John Sharaf
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Paul,
Such are the consequences of living in the real world.
Auto Iris is not going to help you unless you can simultaneously and in sync raise the interior lighting at the same time (not possible).
All I can really suggest, is that if you are in such a situation where the sun is going in and out of the clouds in the background, and it does not serve your artistic intention, you’ve got to choose another background!
JMHO
JS
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Bryce,
The State is NOT the arbiter of this matter. If it came to a lawsuit between you an a disgruntled “actor” in your movie, the likelihood of which increases with the success you’re able to garner from it, the court will laugh at this testimony.
If the State was your client, and was putting up the money for the production, that’s another matter, and you could slough any potential legal issues to them. I’d suggest however if that were the case, their contract with you would require that YOU provide them with the releases.
JS
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Hi Bryce,
The answer is both yes, no and maybe. It really all depends on your intended use and distribution.
The State, as you say, has given you what is broadly known as a “Location Release”. I hope that’s in writing.
While the people you film are probably aware that their boss the State has given you permission to film them, the possibility still exists that you could accidentally anger any of them to the point of sueing you for liable or slander.
For example you could unknowingly portray a worker doing something in an unsafe or unauthorized way.
You could show some one picking their nose in the background or something else that you don’t notice or think matters but does to them.
If you are lucky enough to make a film worthy of TV exhibition or Distribution some other way, you might be required to obtain Errors & Omission Insurance (E&E), and the carrier will undoubtedly require releases from all people depicted. At that point you might not be able to GET the releases and that could
put the kibosh on your distribution deal, or the cost for the insurance without the releases could be prohibitive.So regardless, the best, smartest and easiest thing to do is GET the releases when you can.
JMHO,
JS
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As a rule, I’d be very careful about buying something like this. Lighting equipment CAN last a lifetime and is a valuable asset for any cameraperson or filmmaker. When you consider how many years you can use it and the residual value as surplus of even the highest priced lighting kit it proves how ill advised buying crap is!
One thing to look for in buying lighting kit is the UL certification. Not only does this tell you the unit has been laboratory tested and found to be safe, but it’s often a requirement to even use the light in certain venues. I’ve been challenged in the past on just such things.
That’s not to say that all knock-offs are bad. I’d suggest you look seriously at the FILMGEAR kit. The comparable light at Adorama is listed at $385 including a four-leaf barn door, which usually costs more than $100 by itself. Yes, this light IS a knock off, and yes it IS made in China, but under the direction of the US Distributor, whom I happen to know.
He is Ron Dahlquist who is a pioneer in the lighting business in Hollywood. Over his long career he was a lighting technician on the Lucy Show, head of the Electrical Dept at Paramount, founder of Keylight Rentals, which was one of the largest light rental vendors in Hollywood after the studios started to close their on-site departments. He was the gaffer of the King Kong remake and many other mega movies. Needless to say, he knows his stuff, and safety and quality are his trademarks. The current line of FILMGEAR kit is extensive and they continue to innovate.
One of their newest products is LED tubes, like Kino Flos, but brighter and also dimmable without changing color. They last essentially forever with a stable color and output. Many studios and rental houses are now specifying FILMGEAR kit BECAUSE of the high quality, reliability AND the better pricing.
Of course there is always a tendency to buy the name brand, and also to look for the cheapest possible solution. This product and others of its ilk fill the gap quite adequately.
Due your due diligence. Whatever you spend is a dear amount. Compare the products and decide for yourself if spending a little more will be better for you in the long run. I would not buy lighting kit by mail order that you haven’t looked at and touched yourself!
Good luck,
JS
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Noam,
Yes, a basic question, that many people are afraid to ask.
Knowing some basic video fundamentals are very useful in mastering digital cinema, and how would learn what’s up there above 100IRE WITHOUT asking?
In Video, you can set the camera clip at either 100 or 105IRE. Normally the “100” setting is for television and the known “gamma” of monitors on which you would be viewing; but now of course we have Tubes, LCD, OLED, Projection, cell phones, etc., each of which have their own gamma, dynamic range and color gamut characteristics. This is where you benefit from setting the “clip” higher on your video camera. You’ll get a little more tonality in the highlights.
Now, in answer to your question; anything above the clip is CLIPPED, meaning gone, clear, white, nothingness! In fact Waveform Monitors used to measure the video exposure don’t go above 110 IRE.
Of course we’ve been talking about video. If you are using a high end Digital Cinema camera, it’s another story altogether. With such kit you have a sensor, electronics and recording system designed to put 14 stops between 5IRE (Black) and 105 IRE (White). With bleeding edge technology known as High Dynamic Range (HDR) features it’s possible to crunch 18 stops into the recording. Alexa for example can record either 12 bit (ProRes) or 14 bit ARRIRAW (Uncompressed), this is the last step in the system that preserves many thousand shades of gray and each color.
Sometimes of course it doesn’t matter that the over exposure is essentially “clear film” that the naked projector light goes right through. For example, if it’s moving lights and flares it doesn’t matter, and has a pronounced emotional effect which can be exploited.
YES. Loss of data. Good thing to know, but better how to use it for your creative intent. Best way of figuring that out. DO IT. TEST. INVENT.
Good luck,
JS
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A good choice is a ETC Source Four with a Joker Bug adapter for a 400 Joker HMI
You might even need to use some ND gel to balance it correctly.
The shutters in the Source Four will let you “shape” the light to be just where you want it, and obviously you should position it to throw the shadow away from the screen.JS
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Bob,
Intuitively you already know!
