[John Sharaf]

Shoot outside on a bright sunny day, rotating your set as the day proceeds to keep the sun in the same direction. An overhead silk might be nice to soften the shadow but still keep a directionality to the light. A 1/4 silk is especially good to keep a daylight type of (2 to 1) contrast. Without knowing the nature of your subject I could be all wrong though!

JS

[John Sharaf]

Hi Dane,

The best advice is to buy your 220v globes here in the states as they are very expensive in the UK and you’ll be forced to pay the 17% VAT (although if you have enough time at the exit airport you can get a refund).

Another thing I’ve done is to build a pigtail cable to plug two 110v lights in series to avoid having to buy 220v goobes.

Finally be aware that the electricity is 50Hz, so set your camera shutter to 1/50 or 1/100th to avoid flicker from fluorescent or neon lights.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Yeah, Michael makes good suggestions. The Hypergamma settings I refer to only are available as LUT’s with the optional 444RGB software (sorry) but the Cine settings are similar in concept.

Use a DSC chart and WF/V scope in a test environment to familiarize yourself with the effects of each setting, and then apply appropriately when needed. The Cine 4 for example offers the most highlight control and Cine 3 is good for controlled lighting.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Richard,

Your camera settings usually revolve around your intended use and workflow, rather than the nature of the recording, with one proviso: that the internal 8 bit recording is no where near as good as an external 10 bit (as on HiPro) when color correction is applied.

When you are using the KiPro as the master recorder you can more freely use the Hypergamma settings in the F3 to control the highlights and dynamic range, because this gamma does require color correction as well (really gamma correction in addition to saturation).

If you’re not familiar with the Hypergammas you should test it out thouroghly as the exposure settings are not the same as shooting in 709; where the mid gray is set at 50 ire. With HG2/4 it should be lower, which results in more headroom for the highlights, but must be raised again in post completion. It is easy to overexpose the faces when using HG so be careful.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Hi Todd,

It is possible that the hair imperfections you notice are a result of compression and playback on the internet.

As for the exteriors, again the Alexa’s ability to reproduce 14 stops of DR is at play. Not to take anything away from the skills of the cinematographer!

JS

[John Sharaf]

They shot with a professional crew, great care and large source lighting. Usually the biggest tungsten light available (24K) into a 12×12′ Muslin. Same treatment for fill. If you look closely you’ll see two catch lights in the eyes which means key + fill. White backings are lit evenly to 80ire so they’re a straight line on the waveform monitor.

As far as camera, my guess is Alexa in log C gamma, which to my taste creates the best skin tone available at this moment in time. This gamma requires color correction, so it is adjusted on high end equipment in ideal monitoring conditions.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Max,

Both your description of the lighting issues and your question make me wonder how qualified you are to be hired to fix the problem. I don’t mean to be harsh, but a typical professional who would receive such an assignment would not consider doing it for less than a $1000 fee, independent of the lighting equipment purchase itself, and surely two Lowell DP’s are not the correct choice.

The work involved would be a thorough investigation of the various uses of the room, designing a lighting plot, calculating the light output at the prescribed distances, ordering fixtures/rigging/hardware/wiring/dimmers, etc. not to mention the actual installation which might require scissor lifts or A-frame ladders, depending on the ceiling height.

I doubt very much that it’s really a matter of “low light” levels, as modern video cameras are very sensitive and produce very little “noise” even in gained-up modes. It is more likely the position of the practical lights; they are most likely ceiling mounted “area lighting” designed to illuminate the room in such a way that people can find their way to a seat and then find their belongings when they leave.

What is required is lighting that will light the faces in the action area where the speakers play. The number of people who must be lit in this area will determine the amount of lighting units and their size. To allow flexibility for various configurations, a dimmer panel would seem appropriate so various “scenes” could be created, programmed and called up as necessary. In addition there would be some flexibility to adjust for unanticipated permutations.

Off hand, if I were to recommend any one particular type of fixture to use it would be the ETC Source Four which with the proper selection of globe (575 or 750w) and lens angle 19,26,35,50,70, etc. would provide the control necessary (vis a vis the open faced Lowell light).

Rigging a pipe in the proper place would allow a mounting platform for many such units, and routing the wiring to there from a multichannel dimmer backstage or in the back of the room where you can see the effect would be logical.

Needless to say, this can not be done for $1000, but perhaps $5000-10000. The best thing you could do is to make a convincing case to do this correctly, not half-assed with a couple of Lowell lights. Such a proper installation will last many years and will greatlu increase the usefulness of the facility.

Please do not take offense, but it would be best to hand this off to a lighting professional and or an architect who has some specific specialization in lighting such venues.

JS

JS

[John Sharaf]

Sounds like back focus was off. While I don’t have EX3’s nor use them, I’ve heard that this can be ab issue. They have some “auto” back-focus feature which may or may not have been used correctly. Check the instruction book, go through the procedure and see if you can create sharp wider shots. If not there might be a mechanical issue with the lens mount or flange. This will need to be addressed in the maintenance shop.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Daniel,

You’re doing everything right; stacking the two filters by taping them together is the accepted solution. Although I have yet to find them, I’m told there are custom filter trays made to facilitate this. If anyone knows a source for these, this is a perfect occasion to chime in.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Robin,

I own and use every type of motion picture light from 150w Dedo to 4K HMI PAR and yet I find these Locasters very useful and amazingly versatile, especially for their size and firepower. To find out if they’re right for you, you should borrow or rent a few and try them out in your typical application, I think you’ll be impressed with them too!

JS