combatentropy
Veteran
Gordon was simple but precise.
Share Your Lighting
- Thread starter combatentropy
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Michael Carter
Veteran
Here was a real pull-it-outta-your-butt... music video, we really wanted to do an "intro" but limited time, wardrobe needed to be returned, etc. Wrapped exteriors at sunset and ran back to my house and set this up. I thought ahead and mounted an Igus rail to my ceiling the day before just in case.
That Flexipar is a little beast - crazy efficient, under 200 bucks. Even with full CTB it kicked out some lumens. Swapping lenses without the special tool is an exercise in profanity though. The 6" fresnel could have just as easily been an open faced light with black wrap. Luckily I have one of those top-hat snoots from the theater world.
Damn, I wish I had thought to put some props on the right-hand nightstand though, books, glasses, something. (I asked the crazy makeup girl and she said "A douchebag??" and we never re-addressed that idea...)
That Flexipar is a little beast - crazy efficient, under 200 bucks. Even with full CTB it kicked out some lumens. Swapping lenses without the special tool is an exercise in profanity though. The 6" fresnel could have just as easily been an open faced light with black wrap. Luckily I have one of those top-hat snoots from the theater world.
Damn, I wish I had thought to put some props on the right-hand nightstand though, books, glasses, something. (I asked the crazy makeup girl and she said "A douchebag??" and we never re-addressed that idea...)
combatentropy
Veteran
Pretty! Another scene where the key and fill are on the same side, and I like it.
Fog, too, is something I may very well add to the first page of my tip sheet. When I used to hear fog machine, I used to think, well, fog, like London fog --- not something you would put in a room unless you're going for a cheesy Halloween look. But a light fog, like mist, is one of those slightly unrealistic effects that works in realistic scenes as long as you keep it under control. I guess it resembles dust in the air and could be written off as that --- you're just "emphacizing" the dust. And the reason I like it is because it brings the light into the scene almost as a character. It gives the light substance. Blade Runner, to me, is a good example of judicious use.
Fog, too, is something I may very well add to the first page of my tip sheet. When I used to hear fog machine, I used to think, well, fog, like London fog --- not something you would put in a room unless you're going for a cheesy Halloween look. But a light fog, like mist, is one of those slightly unrealistic effects that works in realistic scenes as long as you keep it under control. I guess it resembles dust in the air and could be written off as that --- you're just "emphacizing" the dust. And the reason I like it is because it brings the light into the scene almost as a character. It gives the light substance. Blade Runner, to me, is a good example of judicious use.
Michael Carter
Veteran
Thanks - in this case the little fresnel did all the heavy lifting and the bounce just brought things up a little.
Funny, looking at the monitor and playing with the 2 dimmers would have been an instant lighting lesson for anyone without a lot of setups under their belt. The bounce on full could have lit the scene, but with a completely different character.
I'd read about thinning the fog juice somewhere and it worked really well. In the overhead shots it just gave us a little diffusion, and from the side it gave that very stylized mini blinds look. You really have to work to "fan out" any specific clouds or clumps of smoke though, but it lasted a good half hour in the small room before hitting it again. We about had to handcuff the stylist to keep her from that thing, she was crazy for it. "That should be enough smoke, Holly" was our mantra for the night.
If you want a cheap party fogger, take a look at Amazon reviews - they're a crap shoot. My first one (Eliminator) tested fine, then was DOA for a shoot a week later. The 1byOne brand has reviewed well and worked great for me, and they're as cheap as any of the 400-watters.
Funny, looking at the monitor and playing with the 2 dimmers would have been an instant lighting lesson for anyone without a lot of setups under their belt. The bounce on full could have lit the scene, but with a completely different character.
I'd read about thinning the fog juice somewhere and it worked really well. In the overhead shots it just gave us a little diffusion, and from the side it gave that very stylized mini blinds look. You really have to work to "fan out" any specific clouds or clumps of smoke though, but it lasted a good half hour in the small room before hitting it again. We about had to handcuff the stylist to keep her from that thing, she was crazy for it. "That should be enough smoke, Holly" was our mantra for the night.
If you want a cheap party fogger, take a look at Amazon reviews - they're a crap shoot. My first one (Eliminator) tested fine, then was DOA for a shoot a week later. The 1byOne brand has reviewed well and worked great for me, and they're as cheap as any of the 400-watters.
nycineaste
Well-known member
Heres a short of mine if anyone wants to see me light using the "four point" thinking I mention (which again does not always mean 4 lights).
the lighting in the short is hardly brilliant or anything, as I mentioned, "four pts" it's just a way to understand the lighting process and what your trying to "do" with each fixture, its not a magic formula, you still have to do the work and apply taste and talent, etc. If you want to take that step above noob/confusion its a useful way of thinking.
as you can see I use almost exclusively a soft key, mostly 45 degrees, and a hard background light
crits welcome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJ0HQvssWg
the lighting in the short is hardly brilliant or anything, as I mentioned, "four pts" it's just a way to understand the lighting process and what your trying to "do" with each fixture, its not a magic formula, you still have to do the work and apply taste and talent, etc. If you want to take that step above noob/confusion its a useful way of thinking.
as you can see I use almost exclusively a soft key, mostly 45 degrees, and a hard background light
crits welcome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tJ0HQvssWg
Patryk_Rebisz
Veteran
Recent shoot... 6 interviews with b-roll in one day. Uffff, good thing the crew was good and the location didn't require too much effort to make it good.
