Rick Wise
1
COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
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Thank you, everyone who chimed in here, and especially Dave for his detailed reply. I am stuck with the Dell for now — a money issue. It went on sale at a steep discount, so I grabbed it. (No longer so cheap.) For now I’ll have to make do with the bare bones, which are significantly better than no bones at all. Dave’s last line is so to the point!
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
If you have the luxury to include at least one Lavender in your kit, so much the better. There are some rare times when reducing the light’s intensity by 1/4 stop is just what you want. But not often. These days we have few opportunities to tweak to such detail, but when we do, the Lavender is another tool to cherish.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Color balance: Your office setting is no doubt lit with overhead fluorescents. They emit a green spike. Solution 1: turn them off and use only your lights. Solution 2: gel them with 1/4 minus green; determine if they are warm whites (roughly tungsten color balance) or cool whites (roughly daylight;) If they are warm and you have tungsten lights, all will probably mesh pretty well. If they are cool and you have tungsten lights, add 1/2 to 3/4 CTB to your lights. Solution 3: leave the overheads alone. Add 1/4 plus green to each of your tungsten lights, as well as whatever orange or blue gel you need to get in the ball park with the orange-blue component of the overheads. Whichever solution you use, manually white-balance your camera in the dominant light.
It sounds like you have the necessary lights to make this small space pretty softly lit all over.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Todd, as soon as I can justify spending $500 I’ll do just that.
Rick
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Todd, thank you very much for the info about the LED lights you have found so useful. I wonder if you know anything about the Genaray circular lights, that come with a slot for an umbrella. Of course, with an umbrella on your rectangular lights they become circular as well.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Todd, you wear your modesty well. I know a master when I see one. Possibly my own hubris, but I think not.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Todd, in addition to being a master cinematographer you are also a master at DIY rigging. Most impressive. Those lights seem to be from India, a rival of Chinese sources. Indeed eBay is where to find them: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xproaim+aura&_nkw=proaim+aura&_sacat=0&_from=R40
I have also been intrigued by the round 9 and 14 Genaray lights and the way they come with plumbing for umbrellas. You can find them at B&H.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
That case must weigh a ton with all that gear.
Which LED lights did you chose?
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Fabulous run-‘n-gun setup Todd.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
A look at the Briese web site reveals these lights come in all sorts of forms for all sorts of purposes. It does appear that most of them produce hard light. Some produce soft. So specifying “Briese” is a bit like specifying “Mole Richardson.” I suspect your client worked a job where the cinematographer proudly showed off his/her Briese lights. Now your client thinks, you need Briese for this look. But what IS the look she/he wants? Probably step one is to identify just what she/he has in mind. Hard shadows? (Hard light) A soft gradation from highlight to shadow (soft light.) Etc. Once you nail that look — maybe even get to see an example — then you can think about how to get it without the expense of Briese.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com