[Ben Rickert]

Hey Todd,
Thanks for the fast and thorough response to my questions about white and green screen fill lights. It is much appreciated! Using your input, I created a similar setup and I’ll be sure to post my results after I’ve used them a couple of times on a shoot.

In case you were curious, or this benefits others:
I ended up choosing the Lithonia Diamond Plate 2-Light Shop Light for T8 Flourescent bulbs. Of all the 2 bulb displays with 4′ tubes, this one appeared to emit the most light because of the reflective silver interior. It also takes T8 bulbs with tend to provide (ever so slightly) more lumens than similar T12 tubes. This difference probably isn’t really perceptible, but I figured, “Why not?”.

I bought partially-threaded 1/2″ hex bolts, along with washers and nuts, cut the hex-end off with a hack saw and used a metal file to remove the rough edges from the bolt. I installed these in the center of the shop light, but the diamond plated metal wasn’t very thick and it flexed a little when I picked up the fixture by the bolt. So, I headed over to Lowe’s and bought a 1-3/8″ x 8″ steel “strap” (a bar of metal used for binding wood planks / deck building) from the lumber area, along with some smaller 8-32 sheet metal screws. I drilled a 1/2″ hole right in the center of the 8″ bar, placed it on the inside back of the shop light and bolted it back together with the brace in place. I used the smaller screws to fasten down the ends of the 8″ brace and distribute the load when hanging from the bolt. It feels a LOT more stable now than it did before.

Here is the shopping list:

Lithonia 2LT Diamond Plated Shop Light ($29.97 x 2)
1/2″ Hex Bolts ($2.15 x 2)
Washers ($0.33 x 4)
Hex Nuts ($0.38 x 2)
10 PK of PLC 4FT T8 32W Daylight Deluxe Flouresecent Tubes ($33.97)
1-3/8″x8″ steel strap ($1.98 x 2)
1″ 8-32 Machine screws, nuts and washers ($3.54)
Grand Total: $108.55 (plus tax)

Overall, I probably paid a little more than I needed to, but only because I wanted to see how those diamond plated fixtures would work and I bought several extra bulbs.

Thanks again, Todd, and have a great day!

Ben

[Ben Rickert]

Hey Todd,
I’m just picking up on this older thread… I like your design for those fluorescent shop lights and have decided to give building it a shot this weekend. I have a client on a budget and need to wash both a green and white screen for a handful of web-video shoots. Two quick questions for you before I head over to HD for parts, if you have a second…

1) Where did you find that short threaded rod for attaching to a C Stand? Is that a standard part I can find at the hardware store or something you found/made otherwise?

2) Since you’ve now had this setup for a while since this initial thread, have you changed the design of this setup at all?

Thanks again,
b.

[Ben Rickert]

Hey everyone – If possible, I’d like to revive an old thread and see if a definitive solution was ever found…

Does anyone have a workflow that actually solves this or will Safari always display my Vimeo clips with less contrast/color (i.e. “washed out” or “lighter”) than Firefox with both H.264 or X.264?

I’ve read countless articles for hours and see people blaming H.264 gamma shifts, color profiles and Apple’s gamma changes. Solutions I’ve read about (and tried) involve the X.264 codec, changing intermediate codecs, or modifying the source footage to look better in Safari, but I’d rather not make it look dark in Firefox by doing this. These are a lot of factors and perhaps I have just not found the “right” combination yet, but my videos still look washed out in Safari and fine in Firefox after uploading to Vimeo. (Sadly, I can’t post images due to confidentiality agreements.) The footage all looks great in FCP, Quicktime, VLC ,etc., but is immediately lighter and desaturated once online with Vimeo… Any input would be appreciated – thanks.

My system:
Mac OSX 10.6.8
Final Cut Studio 7 (Compressor 3.5.3)
Quicktime Pro 7.6.6