This breakdown episode is a long time coming. Today we are looking at a fashion commercial shot in Los Angeles on the Panavision DXL2 and the Primo Artistes Lens Set.
I hadn't worked with the Panavision camera before and it was an eye opening experience on what the future looks like for cinematography.
Enjoy the episode!
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Each and every week we are bringing the live stream to Patreon. This week we will look at some select work from the recent film, talk about the lighting, and the Patreon supporters get a chance to ask questions and get live feedback.
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Panavision DXL2 & the Primo Artistes
For a variety of reasons which I lay out in this episode we chose to shoot this spot on the Panavision DXL2 paired with a brand new set of the Primo Artistes.
Camera Gear:
Check out the gear I use on all of my commercial shoots by clicking the link below:
Wandering DP Commercial Cinematography Gear
The only kit not listed on that page is the Panavision DXL2 and the Primo Artistes.
We didn't use a single light on this entire commercial as it was all bounce and neg to get the look we were after.
Panavision DXL2 - The Future of Image Capture
Set Up #1 - The Dolly Zoom
The Shots
This was the first shot of the commercial and also the most complicated. The director wanted a dolly zoom which meant we had to lay a bunch of track, put the camera on a small jib, and practice, practice, practice.
In truth this move would have been much easier with a technocrane but we production fiunds are limited you have to make it work with what you have.
The Lighting
The lighting for this entire spot was done through location, scheduling, and some bounce and neg.
For this we wanted the afternoon backlight bounced into an 8x8 of ultra bounce for our key. We used an 8x8 of Hi-lite to soften the sun on the talent, then bounced back in the direct sun from the ultra bounce. Camera right we had a 12x12 black to add some negative fill and we finished with some blacks on the ground to control the bounce from the concrete car park floor.
The Result
Panavision DXL - Behind the Scenes
1st AD stand in as we rehearsed the move once the track was set up.
First look on the tech scout.
A snap about 10 minutes before we rolled. We added the ultra bounce wrap just before we shot.
Set Up #2 - The Roof Top Sunset
The Shots
The brief was to float around and get some angles of the models looking good on this rooftop.
We floated the camera all over and kept the lighting to a minimum to allow us to move as fast as possible with the setting sun.
The Lighting
We wanted options on the roof so that meant keeping the big textiles in the truck. We used small 4x4 floppies and ultra bounces in key areas to quickly balance out any contrast issues.
The Result
Client Options
Behind the Scenes
Set Up #3 - High Noon Scenario
The Shots
On day 2 we started in a park in DTLA but due to scheduling for the second location of the day at sunset we needed to shoot this park scene right in the middle of the day.
Never ideal.
The Lighting
For lighting we had to chose an area of the park that wasn't going to give away how toppy the actual light was. We needed darkness in the background so that when we diffused the sun to soften the shadows we wouldn't be giving away our tricks.
We found an area surrounded by trees, hung a 20x20 of Half Soft Frost from the tree branches (couldn't use stands as the shot was a 360 view of the location) and then added some local negative fill and bounce.
The Result
Behind the Scenes - Panavision DXL
Set Up #4 - Panavision DXL2: Full Format Tricks
The Shots
In this sequence we had to piggy back on another location but we needed it to feel different.
We used the shallow depth of field that the lenses and the Panavision DXL2 offered us and shot in to some trees while we were wide open.
The Lighting
The same issues we had been having all along with reflections limited our angles and coverage. Below you can see an example of seeing the 4x4 poly if the model turns her head to far in one direction.
We chose the background as it was backlit and then used the anti-sun sandwich wrap technique to carry the sun light around our models face.
The Result
Bounce in Shot: Panavision DXL2
Set Up #5 - Canter's Deli
The Shots
The final set up of the day. Sunset on Fairfax and we switched from a floaty handheld set up to a steadicam sequence.
The Lighting
This spot was all about the time of day and knowing we had to be as low impact as possible to the pedestrians passing by we used the soft light of magic hour in combination with some poly and 4x4 floppies to get the desired look.
The Result
Set Up #6 - Around the Corner
The Shots
The two shot was all about movement and camera angle.
The Lighting
We backlit the talent with the hazy slightly overcast sun and then walked a 4x4 poly next to the camera for a little bit of an eye light.
The Result
Hi Patrick! Long time listener of your podcast. Such agreat tool for learning, I think we listeners owe you so much! Thanks one more time.
Second time posting a comment, not sure if you have answered to this one already.
To what I understand you only do breakdowns when the project you have worked on has been released/boradcasted. I was wandering if you could add a link on the show notes page whenever it is possible, so that we can watch the entire piece and have a better understanding of what you went through when you shot it. At the same time we would have the chance to look at other shots you might have not selected in the podcast and try to analyze them.
Thanks again for all that you give away to the aspiring DPs like me.
Best regards!