How to acheive this look?

[Rick Wise]

I’m pretty sure she is shot against “white” limbo. No green, no problem. Note that the white is not 100%/clip but rather a very light, perhaps slightly bluish gray.

Rick Wise
director of photography
Oakland, CA
http://www.RickWiseDP.com
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Pearl]

What is a “limbo?”

Thanks.

[Rick Wise]

Apparent nothingness. In this case, seamless white. Usually shot on a stage with a cove, so the floor slopes up to meet the wall in a seamless continuous sweep. When properly lit, floor and walls are all the same white nothingness. In the Apple case, it is possible that behind her is just a white wall since the shot is cut at her waist. In general, you want the wall far back from the subject so, as with green screen, you light the subject with one set of lights, and the wall/floor with another.

If you need to to see the floor too, then space lights, preferably through silk, are a common solution. If you don’t know what space lights are, do a google search. Equally, you could have done a google search for “lighting limbo”. Lots and lots of information there.

Rick Wise
director of photography
Oakland, CA
http://www.RickWiseDP.com
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Mark D’agostino]

I agree that this was shot in front of a white background. However, we have done similar things with highly reflective objects on green screen. As Rick noted, keeping a good distance from the green wall is important. In this case I’d go for at least 15 feet. For the reflections, since this would be an easy matte because you don’t see the floor and the shot is so tight, a 4×8 sheet of foam core on both sides just out of frame, (or in frame as long as her body doesn’t cross in front of the card), and possibly another angled up in front on the floor would hide the green and reflect the appropriate white. The white card also helps to bring detail to the black shirt. You just have to tweak the bounce level on the cards to strike a nice lighting balance on the subject. I also often use brown shipping paper from below in front to eliminate the green without over lighting from white.

Mark

Mark D’Agostino
http://www.synergeticproductions.com