[Dennis Size]

You should aso backlight your hero with either 1/8 or 1/4 CTO — and a 1/4 minus green or even Lee 188 (Cosmetic Highlight diffusion), to minimize the green bounce rimming his/her heroic actions. It sounds like you’re going to have a lot of light hitting that greenscreen.

DS

[Dennis Size]

Assuming you’re lighting your greenscreen and your talent BOTH with HMI sources you should be fine. Just balance accordingly.

I would diffuse the HMI scources heavily. Light tough spun (Rosco #106) would be my diffusion of choice on the greenscreen.
I would diffuse the talent HMI’s with light tough spun and 1/8 CTO …. and also perhaps Cosmetic Highlight (Lee 188).

DS

[Dennis Size]

Wow….. are there actually people who can afford a full truck of lighting gear anymore? 🙂

DS

[Dennis Size]

How many cameras? Angles?
Audience?
Power and/or AC issues?

DS

[Dennis Size]

I’ve done this shot dozens of times on soap operas and the best solution to is use the one Rick Wise mentioned — have all the actors carry flashlights, and let them light each other’s faces. (use a Roscolux matte silk diffusion #113 in the lens to help spread the beam) It’s believable, and natural …and answers the obvious scripting question as to why they’re running around in total dark to begin with without some sort of “security” light ….especially when they stop and talk (which makes no sense unless the boogey man is chasing them — in which case why worry about a realistic natural quality of light).
It’s also wise to add as much backlight as possible as that will “edge” your actors and provide shape to their movement and the space they’re in — without making it seem like there’s any light in the space. I’ve done the gimmick using 100w fresnels randomly buried up in the corners as backlight down the length of the corridor (obviously out of your shot). You could even use the smaller, cheaper, 50w or 75w “birdies”. Gel them light blue (perhaps Rosco #63).
I also recommend a few 375w, 50 degree Source 4 Juniors equipped with break-up gobos and blue color (Rosco #68 works well). Be sure to use dimmers to also keep the intensity down. Dedo’s are always my first choice, but it sounds like you don’t have the money. Longer lens units will assist you in lighting the far ends of the corridor while still being able to hide the fixture. Let the actors run through the colored textural break-up and they can actually “settle-in” to a pool of texture when they do their dialogue. Some of my favorite non-descript break-ups for this type of gimmick are the GAM or Rosco “Construction”, “Glass brick-up”, “Squares”, or even any one of the “linears”.

have fun wih it.
DS

[Dennis Size]

JARED ….
I’ve been a lighting designer for over 30 years, and I still don’t think I have the knowledge or experience for some of the projects I take on. The challenges and excitement brought by the limitations and variety of each new production is why we’ve chosen this crazy business called show!
If you search through all the FORUM posts you will find many suggestions for “education”, but many people feel that the “hands-on” approach is far better for learning than the “research/reading/dvd” avenue.
That being said however, I would heartily recommend, THE POWER OF LIGHTING for FILM & VIDEO dvd series by Bill Holshevnikoff. Bill has not only been an International DP and Lighting Designer for several decades, but is also quite a respected educator.

Enjoy
Dennis Size

[Dennis Size]

This was a great post Bill. I missed your original posting. (probably because of our greenscreen series). This is something that has been plaguing me and other LD’s.
The current solution for me is a wonderful development from the CITY THEATRICAL Company in New York City.
They’ve taken a Color Kinetics fixture and created a LED television fixture package. Check out the iW BLAST 12 TR Fixture Kit they’re marketing. The fixture itself contains 36 hi-intensity warm AND cool LED’s. Via their contoller you can vary the intensity and the color temperature (from 2700K to 6500K). To address the beam control issues which you bring up (and also drive me crazy), they’ve also created louvers and barndoors and MOST IMPORTANTLY a series of 12 lenses — both Symmetric and Asymmetric. The lens system really helps shape and control the beam. You can almost turn the fixture into a fresnel. Why not use a fresnel? — the power and heat savings!
So many of our clients are demanding that we install “green” (there’s that word again) studios. Up until now the best fixture I’ve found has been the LITE PANEL 1’x 1′ …which unfortunately doesn’t have any control or beam shaping ability. This tragic flaw was a hindrance to me when I was lighting the White House Press Room (check out the pic on the LITE PANEL website).

I’m currently designing a complete studio in which there will be no dimmers and the power is limited to 100amps. This iwBlast 12 TR fixture (which I’ll need at least 50 of) is the leading contender as the instrument of choice in the facility — even for the greenscreen! 🙂

DS

[Dennis Size]

IAN….Thank you so much for sharing your incredible wealth of knowledge on this topic.
Some of us just have no idea what we’re doing, so your invaluable research will be quite a asset.
When one has no experience, and forced to work under tight budget constraints in a tiny studio, you have provided wonderful goals to target, and hopefully try to attain.

For those of us who can’t afford real greenscreen fabric, and can only light our green paper with cheap Impact Fluros, you have shown us a “brass ring” to reach for. Perhaps someday some of us might get to actually use one of those neat Kino Flo lights you know so much about. I’m looking forward to more of your wonderfully informative posts. I find your graphs especially cool (I love all those pretty colors)!
While I’m waiting, I’ll pass the time trying to figure out how high to place my meager Impact fixtures and how to use this complicated diffuser that came with it.
After a few weeks — and with the assistance of your excellent advice — I’ll try to get the courage to attempt that neat trick you described about putting green gel on the fixture. Could you clarify one more thing, instead of using that plastic gel, is it possible to just use green hair gel or even green Jello?
DS

[Dennis Size]

Wow…. what will they think of next ? !

Thank you for sharing this great information Ian ….especially the website for those newfangled Kino Flo lights. Who knew such fluorescent technology even existed?
I hope I have the opportunity to try them someday.

DS

[Dennis Size]

Well as every Lighting Designer will tell you …when shooting outside on location, “every cloudy day has a silver lining”. Unfortunately, most brides will disagree.

Glad it worked out for you!

DS