I talk a lot about FSI monitors. In turn, I get quite a few questions as to why I talk so much about FSI monitors.
Well here you go. Ask and you shall receive.
8 Responses
sam windell
Are you still rockin’ the CM240 Patrick? I’ll be in the market for one of FSI’s monitors in near future soon after being inspired by you and Shane.
Thanks!
-Sam
Wandering DP
Still loving the CM240. Wish I could use it more but the last 3 or 4 months of jobs have all been me operating handheld.
It is the ultimate tool though when I can use it. Makes getting exactly what you want pretty easy.
Sam Windell
Do you use a light meter when you are run and gun handheld? If so, what lighter meter are you a fan of? I’ve also been hearing of a light/color meter you can use on iphone. Not sure about the accuracy, but tempted to try it out.
Wandering DP
If I do use a meter for run and gun I will just whip it out when getting to a place, take a few shade readings then sun readings not so much to get exact exposure settings but more just for info to keep in the back of my mind.
False color is king in run and gun. And not run and gun.
Great work Patrick! I’m really enjoying and learning a lot from your podcasts! I’m also a Shane Hurlbut follower and an Inner Circle member as well. It’s great to have such wonderful resources to learn from!
As for this podcast about False Color and the Flanders monitor, I completely agree! In fact, after taking Shane’s workshop & masterclass I bought the CM-250 and it’s an amazing tool! Your methods for studying the work of others and understanding what they did is a show of respect and a great way to learn.
I do have one question please… I’m not clear on how to interpret or correlate the False Color IRE levels into Stops. Example: If the Key is 55 IRE and the Background is 25 IRE, what is the Stop difference?
Thank you and keep up the great work!
Wandering DP
Thanks for the kind words Bruce. Glad you are enjoying the podcast.
For exact stop measurements on the false color/IRE the easiest way to do it is with a proper exposure chart and then map your False color to the various patches.
But you have to remember what is great about FSI monitors. They are calibrated to REC709. REC709 is the important part. When using a camera with 13+ stops of DR it is important to remember that you really only have 5 stops to play with in REC709.
the FSI false color has 7 possible colors so you can map it out if you test it.
When I was first wrapping my head around stop values and false color I looked at movie references and overlayed my false color. I then replicated those looks in tests with my camera/lighting. I then metered with a light meter so I knew exactly what was going on.
The more I tested, the more I metered the more exact my understanding for a stop under, two stops under and now I am at the point where I know the settings on the false color so well that I don’t have to test anymore.
SO all you need is a meter, a chart, and some time and you should be good to go.
Hope that helps.
Patrick hello. Great post and great blog. An absolute favorite of mine. Would there be any chance, that you could do a blog post specifically on how you use your flanders monitor in lets say 3 different situations high key, low key and an overcast average. You could show the overlay method and then explain how to make most of your flanders monitor. It would be great to see how you decide on which ire you decide to set your skin tones, depending on the atmosphere of the scene. I am sure that post would be very very welcome by the community. What do you say?
Are you still rockin’ the CM240 Patrick? I’ll be in the market for one of FSI’s monitors in near future soon after being inspired by you and Shane.
Thanks!
-Sam
Still loving the CM240. Wish I could use it more but the last 3 or 4 months of jobs have all been me operating handheld.
It is the ultimate tool though when I can use it. Makes getting exactly what you want pretty easy.
Do you use a light meter when you are run and gun handheld? If so, what lighter meter are you a fan of? I’ve also been hearing of a light/color meter you can use on iphone. Not sure about the accuracy, but tempted to try it out.
If I do use a meter for run and gun I will just whip it out when getting to a place, take a few shade readings then sun readings not so much to get exact exposure settings but more just for info to keep in the back of my mind.
False color is king in run and gun. And not run and gun.
I use a Sekonic 758cine.
Great work Patrick! I’m really enjoying and learning a lot from your podcasts! I’m also a Shane Hurlbut follower and an Inner Circle member as well. It’s great to have such wonderful resources to learn from!
As for this podcast about False Color and the Flanders monitor, I completely agree! In fact, after taking Shane’s workshop & masterclass I bought the CM-250 and it’s an amazing tool! Your methods for studying the work of others and understanding what they did is a show of respect and a great way to learn.
I do have one question please… I’m not clear on how to interpret or correlate the False Color IRE levels into Stops. Example: If the Key is 55 IRE and the Background is 25 IRE, what is the Stop difference?
Thank you and keep up the great work!
Thanks for the kind words Bruce. Glad you are enjoying the podcast.
For exact stop measurements on the false color/IRE the easiest way to do it is with a proper exposure chart and then map your False color to the various patches.
But you have to remember what is great about FSI monitors. They are calibrated to REC709. REC709 is the important part. When using a camera with 13+ stops of DR it is important to remember that you really only have 5 stops to play with in REC709.
the FSI false color has 7 possible colors so you can map it out if you test it.
When I was first wrapping my head around stop values and false color I looked at movie references and overlayed my false color. I then replicated those looks in tests with my camera/lighting. I then metered with a light meter so I knew exactly what was going on.
The more I tested, the more I metered the more exact my understanding for a stop under, two stops under and now I am at the point where I know the settings on the false color so well that I don’t have to test anymore.
SO all you need is a meter, a chart, and some time and you should be good to go.
Hope that helps.
Awesome! Thank you Patrick! I now have some homework to do! 🙂
Patrick hello. Great post and great blog. An absolute favorite of mine. Would there be any chance, that you could do a blog post specifically on how you use your flanders monitor in lets say 3 different situations high key, low key and an overcast average. You could show the overlay method and then explain how to make most of your flanders monitor. It would be great to see how you decide on which ire you decide to set your skin tones, depending on the atmosphere of the scene. I am sure that post would be very very welcome by the community. What do you say?