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Looking for three point kit.
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[Ty Ford] “Is that so wrong!?!? :)”
Almost got it, Ty. You should buy a great key light, scrounge for the rest if you have to because they just do not matter as much.
1. Key light (soft) using either fluorescents or Chimera with a cheap open-face fixture.
2. No need for fill light. Use reflector — even a white board is okay.
3. Hair or backlight optional. Little fresnel is great for this.
4. Light for background optional. My choice (from advice on this forum)= Source 4.ANY artificial light is optional. You can sit your subject next to a nice big window and shoot.
When I was primarily a producer, I hired a great film shooter who came to an interview with a carload of lighting gear. He took one look at the nice big window, put camera on tripod, said, “Ready.” It looked beautiful.
And for Gods sake make sure the microphone is not in the shot. How often do I have to tell the sound guy to get that thing up higher….
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Bob, I’m with you all the way.
I rarely use a kick light these days unless I think the shot really needs it for separation or it’s motivated by widows or practical sources. Love a FlexFill because it’s so easy to use and acoustically transparent.
To my taste, overuse of a kick can give your shots a “mall photo studio” look; too predictable and ho-hum.
I don’t have a “standard” fixture for the BG; often I use nothing at all if the ambient looks good and is at such a level that I can adjust the key for compatibility. For other backgrounds, I use everything on the truck!
I tend to prefer very dramatic portrait lighting, with a nice darker band on the face between the key and fill; it’s very three-dimensional and reveals the character of the subject. I like to key pretty high too, to fill the neck with soft shadow.
Perhaps I go too far; many people prefer a flat look. I guess that’s why the ice cream store has so many flavors, but I’d rather be a CPA than shoot that way unless the story really demands it. When the client demands it contrary to the way it should be, life is not a fun as it should be.
Sigh.
Good shooting!
Leo
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Thanks again Leo
Ty
Ty Ford’s “Audio Bootcamp Field Guide” was written for video people who want better audio. Find out more at https://home.comcast.net/~tyreeford/AudioBootcamp.html
or https://www.tyford.com -
I prefer the Biax 8 from Mole Richardson; plenty of punch.
In the 4 tube fixtures, have a look at Kino Flo.
By all means, rent or borrow before you buy!
Good shooting!
Leo
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[Leo Ticheli] “I prefer the Biax 8 from Mole Richardson;”
Leo, does the Biax 8 have the same “feature” as the Kino Flo: bulbs in pairs, if either bulb (or socket) is bad, neither one lights up?
I’d like a Biax 8 for interviews, if for no other reason than that I could then move the fixture farther away from the subject and still have enough light. A lot of my interview setups resemble Spanish Inquisition torture scenes. (“Okay, you see that tiny spot surrounded by lights and stands and reflectors… That’s where you sit, and RELAX.”)
In your experience, working with non-professionals, do you have some personal rules about how close you are willing to place the key to the subject — sheerly for the sake of a comfortable, relaxed environment for the interview?
One more random question: it’s commonly said in favor of fluorescent keys, that the light falls off more rapidly from them as opposed to Chimeras, thus enabling you to control the light on the background. Why is this so? I can’t understand the reason for this.
— Bob C
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Leo, does the Biax 8 have the same “feature” as the Kino Flo: bulbs in pairs, if either bulb (or socket) is bad, neither one lights up?
Golly, I don’t know! Never had the problem, but we always keep spares handy, even though I don’t remember a tube failing on the set.
I’d like a Biax 8 for interviews, if for no other reason than that I could then move the fixture farther away from the subject and still have enough light. A lot of my interview setups resemble Spanish Inquisition torture scenes. (“Okay, you see that tiny spot surrounded by lights and stands and reflectors… That’s where you sit, and RELAX.”)
In your experience, working with non-professionals, do you have some personal rules about how close you are willing to place the key to the subject — sheerly for the sake of a comfortable, relaxed environment for the interview?
Obviously, anything you can do physically to relax the subject will help, but more important is the psychological approach, the skill of the interviewer to engage the subject. Warm-up dialog and questions that elicit natural responses are more important. I do tend to light in such a way that the subject’s discomfort is minimized.
One more random question: it’s commonly said in favor of fluorescent keys, that the light falls off more rapidly from them as opposed to Chimeras, thus enabling you to control the light on the background. Why is this so? I can’t understand the reason for this.
I think this belief is in the same category as the Bermuda Triangle, Atlanta, and the Loch Ness monster.
While different diffusion materials have a different character of light, my understanding of physics is that light sources of equal size aperture and intensity have equal fall-off following the law of squares. This is also my experience.
Good shooting!
Leo
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LOL!
I’m so used to typing “Atlanta,” that I typed that for “Atlantis!”
Now that I think of it, Atlanta might just be as mythological as Atlantis!
Best regards to all,
Leo
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