White balance for concert

LuzCruz

LuzCruz

Active member
Im shooting a concert tonight, and im assuming there will be lots of different colored lights.

How should I adjust my white balance? should i do it before the colored lights come on, while the colored lights are on? or should i just screw it and put it on the preset?

also, im assuming 60i is the way to shoot for concerts due to the low lighting.. any other tricks for getting the most out of the lights besides shutter speed?
 
Re: White balance for concert

You're probably better off using the 3200K preset. Concert lighting is all over the place and is there to establish a mood, so it will be anything *but* white. Plus, you don't want to balance to colored gels, because you'll negate the effects--or end up with a very funky color balance.
 
Re: White balance for concert

I just shot a concert last weekend and I agree with you, Barry. The 3200K preset worked well. I shot 24p. It was pretty dark, but I was able to brighten it in post. There was a little more grain than normal, but even so, I liked the final look of it more than 60i (just my opinion).
 
Re: White balance for concert

thanks guys! that is really helpful.

horsefilms - did you have the cam set on a tripod.. or did you get in there and move around? if so, how did you deal with focussing in 24p? on the fly?
 
Re: White balance for concert

I was running around like a madman with it handheld. Focusing was tougher than I would've liked, but the final product turned out alright. I was just getting random live shots to incorporate into a video I'm shooting for the band, so I didn't need to shoot the whole set flawlessly.
 
Re: White balance for concert

cool. we are shooting it for a live performace, so its going to be a little difficult. we have two cameras.. so i think were going to take turns moving in to place. one cam is my dvx.. the other is my friends hi-8.. think it will look like hell if i convert the hi-8 to 24fps and mix the footage together? im thinking, yes
 
Re: White balance for concert

No problem. "Giving it a shot" is what I've based most of my video career on. I was expecting to look at the concert footage I shot and throw it away because it was too dark. It ended up OK. I'm sure yours will too.
 
Re: White balance for concert

well, i gave it a shot and it turned out really well! they actually had a lot more lights than i thought so you could see all of the members for the most part. we didnt get to use the hi8 so its just shot from one angle.. kinda boring.. but whatever :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top