Bruce Watson
Veteran
I'm trying to find a compromise position for my hair/rim/back light on an odd-ish upcoming project. Easier said than done. First, the context.
Client wants short video of a bunch of people reading parts of a book. They'll come in one at a time, sit in a chair, read a few lines, and go. I'm to record it all and edit it together to make a reading of the book. There's more to it than that, but that's the basic idea.
I'm going to set up a basic interview lighting scenario because I'm not going to have time to tweake it every time I get new talent in the chair. And even if I had time, lighting changes would be visible when I splice it all together. So I need a generic setup that I can lock down.
Which brings me to my question: How to setup the back light? Key and fill are sorta obvious, but back is eluding me. If I set up almost directly overhead I minimize scalp reflections from bald guys heads, but I get too much spill over the shoulders and down the front. If I rotate toward horizontal enough to make the ladies hair look good and get rid of most of the spill over the shoulders, the bald guys scalp shines like a beacon.
Where is the compromise position for this light? What I'm after is just a subtle touch of light on the shoulder for separation from the background, and just enough light on the hair to show some texture. But right now I'm chasing my tail -- can't find that sweet spot.
While I'm asking about backlight position... Which side should the back light be on? I'm thinking it should probably be on the same side as the key. I've tried it on both sides, and centered, all look different but none call out to me that one is better than the others. And there's no windows or practicals to motivate lighting. Or so I'm told. I won't see the set until next week right before the shoot (unavoidable, in another city).
So... Any ideas? Pointers? Suggestions?
Client wants short video of a bunch of people reading parts of a book. They'll come in one at a time, sit in a chair, read a few lines, and go. I'm to record it all and edit it together to make a reading of the book. There's more to it than that, but that's the basic idea.
I'm going to set up a basic interview lighting scenario because I'm not going to have time to tweake it every time I get new talent in the chair. And even if I had time, lighting changes would be visible when I splice it all together. So I need a generic setup that I can lock down.
Which brings me to my question: How to setup the back light? Key and fill are sorta obvious, but back is eluding me. If I set up almost directly overhead I minimize scalp reflections from bald guys heads, but I get too much spill over the shoulders and down the front. If I rotate toward horizontal enough to make the ladies hair look good and get rid of most of the spill over the shoulders, the bald guys scalp shines like a beacon.
Where is the compromise position for this light? What I'm after is just a subtle touch of light on the shoulder for separation from the background, and just enough light on the hair to show some texture. But right now I'm chasing my tail -- can't find that sweet spot.
While I'm asking about backlight position... Which side should the back light be on? I'm thinking it should probably be on the same side as the key. I've tried it on both sides, and centered, all look different but none call out to me that one is better than the others. And there's no windows or practicals to motivate lighting. Or so I'm told. I won't see the set until next week right before the shoot (unavoidable, in another city).
So... Any ideas? Pointers? Suggestions?
