments. Occasionally one may have to 'bleed' off a power pack's output if it is to great for the situation, but this did not 'change' the color temperature.

In the days before strobes, one selected either film type or got 'daylight' tungsten bulbs... One also used the inverse square law, baffles, and screens...
 
Wow! thanks so much for the response guys!

ggrantly:
ahhh now that makes sense. I took a guess that those scrims will reduce power, but I wasnt sure how many stops it decreases it by (I am not sure if videographer use the term "stops"). The dichroic seems like a great way to daylight balance the lights, but why so expensive? is it because it wont melt or change color over a long period of use? thinking of gelling the window, but our office is all windows! it would cost a few thousand of dollars and hours of work to gell it all up lol!

The reason I want to buy 5D Mark II is because outside of my day job I am a professional photographer, so I guess I am just being naive and like whats comfortable for me. I also thought that it looks great because of the low depth of field. Even though it is a bank (the place I work) but sometimes I have to shoot commercial that we sponsoring for local schools and charity organization so I thought that the 5D's shallow depth of field looks much more professional and advertisement like.

I film a lot of skit like scenarios, so I thought the shotgun would work better than what we currently have (we currently use lavalier mikes that we rotate among the different actors). I am definetly interested in that condenser hyper cardioid thing, I'll check the audio section and see whats up.

I wish I could beg for more time ; (

Thanks Grant!

j1clark@ucsd.edu:

haha it's not that easy to get these grants, took me a year until they gave it to me, but once they do, it was just so sudden! lol

So, if i use the dimmer units, the temperature will also change? I guess I have been spoiled with flash strobe as they keep their temperature pretty consistently as I change their power.
 
Hey 時々！

Yes, dimmers change color temperature...which is why film and video gaffers use scrims and carry extra bulbs.
Full scrim = .5 f stop, double scrim = 1 f stop


My $.02:
For the Arrilites: Lower-wattage bulbs, Scrims, CTB filters
Coollights with both color-temp bulbs OR Rifa eXchange with both color-temps
A couple of small Arri Fresnels, with scrims and stands
Shotgun mic, boom, windscreen, and fuzzy: either an Audio-Technica kit or a Rode NTG-3 kit
Good hypercardiod for interior boom work
A good wireless lav (sounds like you already have one.)
Nice monitor for your camera, like a Marshall V-LCD70XP-HDMI
Libec LS38M (2A) tripod (holding the camera still and doing smooth pans is a big difference from still photography)
Updated editing sofware & Lots of Drives


There...was that $8000?
Note that all the toys above will keep working for you if you upgrade your camera someday.
 
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+1 more or less to Stuckfootage suggestions with a few comments. If you used the cams you have, you could really fill out a nice kit. If you buy another cam, regardless of type, you'll need to be much more thrifty with your wishlist. HDV is being left behind, but for simple corporate work, it will produce decent, and your tape becomes your archive which saves money all the way through your workflow; no huge raid arrays needed. The new HD tapeless cams are sexy and all, and I wouldn't turn back, but if your output is to DVD or web, it really isn't that important. Better yes, necessary no. The DSLR is a temptation for me also as I do some still work. There is a whole class of shooters using them, but there are so many drawbacks after you get past the DOF advantage. Audio for starters; you are pretty much stuck recording separate audio, or at least need to buy a audio box like a Juiced Link. Sensor heating limits your longform work, and that is big.

A Pannasonic HMC150 or HPX170 is within your range, and both are very good tapeless progressive HD cams with greatly improved codecs (over HDV). A HMC with memory, spare battery will run around $3500 and an HPX170 with memory and battery will be all of $4500 if not more. They are very similar cams except for codec and memory. The HMC uses SD memory and the AVCHD codec which is similar in type to HDV, but massively improved. The HPX170 uses P2 memory which is pro level, but expensive, and records to the very professional DVCProHD codec. The HPX has more pro features, but you may not need them.

Yes dimmers will change the color temp, but in smaller amounts, it isn't so big a deal, but bulbs, scrims, and a few smaller lights are better. For tungsten, Arri products are very high quality. Cool Lights does direct market bargain products, and are very good for the money. The owner is a site sponsor here and is very responsive, you can email him directly with questions and he often responds in minutes....awesome! Depending on your cam and what you shoot, the monitor might not be needed, though it is a pretty nice way to go. For a mid-range tripod, you might also look at the new Manfrotto 504 fluid head and a set of the "heavier" Manfrotto stix. Do avoid the lighter Manfrotto stuff as it is pretty unloved.

A good audio kit should have both a shotgun and a small condenser hyper-type mic, and maybe some lavs also which you already have. A very good mid range hyper-cardioid mic is the AT-4053b. You will still want some wind protection for this, so the Rycote BBG (baby ball gag) is about the best. If your work is short form, an aluminum boompole is ok, but the longer your shoot, the more important carbonfiber becomes. K-Tek and Gitzo are both good brands with a wide range of product. Think Sony 7506 or Sennheiser 280s for headphones. You may want to consider a mixer to better control your audio, though if your stuff is mostly talking head, you can probably get by without. The more curveballs in your audio, the more important the mixer becomes, regardless of what you are recording to. A great mixer is the Sound Devices 302. The Sound Devices Mixpre is the little brother to the 302 and offers great sound without all the pro features of the 302.

Grant
 
stuckfootage said:
Hey 時々！

Yes, dimmers change color temperature...which is why film and video gaffers use scrims and carry extra bulbs.
Full scrim = .5 f stop, double scrim = 1 f stop
Click to expand...

Haha, you know Japanese?
Thanks for the full scrim and double scrim info! Makes sense now.
 
ggrantly said:
A good audio kit should have both a shotgun and a small condenser hyper-type mic, and maybe some lavs also which you already have. A very good mid range hyper-cardioid mic is the AT-4053b.
Click to expand...

I have been reading around and it seems like everyone recommends hyper cardiod for indoor and shotgun for outdoor. So I am guessing that hyper cardiod picks up more background noise? What if i often shoot indoor but the background is sometimes loud? (ex: call center) will shotgun make more sense? I realized that this is lightning sub forum lol.. hopefully its ok.

But I ordered 2 more ARRI Fresnels 300w as well as the Audio Technica and Oktava based on the sticky on audio section. I am also definitely interested in Juicedlink if I get the 5D.
 
Tokidoki said:
So I am guessing that hyper cardiod picks up more background noise? What if i often shoot indoor but the background is sometimes loud?
Click to expand...

Microphone directionality comes with a cost: off-axis sound coloration.

In the case of a super directional mic, like a shotgun, the off-axis sound is usually pretty awful.
In a small room, the desired sound (talent) comes from the on-axis (good-sounding),
AND from reflections from the walls (yuck!). Outdoors, this is not a problem.

With a somewhat less-directional mic, like a hypercardioid, you get more off-axis sound,
but it sounds better.

When you use a less-directional mic, your only option for better isolation is to move the mic closer to the talent.


また、
レス
 
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