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Flourescent Lighting Woes
So I’m shooting a project in a grocery store and I’m considering shooting in HDV using a Z1-U. If we decide to go with standard def, we’ll use the Panasonic DVX-100A.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to approach shooting in an all-flourescent environment with either of these cameras? I know flourescent is a real headache for white balancing and I’d love to avoid replacing every flourescent bulb in the entire store with a tungesten one…I don’t think that’s even feasible. We’re shooting a dramatic piece, so having a key and fill is what we’d prefer to have.
Are there specific lights I should rent? Are there specific gels I can buy? I’ve read a little bit about using a lens filter to supress the green tint…but what about the pulsating temperature of flourescents?
I would LOVE to hear some ideas. THANKS!!!
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4 Replies
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Ovalteens,
If you search the archive here you’ll see that I’ve suggested and explained this many times, but the short answer is that the most elegent and cheapest solution is to use four foot kino flo units for the flour light keys and fills that have been “poisoned” by relamping them with the same practical flourescents that are in the ceiling. Then either turn off or flag-off the ceiling lights directly overhead of the subject to avoid the toppy nose light.
White balancing is not a headache, in fact it solves the problem of the greenish spike in the practical flouresents, the headache is mixing with motion picture lights and/or gelling.
JS
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As John points out, white balancing is not an issue, as much as color temp mismatch is.
Down and dirty yourself a sheet each of the Plusgreen gel range for your hot lights, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, Full. -
[David Jones] “Down and dirty yourself a sheet each of the Plusgreen gel range for your hot lights, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, Full.”
Let me understand:
BEST is to “poison” the fluorescents with Diva lamps.
OKAY is use Plusgreen on the tungstens with the regular, spiky fluorescents.Right?
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No,
“Poisoning” requires puting the same 4′ (most common) lamps that are in the ceiling in 4′ Kino Flo units; then all the lamps are the same and the white balance corrects for the green spike. I don’t think you’ll ever find a practical interior lit with the globes you put in a Diva!
As far as gelling hot lamps, I don’t recommend this as the flourescents you’re trying to match are discontinous light sources and cann’t be easily matched. Best to “poison” your 4′ Kinos and use them on the floor to light the faces and eyes with the same light that lights the ambience in the room. The only other adjustment is to control the “top” light from the flourescents directly above your subject by either turning them off, or flaging them from “spilling” onto the nose and forehead and overlighting these areas, destroying the modeling and portraiture you’d otherwise like!
This is sometimes a complex stratagy to get your head around, but it is the best, cheapest, easiest and most elegent solution there is; all others are expensive and time consuming (relamping the entire room) or simply don’t work (gelling the practicals or the hot lights).
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