• Lighting Design

  Desert reflector kit/lighting. Suggestions please!

  Posted by Bryan Forrester on July 8, 2009 at 2:56 pm

  Hola,
  I’m shooting a music video on HD in the desert in TX in August. I’m curious if any of you guys had any suggestions for lighting? I figure I’ll probably just need some overheads, maybe a 10×10 and some reflectors, but any different ideas? There are no night shots, its all outdoors and a ton of macro shots on the storyboards.

  Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated!

  Bryan Forrester

  Bill Davis replied 16 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  Michael Palmer

  July 8, 2009 at 4:02 pm

  It sounds like you want 5 Grips and a nice 20×20 frame filled with 1/2 Soft Frost to blanket the sun. I would shoot with the sun back lighting the talent and I would add a 6×20 duviteen strip towards to front edge of the frame to reduce the top light, then use a nice big 12×12 Ultra Bounce from the side and a few 4×4 reflectors as back edge lights from the same side as the 12×12. Then drape a 12×12 T-bone on the unlit side for negative fill and keep lots of craft service going for those Grips.

  Good Luck
  Michael Palmer
• 

  Bill Davis

  July 8, 2009 at 7:20 pm

  Yep,

  The simplest, easiest and most professional solution is a 5 ton grip truck and folks who know how to use everything inside.

  The cheap “indy” solution is to rent a bunch of scaffolding then go buy a bunch of army surplus white silk parachutes to build what would essentially be a big-assed softbox around the band.

  Then pray HEAVILY that the wind gods take pity on you.

  Since you storyboard is heavy on macro shots – I’d suspect that smaller grip gear like Westcott 6×6 frames with silks, diffusion and black fabric would also come in pretty handy. (And be a lot easier for a small crew to control)

  Finally, as someone who has shot in Arizona my entire career, estimate the amount of water you need to provide for all the people involved and then either triple or quadruple that amount along with plans to go get more if necessary. Plus slip at least one good pair of needle nosed pliers in your first aid kit and bring a lot of compressed clean air – desert dust is a subtle enemy.

  Texas desert in August? You sure know how to have fun.

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