[Dennis Size]

What are you shooting with?

DS

[Dennis Size]

It certainly looks better.
DS

[Dennis Size]

I agree whole-heartedly with Rick. A little backlight goes a long way. I also love cheating my color temperature on the backlights to enhance the hair and shoulders.
In this particular instance I’d go with two 150watt fresnels (left-shoulder and right shoulder) plugged in hot. The 3200K color temperature will be a nice warmth and you won’t have to worry about dimmed filament hum. If it’s too “warm” for you, stick a 1/8 or 1/4 CTB in a frame. If it’s too hot on the subjects hair barn door the light beam, or use a 1/2 scrim (as Rick suggests) or clip a cut of diffusion onto the top door flagging the top half of the beam…allowing the light to softly flare up into the subject’s hair (my personal favorite). If the shoulder’s aren’t bright enough then spot the beam up a bit.

Frankly, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say backlight is over-rated.
Often there is no need for backlight and I don’t bother with it — preferring instead to shoot with a wide open iris and allow my background to go soft — with the crisp in-focus edge of the subject providing all the separation that’s needed.
I just got into a dispute just the other day with an “old school” producer who wanted to know how I was going to backlight people being shot wide standing in front of a very bright huge floor-to-ceiling window. When I said I wasn’t going to, I thought he was going to have a coronary. When we did the shot however he was thrilled by the separation that was achieved by the bright “fold-over” from the out of focus exterior seen through the window and the crisp edge we achieved on the subjects …accomplished via a carefully controlled foreground to background light ratio and a wide open aperture. Additionally, he was also thrilled by how inexpensively we were able to light the space and the time saved not having to go through the arduous task of rigging/hiding a backlight pipe.
DS

[Dennis Size]

Thanks….I try to have fun!

As almost all of the projects I do are Network Broadcasts — utilizing mutiple cameras shooting simultaneously (sometimes live) –I can’t do any extreme filtering at the lens as it will corrupt the total image being sent into people’s living rooms. I will often have softening filters (such as a low density digital diffusion, glimmerglas, Soft FX, blacknet, etc.) installed on the cameras, but I have to be careful not to get too extreme with how soft my talent appears …although with the likes of Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer the sky’s the limit. I was once accused of putting my gym socks over the lens for a Barbara Walters Special — which was not true (although the simultaneous use of Soft FX #2, and blacknet, in conjunction with all the skin detail at 0, was probably denser than my gym socks!).
Since cameras need to cut from one person to another, and often at different focal lengths, using too much lens filtration can be quite a trap. One must always be conscious to avoid the “MOONLIGHTING effect”. Cybil Shepard had so much lens filtration compared to Bruce Willis it looked like they were in two different shows, even though they were being shot at the same time in the same scene!)

Often I will “cheat” the cameras with different grades of the same filter so that the disparity among the cameras isn’t noticable.
For example, in my current redesign of “the look” of the ageless PEOPLE’s COURT, I had an Soft FX #2 put into the camera that specifically shoots the judge (to soften the facial lines and enhance Judge Marilyn Zeitman’s beauty but not lose the sense of “reality”). However, I had Soft FX #1 filters put into all the other cameras so the softening wasn’t as noticeable when cutting between shots. Additionally the Producer did not want to lose the “gritty” feeling of the defendant/plaintiff and courtroom audience.

As a sidnote, I will almost always light for as wide an aperture as I think I can get away with — depending on how fast the cameraops need to take their shots while maintaining focus (although on some of my shows sharp focus is merely an option).
Normally I will light for a f-stop of 2.0, try for 1.8 and settle back into 2.4. Often I’m lighting sets with as little as 30 footcandles ….sometimes less. That would be a guess however, since I don’t own a light meter! 🙂

DS

[Dennis Size]

You’re welcome. If it’s cheap and quick I’ve probably done it!

With all due respect to GREAT AMERICAN MARKET I should probably point out that this stuff is really great for a quick (and long lasting) floor treatment.
I’ve had great luck changing the color of studio floors with it …especially when clients aren’t allowed to paint a rental facility’s floor. It’s easily removable also.
The white floor is especially useful in completing an “endless” white cyc.

DS

[Dennis Size]

When I’ve needed a more “permanent” solution to window light “pollution”, and didn’t want to deal with hanging fabric or cutting foamcore/artcard/wood, I’ve successfully applied black contact paper to the window. It’s cheap and does the job. It’s also pretty damn quick.
My favorite solution, which is also neater and more professional, (and easier to remove), is to use GREAT AMERICAN MARKET’s GAM FLOOR.

Check this out:

https://www.gamonline.com/catalog/gamfloor/index.php

My product of choice is: matte soft black #VFGF232

DS

P.S. I do lighting, windows, AND floors!

[Dennis Size]

I feel your pain brother!

I’m surprised you do half-day billings. We’ve always avoided it (although the times may start to dictate otherwise).

In response to the terrible way this business has been going, a friend of mine recently told me he’s brushing up on the following line he may have to use with future clients….. “Would you like fries with that sir?”

DS

[Dennis Size]

Well isn’t that special!
I should look at websites more often! 🙂

Barbara Walters wouldn’t know LEE 188 if someone laid a piece of it on top of her supper. She does know what makes her look good however. When I first discovered LEE 188 (and it’s various shades) and began using it on Ms Walters over 15 years ago, she did become aware of the “peachy” color her key lights began to glow with. Ultimately all her ENG cameramen were instructed to duplicate the way I was lighting her in the studios and use that diffusion.
I think the LEE quote probably came from someone at the ABC Network Production Services division when LEE inevitably asked them why ABC was buying so many rolls of #188.

Frankly, after years of looking at / working with the various qualities of light — color, shape, intensity, texture, etc. — the nuances of those qualities have become pretty obvious to me (hence my lack of need for meters). Most of the time I just trust my instincts and run with it. I must admit, once or twice I’ve been mistaken (and I’ll be the first to say I’m full of shit). The great thing about making a mistake is that it “builds character” and forces a person to rethink their approach — coming up with a better solution –and moving right along (many times in the space of a few seconds).

DS

[Dennis Size]

I shall anxiously be watching.
I always love what you and Chuck do with my old girlfriend “Babs”.
I know you’ll make her look spectacular — instead of an 80 year old _______ (fill in the blank)! 🙂

I know what you mean, the economy’s killing everything.
The ABC cutbacks — as well as all the other networks — have been absolutely absurd on the East Coast.

I’m also anxious to see the OSCARS with Roger at the helm this year.

DS

[Dennis Size]

Oh no! …..ANOTHER meter!!!!! 🙂

DS