Leo Ticheli
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Bob,
The big single net is a very limited solution because it must be used on every shot or you will have continuity problems. It’s suitable for a talking head interview, for example, depending on the look of cut-away material. I’ve used a 12′ x 12′ single net and frame, although you might be able to get by with a 6′ x 6′ if you’re using only pretty tight shots.Another DOF cheating solution, particularly suitable for the small cameras, is to keep the camera moving so the attention is drawn only to the foreground. Again, you can’t do this for every kind of scene.
There really is no one-size-fits-all solution to the very wide DOF with 1/3″ chip cameras; that’s why you often see promotional footage scenes like beaches with the background 26 miles away!
Certainly these little cameras have their place and talented people find ways to do brilliant work with them. Sometimes the very low cost, tiny footprint, light weight, and mobility trump the advantages of a larger imager.
Good shooting!
Leo
Director/Cinematographer
Southeast USA -
The depth of field issue with 1/3″ chip cameras is very real.
Even with 2/3″ chip cameras, such as the VariCam and CineAlta, which have depth of field comparable to 16 MM film cameras, isolating the subject from the background can be challenging.
The adapters which focus 35 MM lenses on a moving ground glass give the same depth of field as 35 MM film cameras, but introduce many problems on their own. This has been well covered here at the Cow and on other forums.
The techniques for limiting depth of field are quite standard. Keep the iris wide open, set the subject as far from the background as possible, and use as long a lens as is consistent with the look of the scene. There are a few tricks that help, such as homogeneous backgrounds and even placing a large black single net behind the subject, but mostly it’s pretty basic stuff.
Good shooting!
LeoDirector/Cinematographer
Southeast USA -
There is little doubt in my mind that Professor John Sharaf would recommend an HMI fixture in a large Chimera. This is the most expensive approach, but nothing beats a giant soft source for that certain look.
Good shooting!
Leo -
If you asked a dozen of us to light such a scene, you would most likely find quite a bit of variation in approach and resultant look. Michael’s suggestion is just as valid as anyone’s, and the look is better or worse depending solely on your own vision of how you want it to look.
I’ve not seen Michael’s new line of lighting fixtures; they may or may not suit your needs and lighting style. At the prices Michael has mentioned, you have little to risk in trying one.
The Kino Flo’s are a sure bet; I don’t know anyone who’s tried them and not made them a permanent part of the way they light. I’ve also been very happy with my Mole Richardson Biax 8; it’s punchy enough to work with daylight windows and still small enough to stuff into tight quarters.
Good shooting!
Leo
Director/Cinematographer
Southeast USA -
Hi Ruby,
Most often the goal is to make the pictures beautiful or dramatic without looking “lit.” This may well be the case with your assignment.I would not choose the lighting kit you have, probably opting for quite large soft sources that have sufficient punch and coverage even when placed far enough away to avoid the frame. You could try bashing your hard lights through a very large sheet of diffusion material; even a bed sheet or neutral shower curtain will work, although I worry that you may not have enough punch. If there are windows revealing daylight outside, you have a double problem; color balance and level.
When faced with a situation that you just can’t fully light because you don’t have the time or equipment, you may choose to simply add some shape to the light to make the subjects more three-dimensional; use your lights from a three-quarters back position to add some kick and let the available light provide the key. Usually not the first choice, but sometimes it can look quite good, depending on the desired effect.
You didn’t say how you plan to block the scene. Do you intend to place one subject opposite the other two, so that you are doing some over-the-shoulder shots? Are they all sitting around a table, at, say nine, twelve, and three oclock? You’re blocking certainly affects the lighting design.
If you’re moving the camera, you may well have to adjust the lighting for each camera angle, taking care that the lighting doesn’t look changed from shot to shot in editing.
Hope it goes well! Invest in some Kino Flo’s as soon as you can.
Good shooting!
LeoDirector/Cinematographer
Southeast USA -
Smile, decline, and move on.
Or…
Tell them you would be happy to prepare whatever materials they would like at full rate.
Best regards,
LeoDirector/Cinematographer
Southeast USA
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I’ve got the luxury of always being able to color correct my material, so I almost always shoot with the dynamic level set to 500, the maximum. Being an old film guy, I just don’t like the higher contrast and lack of detail in the highlights that normal video offers, and a dynamic level at 200 is very much like that. Like John, I do often blow out the whites, but only for the artistic look, not as a matter of course.
The color grading we do rarely involves much more than lowering the blacks a bit; while it would be easy to do this in camera, I prefer the control offered in post. Unlike film, if detail is not on the tape, you’re not going to get it back in post! You can always have less in the suites, crushing blacks and burning out highlights.
I don’t believe I’ve used the Video Rec mode in years. Film Rec is indeed wonderfully filmic. I just finished four days shooting aerials and was reminded just how broad a range the VariCam could handle; even the most difficult situation, hot clouds and white beachs with dark trees looked really good. With the Dynamic Level set to 500, there was very little burn out in the sky.
None of the parameters works in isolation from the others, so I prepare my settings with a monitor, scope, and DSC charts. I start with the dynamic level at 500 and set everything else from there. Properly setting up a VariCam is neither quick nor easy, and you have to spend a lot of time tweaking one parameter and then returning to others that are affected by it. The end result, however, is quite beautiful.
Good shooting!
Leo
Director/CinematographerSoutheast USA
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I’ve never seen this problem with my VariCam.
Good shooting!
Leo
Director/Cinematographer
Southeast USA -
Ah! Right you are.
The 130, 150, and 1200 do not output 24p. Since this is the Black Magic DL forum, I assumed you were using your DeckLink card to drop the redundant frames. Of course you can use the FRC as well.
Best regards,
Leo
Director/Cinematographer
Southeast USA -
What deck would that be?
All Panasonic DVCPro HD decks handle VariCam 24p material.
Best regards,
LeoDirector/Cinematographer
Southeast USA