Rick Wise
1
COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
-
What size? 2 bulbs? 4 bulbs? 2′ or 4′? I’d get the larger size for all — you can always cut down the number of illuminated bulbs, but you can never boost the light of a small unit except by moving it closer, which creates its own problems.
In general, you still need a fill light (use a 4×4 foamcore held by a c-stand). You also need lighting controls — those c-stands, scrims. You still need a small back light — could be a small 2-bulb 2’kino flown into place at the end of a c-stand. You may well want some diffusion for the key kino. You might want some light (1/8) CTO or CTB for the back light, depending on hair color.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Mark, a raking light, usually placed on the fill-side of the face but sometimes on the key and even sometimes on both sides. It kisses part of the cheek, creating a highlight. Usually the light is placed at the same height as the head and carefully placed to add a sort of side rim.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
Jon, sounds like your students are extremely lucky to have your support! My budget question was for S.B.
S.B. I think the answers are in my original reply to your query. Two or 4 “flood” lights for the background – an equal number for each side. Maybe get 4 totas, and end up using either 2 or 4, depending on the spread you need. You might end up with one on each side, one above and one from the floor — or just two altogether. A soft key, such as a 1K through both 4×4 opal and 6×6 1/2 grid cloth, a small raking light such as the pro light, and/or a small back light dosed so that you’d miss it if it were not there but don’t really see it. For fill, use the foamcore to bounce part of the key. 3-6 c-stands as mentioned with sets of singles and doubles. Get at least one sand bag for each c-stand. Wire scrims as well for the key and back lights.
Camera: If you can, rent an Alexa. Next step down, a Red. Or, An F3 or c300. Sticks. Audio.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
-
That kit seems to have 4 lights, though the text leaves out the tota light. To get an even white behind the speaker you will probably want two matched lights for even illumination. (See below.) The speaker has a very soft key, a very soft fill, and at least one scratch light, and probably a light back light though you may not need one, depending on the shirt and hair color.
Balance is the issue, as well as control. I see no scrims for any lights, nor any c-stands and grip-scrims. So the short answer is you will have a hard time achieving that look with only the kit. Add at least 4 c-stands and 3 sets of grip 18×24 scrims, and a 4×4 piece of foamcore. Try to also get wire scrims for the lights.
Key with the Rifa. Fill by bouncing some of the key light with the foamcore. Set the tota flood on one side of the background, the omni on the other in full flood. Move the lights until there is even illumination across the background visible in the shot. A light meter would help. If your camera has a waveform built-in or a histogram, you can do it that way. Otherwise use Zebras — set to around 85-90, close the iris and then slowly open it. If you get even zebras across the white field the field is lit evenly. Use the pro light with scrims as a scratch.
You still have to find the right balance between the whiteness of the background and the intensity of light on your subject. Place a Caucasian in the shot. Set zebras to 70%. Adjust iris until you see just a hint of zebra on the hottest spot of the face, usually the forehead and/or nose bridge. Lock the iris there. Now set the zebras to 85-90%. Adjust the intensity of the background until at the given iris you found for the subject you just get even zebras at 90 across the background. (Probably more efficient to start with the key and iris, and THEN go for the background, instead of starting with the background.)
It would be easier to have two omnis or two totas instead of one of each.
Also, try to set the speaker at least 10′ in front of the white background so that you can keep the two lights on the background from hitting the speaker. The greater the distance, the easier to control, but the bigger the background white surface has to be — and your two little lights may not make even illumination of sufficient intensity.
How crisp the image is will depend a lot on your lens and camera. That Apple piece was shot very high end.
I’d say your kit is on the ragged edge for what you want to do, but with time and a lot of patience and a huge amount of adjustment you might pull this off.
Alternatively, instead of trying to cram a 50-pound box into a tiny bottle, come up with a different and creative idea that works well with what you have.
I’m sure some of my colleagues here will have other ideas for you.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
What are you shooting? A talking head? A product? If a product, what?
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
You are so correct! My error. See p. 88 of the manual…. However, since using the waveform seems to turn off the peaking function, there’s still a bit of a problem unless there’s time to set up properly — which while shooting doco style there seldom is…. Back to zebras.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
One more question: how long can you hand-hold the Canon steady enough when recording. I find the tighter the shot and the higher the resolution the more noticeable any unwanted camera movement becomes.
The Canon lens we had, a 17-55, has a built-in steady-shot, which helps. Further, shooting that wide also helps reduce shake. And the ultimate post weapon is Mercali DeShake. Length of time I can hold steady? Not sure, but a while. Holding that camera does require one to have some decent upper-body strength. I work out with 8# dumbells, sitting upright and holding them vertical and lifting them up and down, then side ways and up and down, then flip the wrists over and up and down; then work on the wrists by holding the weights with my arms resting on my knees and repeat motion in every possible way, then start over with the arms, etc. The camera is not truly light, just lighter than many others….
I did try a shoulder brace, but I’ve never liked them. On the other hand, for long hand-held work I’d recommend something like the Turtle X or XS from Easy Rig. Here’s a delightful demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl7LHTGT46c)
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.comSome contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
-
As noted above, the c300 has a peaking function which outlines areas that are in focus in red. It also has a magnification button that allows the operator to push in on the image to set/adjust focus. Neither is recorded so both can be activated during a shot, though the magnification button screws up your framing quickly. I avoided it except when my finger hit it by mistake.
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com -
John, I love your “will defiantly enhance the image”. Yes to that!
As to Todd’s question about the c300: Here’s what I found with two days of running around the streets of San Francisco shooting our local police:
Good: relatively light and hand-holdable without any rig. I had considered the F3 but it’s bigger and harder to hold.
good: Peakng with red to indicate what’s in focus is pretty slick.
good: excellent eyepiece and flip-out monitor, though the flip-out is useless outdoors without some sort of hood.
good: Fairly good range of exposure, and can be set up to sort of emulate the Alexas, though when you do that an ISO of 1250 becomes a working ISO of 160.Not so good: impossible to use external follow focus with marks on Canon lenses; not so with PL glass.
Not so good: no auto anything — for doco work I like having the ability to punch up auto focus, then go back to manual; ditto for iris
Not so good: no histogram or waveform (The F3 has a histogram — I’d much prefer the waveform.
Not so good: no way to toggle through Zebras; I like to be able to see 100%, then 70%; on the c300 you have to go into the menu and select one or the other, unless you want to put up with both at the same time. I screwed up one set of shots by protecting highlights thinking the zebras were on 100 when in fact they were on 70 — a couple of stops under exposed.I’m no gear head and leave it to others to do so. In sum, I enjoyed the camera a lot for the purpose I had. For more controlled shooting with sticks/dolly I’d pick the Alexa first and the F3 second. But the c300 with PL mount and good glass could also be a very viable camera. As with all video you do have to protect for highlights — anything above 100% is gone, gone, gone. Blown out windows or elements of the shot, no problem But if the highlight on a forehead goes to clip, ugly….
I think John’s reasons for the F3 are solid, but I don’t think hand-holding works so well. Here are a couple of shots of the c300 with me behind the lens. The lens is a Canon 17-55 T/2.8, fairly sweet for hand-held work, though I wish it went to 85 or so on the long end:
Rick Wise
Cinematographer
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
