A great show today with the added benefit of not being a real commercial. We are looking at a spec (sort of) ad today and breaking down how it all came together.
The double edged sword of shooting commercials and trying to break them down here for you is that there is only so much I can show without getting in trouble. Well that is not the case today. In this episode I show you what straight out the camera looks like vs. the final images.
Enjoy the behind the scenes look!
Patreon Podcast: Triple Diffusion
On the Patreon podcast this week we look at Triple Frontier shot by Roman Vasyanov. Roman is definitely one of my personal favorites working right now and we break down a tricky scene involving some car work and exterior day stuff.
Always challenging keeping things consistent and polished on exterior day scenes and we look at how Roman managed to pull it off.
You can find this week's Patreon content by clicking the link below:
If you are a fan of the podcast and want more video content the patreon group is the place to be. Each and every week I release an exclusive podcast, video, or live stream just for the Patreon members.
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Spec Ads - Shooting for Fun
This ad was not paid. We shot it to prove that the good people of WA had the ability to pull something like this together during the pandemic.
The premise of the ad is people at home on lockdown who make bold statements to camera about how they pledge to do their part to get the WA Tourism industry back on track once the travel restrictions are lifted.
Camera Gear:
Check out the gear I use on all of my commercial shoots by clicking the link below:
Wandering DP Commercial Cinematography Gear
We used the Arri Alexa Mini LF paired with the Cooke Speed Panchros.
For the lighting we had a bunch of small lamps but nothing to big as we had to rely 100% on house power.
The Schedule
We shot the ad in one 8 hour day at two different house locations.
Spec Ad - Shot by Shot
Shot 1 - Couch Surfing
The Shot
A couple sit on the sofa watching Netflix.
The Lighting
This was the most involved of all the lighting set ups from a time and fixture standpoint. It is because of that we schedule this set up first so everyone could bump n and get the ball rolling.
We used two skypanels as the moonlight and the tv gag light.
We used a China ball for the key (dimmed wayyyyyy down) and the used the practicals on dimmer to help set the mood.
We had a Titan tube boomed out over the talent behind them to act as a backlight. Throw in some negative fill camera left and a ton of haze and that was it.
The Result
Shoot Location
Set Up #2 - The Push Finish
The Shot
Same as before but we slightly change the angle and are now dollying in.
The Lighting
See above. Same but everything closer and therefore more contained.
The Result
Set Up #3 - The Smoke Show
The Shot
In the wide for our second set up the camera is tracking left to right to reveal our new location.
The Lighting
We schedule is shot around the sun even though we were inside. We did so because we had no generator so we had to rely on boosting natural light.
We had a 4x4 CRLS reflector outside bouncing in the day light and then being pushed through a 8x8 of diffusion on the outside of the window.
Throw in the neg on camera right and the haze and we are good to go.
The Result
Full Frame
Behind the Scenes
Set Up #4 - The In
The Shots
Our talent sits at the kitchen table.
The Lighting
Same as above but easier because we are closer. Added a 4x4 frame and we were done.
The Result
Straight Out the Camera
Set Up #5 - The In In
The Shot
Portrait of the talent.
The Lighting
See above.
The Result
Shot #6 - The Trampoline
The Shot
The girl sits on the trampoline by herself as the camera dollies towards her.
The Lighting
We used the Sun wrap technique to bring down the background and make her pop. Then we had a 12x12 of Ultra Bounce frame left and a 12x12 Neg frame right.
The Result
Straight Out the Camera
Shot #7 - Down the Line
The Shots
The same as above but tighter.
The Lighting
Same as above but because we are tighter we added an 8x8 of diffusion for the sun to help control the levels better.
The Result
Straight Out the Camera
Shot #8 - In Again
The Shot
75mm portrait.
The Lighting
See previous shot.
The Result
Shot #9 - Enter the Sun
The Shot
The camera pushes in on the talent as they deliver their lines.
The Lighting
We used the 12x12 from the previous shot and parked it against the window frame left to help get some level on the talent.
Added haze and let the sun do the rest.
The Result
Shot #10 - The Reverse
The Shot
This is the portrait of the reverse angle inside the kitchen.
The Lighting
We now diffused the sun rather than bouncing it because of the angle of the kitchen. One 4x4 frame and a bunch of neg should do the trick.
The Result
Shot #11 - The Last Stop
The Shot
Camera dollies in as the talent delivers their line.
The Lighting
We had an Arri M18 for the main key plus a Joker 800 for the background.
Add haze and Neg and we are done.
The Result
Straight Out the Camera
Shot #12 - Down the Line
The Shot
Same as above but closer.
The Lighting
See above with the addition of a 4x4 frame left just to help wrap the light around more.
The Result
Shot #12 - The Wrap
The Shot
Same as above but closer for the portrait.
The Lighting
Same again but everything closer.
The Result
Hey mate, what fixture was in the China ball and what kelvin did you set it to? Thanks mate!
Hello Patrick Thank you so much for all your content here and on Patreon.
I have a question to make you:
in the setup number 3 and number 9 how did you control the levels of the background because in the behind the scenes photos I see that the sun is flattering all the space. Did you use some more neg fill for the background or how you did to bring the levels from the background down.?
Best Regards
Leandro