studio paint color

[Craig Alan]

[Dennis Size] “My rough guess is that the LED’s are daylight balanced, or “close to daylight” “

Thank you Dennis. That would be my guess too which is why I switched to auto white balance rather than studio temp. These LEDs were first used to wash the outside of buildings. I’ll try to find the specs on them. They have been great on the cyc wall. Lots of fun mixing colors and adding gobo patterns and playing with the bounce off the cyc for certain shots. Maybe you need to reset auto again on the 5D when conditions change. I’ll check the manual. And even better get the update Rick mentioned.

We have not had problems with color in our shoots with either camcorders or the Canon 5D.

However, a light meter sounds like a good idea. I found an old one in storage left with some nikon colored filters for a lens size I don’t have that needs a particular battery. Not sure if it works but is real old school and I think high quality, fitted leather case, trigger, wheels for settings. Would not mind getting it up and running. I just think it would prove educational to see what the actual temp is of shots.

No one is chiming in about the paint being a poor color so I’m going to get started repainting tomorrow. I have some left over from when the cyc wall was painted and the school said if I need paint that matches what is there already and is getting old there is budget for that.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Dennis Size]

A light meter and a color meter are 2 different things.

The paint you use in immaterial. Because of your situation I’d suggest a relatively inexpensive paint since you’ll need to repaint several times a year (depending on usage).
Just get a color that’s close to TV White, or you’ll hate yourself.
DS

[Craig Alan]

that takes us full circle. do you think the pics of the paint color are close enough?

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Mark Suszko]

Is the floor ever going to be in your shots, or is it just a surface to put the camera tripod/dollies/pedestals on? Why do you need the floor to be reflective at all, is what I’m wondering. A big white floor is going to add to the overall light level – is that a good thing? Or does it make sense to have the floor be darker, more subtractive? Bare, but leveled and well-sealed concrete may be all you need, using loose floor tiles or mats or carpet for areas that are in-shot. That’s what we have.

[Craig Alan]

[Mark Suszko] “Is the floor ever going to be in your shots”

Yes, we get lots of shots with the floor in view. I inherited this design 3 years ago. My first reaction was the same as yours. I’ve learned to enjoy it except it needs maintenance.

There are shoots in which we will place the talent near the CYC wall so that the LED’s that are usually just used to wash the CYC b.g. are reflected onto the floor and talent. It’s an interesting way to light and provides both a mood, a color scheme and backlighting. We also have a source 4 leko with gobos aimed at the floor which allows us to create patterns and the flat white is a good canvas for this. Most of the time I tell students to get far enough away from the CYC so that’s he LED’s spill does not disrupt their lighting.

No question a white floor adds to the light level of the room, but totally controlled by the lights, the room can get completely dark if we turn them off other than the exit signs which on occasion I tape over. It is a flat finish and not particularly reflective. Whether the floor is white or not you can put down rugs or whatever to change the look. I tried to get funding for roscoe studio tiles which would be easier to maintain but after initial approval it turns out we will be building a new studio in two years and they do not want to invest anymore in this one. Thus giving up on this I have started repainting the one I have. I should be able to get some paint for the job if I stay with the same color. If I want a different paint I need a different funding source.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.