[Dennis Size]

“preposterous” ???

Well that pretty much sums up 90% of what we’re asked to accomplish most of the time!
DS

P.S. I’ve done 6′-0″ black wrap cuks !

[Dennis Size]

woof-woof

[Dennis Size]

As we all know, the definition of color temperature uses a black body reflector. In physics, a black body is an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it. No electromagnetic radiation passes through it and none is reflected. Because no light (visible electromagnetic radiation) is reflected or transmitted, the object appears black when it is cold. However, a black body emits a temperature-dependent spectrum of light. This thermal radiation from a black body is termed black-body radiation.
At room temperature, black bodies emit mostly infrared light, but as the temperature increases past a few hundred degrees Celsius, black bodies start to emit visible wavelengths, from red, through orange, yellow, and white before ending up at blue, beyond which the emission includes increasing amounts of ultraviolet.
I’ve often thought the TOTAL-Light is — in reality — a black body reflector, as it certainly becomes the hottest thing on earth when it is used. When not used to actually light someone on camera, it can certainly be used to cook hamburgers for hours …long after it’s turned off. The OMNI is second to the TOTA in dangerously retaining heat,

DS

[Dennis Size]

Screens not-with-standing, always have plenty of burn ointment around when using TOTAs and OMNI’s. Someone will always get burned.
DS

[Dennis Size]

That’s funny. I’d hardly call a camera mounted LED Lite-Panel a “Sun Gun”. ARRI also does not make a 350w fresnel. Verify if you’re getting a 300w or a 150w — it’ll make a difference.
The 3 lights in this kit will not be enough for all the areas you’re shooting in — especially since your best plan of attack is to “leap frog” locations (having one set up, while you’re shooting in another). You should get 2 of these ARRI Kits with stands/hardware.
The DIVA will save you repeatedly! Get two if you can — but have daylight balanced lamps also (plus CTB and CTO color correction).

Hopefully you’ll have someone handling the lighting chores who knows how to use this gear ….otherwise you’re wasting your rental money.

DS

[Dennis Size]

LOWEL and ARRI make several kits. A definitive decision can’t be made without knowing exactly what instrumentation these particular kits contain.
Frankly, I would probably use neither kit and rent what I needed specific to this project.
Based on your “sketchy” requirements and lack of a survey however, if I were told these were the only 2 kits left on the planet, I would take both — and make them work. One kit will not be enough.

DS

[Dennis Size]

When I have a shoot in Miami I rent my lighting and grip gear from UNIQUE PRODUCER SERVICES. If I can’t bring one of my regular gaffers, UNIQUE provides a great guy named “Zoot”.

DS

[Dennis Size]

Did you test your theory by shooting with that handheld camera right up next to the Diva? ….or by moving the Diva close to the hand-held?

DS

[Dennis Size]

EXCELLENT posts Richard!!!!

Thanks for your clarifications!

DS

[Dennis Size]

Sorry Bob I must have missed your asking for a reply. I’ll try to explain my eschewal; but please don’t be mad that I’m not as detailed as Richard (who impressed the shit out of me with his reply!) I frankly just don’t give light meters any thought.

When I first started in television (which wasn’t as long ago as Rick Wise, so I defer to his experience) I did soap operas. Since I came in out of theatre, I always relied on using my eyes to compose a scene and “paint pictures with light”. I did have a still photography background, so I was aware of the importance of contrast ratios and the need to meter for film. During my transition I lit a soap opera called RYAN’s HOPE — which (if anyone remembers it’s early days) had a very theatrical look. I lit the show with the same “source lit”, yet slightly heightened reality approach I would do for a stage show.
Since I learned early on to work very closely with the video shaders, I always determined my exposure via the highly calibrated monitors they were working from, which I still do to this day. Any show I light, once I determine the f-stop I want to work with, I make sure the video shader has properly set-up the cameras, and then finalize my levels/cues using the shader’s monitor.

As I began to light in other venues, especially sports arenas (doesn’t everyone just hate arena lighting) and chromakey studios, I became aware of the importance of having both a light meter AND a color meter. I also worked with other DP’s and LD’s, and after observing their total reliance on “the meter”, I thought I should buy my own so I would at least LOOK professional (and perhaps not have to guess as much).
Props are everything after all!!
I bought both. To this day I still occasionally pull out my Minolta digital color meter. Unfortunately, my comparable Minolta digital light meter was confiscated by the Secret Service during a security sweep at President Clinton’s first big television special, which I was lighting. It was never returned. Having lost — or had stolen — several analog meters previously, and now losing an expensive digital meter, I vowed never to waste money buying another meter again. (I guess it’s the stubborn Irishman in me!)
The few times over the years (twice ??) that I actually felt I might need a meter, I just included it in the rental package for that project.
Many of the LD’s in my company swear by their meters… and actually make fun of my refusal to use one. I, in turn, make fun of their reliance on such a “crutch”. I’ve found that after all these years of lighting in studios, I know what a 2000w fresnel is going to do from 16 feet ….. or 25 feet. I know exactly what focal length leko I need to get the necessary intensity at 10 feet or 40 feet. A 4kw softlight at full intensity will always provide a relatively predictable intensity level at 10 feet.
Since I do next to nothing without using dimmers I always have a certain amount of latitude in my intensity control. Even then I’ll set my leight levels/cues before even looking on camera…. and I very seldom have to rebalance. My eye — and “the force” — has always properly guided me.
I was recently doing a studio relight in Dubai. While I was hanging all the lights (on an unusally low grid) I felt that there was something wrong with the fixtures (predominently Source 4 zoom elliposidals). They just didn’t “feel” right … and as I was setting dimmer levels that should have been correct, the overall intensity level didn’t look right, nor did the color temperature.
When I set up the chip chart and had the shader balance all the cameras he told me there wasn’t enough level, which “the force” was telling me all along. I was using equipment that I knew, from distances, that I knew, with dimmer levels that always work. What could be wrong?
I told my gaffer to recheck everything in the system — the wattages of the fixtures, the dimmers and their trims, and the power. We discovered that there was a major power problem coming into the dimmer racks. In a 220v system, the dimmers were putting out less than 200v when set at full intensity — which was wreaking havoc with the output of my fixtures. A light meter would have told me my level was too low (which I knew) but if I relied on it totally I would have just set my dimmer levels higher or brought the lights closer — instead of digging deeper to discover a larger, more important, problem.
Sorry…I just realized this reply is turning into a thesis.

signing off — hope this was enlighting

DS

DS