White balance on the run

scorsesefan

scorsesefan

Veteran
How do you guys custom WB when you're solo run and gunning? I usually use a gray folding disc, but it requires me to have an assistant or place the disc down somewhere (propping it up) with the same light I'm balancing for. I've tried one of those white balance filters and found it wildly inaccurate. Thoughts?
 
If you're making big time movies where consistency and continuity is so important, you'll always have to do a lot of that kind of manual stuff - but why not auto WB for r&g?

Cameras are really good at it these days and no one will notice or care on YouTube.

Could also use a monitor with a punchy creative LUT to always know how the skin should look (or you want it to look) and quickly flip through that general 3000-5000 zone while you get familiar with environments.

Of course shooting RAW is really great for this (like REDCODE, etc).
 
NorBro said:
If you're making big time movies where consistency and continuity is so important, you'll always have to do a lot of that kind of manual stuff - but why not auto WB for r&g?

Cameras are really good at it these days and no one will notice or care on YouTube.

Could also use a monitor with a punchy creative LUT to always know how the skin should look (or you want it to look) and quickly flip through that general 3000-5000 zone while you get familiar with environments.

Of course shooting RAW is really great for this (like REDCODE, etc).
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Thanks, Norbro. This issue is I'm shooting Cine EI on my fx6 AWT is not available in that mode. Do you mean ballparking at 3200 or 5600? IME slog3 is really unforgiving when you don't get the WB set correctly on location... My Komodo is another story.
 
Depends on the type of job. For non crucial I use auto and in other situations 5600 and adjust it in post. If you shooting over a long enough period time and your near the end of the day color temp will be constantly changing. Manual setting is also good for multi camera they all can be set to the same and adjust in post since you know they were all set the same.
 
Hey, Peter. Very fast paced Run n' Gun stuff. It's actually the doc I posted about a few weeks ago at the school.
 
scorsesefan said:
Thanks, Norbro. This issue is I'm shooting Cine EI on my fx6 AWT is not available in that mode. Do you mean ballparking at 3200 or 5600? IME slog3 is really unforgiving when you don't get the WB set correctly on location... My Komodo is another story.
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Oh, yeah, true - and 3000-5000 was a general window (5600 would be too high, 5000 would be used very closely to windows with mixed lighting from indoors still hitting), but sometimes when I used to be so jammed I would settle around 4000 and figure it out in post.

But this would be only for running-and-gunning indoors with windows and different lighting (ceiling, random fixtures, decoration lamps, etc) usually for an event that's in a luxury hotel-type location.

In cases like light changing very early or very late in the day, just mentally keep dialing WB up or down a bit, dials/knobs are great for WB.
 
scorsesefan said:
Hey, Peter. Very fast paced Run n' Gun stuff. It's actually the doc I posted about a few weeks ago at the school.
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In classrooms with windows you’re going to get this mix of different color light.

In those type of situations I try to setup the camera as simple as possible because I want to concentrate what’s going on rather than the camera settings. Either manually setting it or auto, both have there pros and cons.

The issue with auto you could get constantly changing wb for example the same scene closeups could have a different wb than wide. So might be better to pick a middle wb between the lights and window like suggested 5000.

If you want to pull clips out of order or from different days you just want consistency.
 
Peter C. said:
In classrooms with windows you’re going to get this mix of different color light.

In those type of situations I try to setup the camera as simple as possible because I want to concentrate what’s going on rather than the camera settings. Either manually setting it or auto, both have there pros and cons.

The issue with auto you could get constantly changing wb for example the same scene closeups could have a different wb than wide. So might be better to pick a middle wb between the lights and window like suggested 5000.

If you want to pull clips out of order or from different days you just want consistency.
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Yeah, definitely a lot of mixed light situations and running inside and out. Thanks
 
Ever since getting accustomed to Sony's old s-log/s-gamut system of having to select between just three WB temps—3200, 4300, and 5600, IIRC—I've just leaned on those for WB. Odds are you'll land somewhere close enough, and modern codecs tends to hold up to adjustments in post without issue. A few years ago we tested some Panasonic S1H's with wildly inaccurate WB settings and in general you could pull them back to "normal" in post.
 
Indoors (and anytime under man-made light):
1) Pull out a white card.
2) Aim the camera at the card and fill the frame.
3) Push the WB Set button to automatically adjust both warm/cool and magenta/green to fit the current light.
4) Shoot.
5) Fine-tune in post.

Outdoors:
1) Set the camera to 5600K preset.
2) Shoot.
3) Fine-tune in post.

What's the big deal? This is video production 101 and the procedure hasn't changed in decades.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Indoors (and anytime under man-made light):
1) Pull out a white card.
2) Aim the camera at the card and fill the frame.
3) Push the WB Set button to automatically adjust both warm/cool and magenta/green to fit the current light.
4) Shoot.
5) Fine-tune in post.

Outdoors:
1) Set the camera to 5600K preset.
2) Shoot.
3) Fine-tune in post.

What's the big deal? This is video production 101 and the procedure hasn't changed in decades.
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Yes, I know. The issue is I'm a solo shooter continuously shooting handheld in a fast paced run n' gun scenario and as you know on the fx6 it's difficult to impossible to hold the camera while holding out a gray card and pressing the WB button at the same time. White balancing off of objects in the room is pretty precarious given the various degrees of white that exist in any given room.
 
I'm not buying your reason. :) I've white balanced literally thousands of times in the past 40 years all by myself. You just set the card down on something and press the button. Problem solved. Far faster, easier, and more consistent than any other method you're going to find. Don't make things more complicated than they need to be.

BTW, a handheld card at arm's length probably won't give you a correct reading anyway. So you're better off setting the card down on something even if you could manage to hold it in your hand.
 
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Yes, or tape the card to something in your most dominant (or most important) light source. Or do a site visit with your camera and make note of the different WBs so you can dial them in. Helps to have a monitor/viewfinder you can trust so you can make an informed decision on-site.
 
scorsesefan said:
This issue is I'm shooting Cine EI on my fx6 AWT is not available in that mode. Do you mean ballparking at 3200 or 5600? IME slog3 is really unforgiving when you don't get the WB set correctly on location... My Komodo is another story.
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Coming back around to this with all the comments. This is a bit crazy to me, as someone who doesn't shoot Sony, that the FX6 doesn't have AWB in Cine EI mode.
 
DustinSchmidt said:
Coming back around to this with all the comments. This is a bit crazy to me, as someone who doesn't shoot Sony, that the FX6 doesn't have AWB in Cine EI mode.
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Yeah, it's odd. But in prior gen of fs cameras you could only choose between 3200 and 5600 so I guess there's been some progress...
 
I have not taken my camera off 5500 since some silly shoot I lit with tungsten (and yellow gelloed the windows) (not for art- but light levels) in about 2017

To me more of concern is understanding your scene (tinted offic windows - cold practicals) and matching your added movie lighting to that.

S
 
morgan_moore said:
I have not taken my camera off 5500 since some silly shoot I lit with tungsten (and yellow gelloed the windows) (not for art- but light levels) in about 2017

To me more of concern is understanding your scene (tinted offic windows - cold practicals) and matching your added movie lighting to that.

S
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No controllable lighting. All practicals in run n gun situations.
 
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