Because the eye light is seen as a specular in the eyeball, it can be set at a really low intensity and not destroy the modeling created by key light.
All lights used for this purpose (ring, obie or otherwise) have a way to “slow” them down.
LED’s are great for this; like the CINEO Matchbox, because their color doesn’t change as it dims.
Same for Gekko “George” the mother of all ringlights.
Panavision made (probably still available) a tungsten unit with shutters to adjust the intensity with out changing the color.
If all you have is a tungsten unit, then you have to use ND gel or scrims to adjust, because if you just dim, you WILL warm up the fill area on the face, and that’s a dead giveaway.
JS
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Hi Daniel,
The absolute “best” way is by referral or recommendation by another filmmaker or producer who has personal experience with a particular DP. Of course if you’re working out of town or out of the country this might not always be possible.
From my own experience trying to find crews out of my area and especially out of the country I use Mandy.com and I’m also listed there as a DP and Cinematographer, and have gotten some great jobs that way.
Good luck,
JS
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Definitely sounds like a “lit pixel”, but you can likely fix it yourself.
Try multiple Auto Black Balances (ABB), or else search you menu for Auto Pixel Correction (APC). I’m not familiar with that particular camera, but some Sony’s have it on the Maintenance page.
Both or these methods essentially identify the lit pixel and then just “turn it off”. There is a buffer that holds the addresses of the pixels you’ve turned of. Eventually this buffer might fill up. That’s the time you have a real issue, as sometimes you have to actually replace the sensor, which is not a practical consideration in an inexpensive camera.
If it is dirt, you might be able to tell by stopping the iris down, this increases the depth of field and reveals the dirt, in, on or behind the IR filter of sensor cover glass. There are kits to actually inspect the the sensor and clean it (usually marketed to DSLR users) but you have to be able to remove the lens to gain access for cleaning. If you can’t it’ll likely be a warranty issue, as it’s supposed to me a “sealed” area where dirt cannot get to. If you can remove the lens, do so and shine a flashlight in there, and look at the picture on a 17″ or larger monitor, you’ll see the dirt if that’s the culprit. Gaining up will reveal lit pixels.
Good luck!
JS
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Sophia,
To start off, there’s no need “to avoid this when possible”.
It’s the Cinematographers job to apply what ever solutions and techniques are required to best tell the story, and often staging a scene (or interview) while also looking out the window can be very important.
Think of a Wall Street tycoon in his big office in a skyscraper looking down on the rest of us!So whatever the situation or script calls for, you should do your best to oblige. That doesn’t mean that it’ll be easy or cheap!
To your specific questions:
1 – does the gel need to cover the whole window or only the part that is visible behind the subject? In other words, you only see a small section of the window in the shot but is it enough to cover only that bit? For cost saving purposes, that would be great of course.
It’s best to cover the whole window; otherwise a lot of “extra” light is let into your shooting space and may be difficult to control. Furthermore the schedule may change and the sun or light might move into a problematic place that could ruin your earlier setup. Also despite your understanding that “you only see a small section of the window”, you must allow for the director to change his/her mind and want to get a wider shot too.
2 – is it actually practical to apply the gel in new, unknown locations? You don’t want to break anything obviously and don’t want it to slip down the window half way through the shot. Is gaffa tape the best solution or what works best for securing the gel to all sorts and types of windows?
When planning to gel a window, either a tech scout or at least a good set of photos of the location (taken at the time you’ll be shooting) is critical. This will help you determine how much gel and perhaps how much density you’ll need. You always want to put the gel on the outside, as it’s like a mirror and reflections become an issue; especially if it’s not smoothly applied and/or ripply. Also the best application is with sprayed slightly soapy water, the gel cut to fit and then smoothed with a squeegee. This method lends itself to quick and clean removal too after the job. If it’s a French Window, you’ll have to cut individual pieces for each frame of glass, and even if it’s a picture window you’ll have to make straight edge cuts so there’s no leak at the edges.
This gel also comes in Plexiglass 4×8′ pieces, which is very easy to apply, but of course very expensive.
3 – is 0.6 enough assuming that the light coming through the window isn’t overly bright, for example on an overcast day or if the sunlight exposure isn’t direct?
This is the $64000 question, and one which has both a technical and creative answer. The simplest way to determine the required density is to set the shot, light it with your biggest daylight source, set the exposure on the face, and then with that exposure in mind, continue to stop down until you’re satisfied with the outside exposure. If the difference is two stops (say T2.8 inside and T5.6 outside) then you’ll want to use .6ND. You’ll likely find that the difference (unless you have a 4K HMI in the room) will be more in the neighborhood of 4-8 stops, which requires a much denser gel. A lot depends on whether the picture outside is front lit, back lit and the weather clear, cloudy or overcast. A truly professional approach is to prepare for any or all possibilities. when you rent a grip truck package they have all the densities and you just pay for the one roll that you use.
Also be aware that the gel comes as both just ND and also Combination Daylight Correction and ND, refereed to as 85ND.x. This allows you to use Tungsten lights inside, but because they’re inherently inefficient and hot, this is rarely done. A variation on this would be to use uncorrected ND on the window and a 1/2 Blue (daylight Correction) on the Tungsten Light, on which you make your white balance.
Finally, may cameras these days have Log settings and or Cine Gamma (sometimes known as HyperGamma) that preserve more Dynamic Range in the picture, to as much as 14 stops, so that if the outside is 7 stops brighter than the face exposure, you’ll still have some detail, but you should still consider to lower that inside/outside ratio to taste, which is as I have said a creative decision.
You are now fully armed with the information you need.
Good luck!
JS