The age of the Mini LF is upon us and in this podcast we take our first look at the Mini LF in action with anamorphics.
It is a bit of a workaround at the moment to get everything to play nicely together on set but I was really pleased with the results even if I wasn't the biggest fan of the lenses.
Enjoy the behind the scenes look at a recent commercial spot.
Patreon Podcast #136: The Commercial World
This week on Patreon we mix it up and take a look at a commercial shot by Khalid Mohtaseb that i really enjoyed the look of.
Commercials are a great medium for exploring what is new and fresh in the cinematography world so I thought we would break up the feature looks and dive in to something slightly more contemporary.
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Alexa Mini LF & Anamorphics - The Spot
This spot was the brand piece that we shot off the back of two days of retail ads. We actually shot the retail section on the Cooke Speed Panchros (which we will look at in another breakdown podcast) and the brand piece we then shot in anamorphic.
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 and coupled that camera with the P+S Evolution Kowas.
The Location - The Feature House
The main location for this montage ad was actually the hero house we shot in for 5 days earlier in the year for the feature film I shot.
Alexa Mini LF - Shot by Shot
Shot 1 - Outside Look
The Shot
This was our first set up of the day and the shot is our hero talent just missing his partner as he returns from his morning run.
The Lighting
The sun was just out of shot frame left and we used the Sun Wrap approach to line up this shot. We wrapped the sunlight around from the same side as the backlight using a 4x4 bounce.
Because we were moving so quickly we didn't have time to take the edge of the heat from the sun so it ended up being quite a harsh backlight.
Add a 4x4 floppy camera right and that was it.
The Result
Set Up #2 - The Wide Stairs
The Shot
The hero shot of the couple reunited in the hallway.
The Lighting
By the time we entered the house the sun was above the window line which meant the light coming through was sky ambient as opposed to direct sunlight.
We used the natural light of the hallway in combination with haze and neg fill all around and behind camera to help add some contrast.
The Result
Set Up #3 - The Coverage
The Shot
Coverage of our hero moment between the two lead talent.
The Lighting
We walked in a 4x4 floppy frame right for each talent and then repositioned the action to get the best light fall off on the female's face. It wasn't quite enough level and we were missing an eye light so we used an Arri S-60 Skypanel to help wrap the light to the dark side cheek and to add a little eye light.
The Result
Set Up #4 - His Coverage
The Shots
The reverse.
The Lighting
Same as above but we repositioned everything for his new angle. We had to lower the S-60 even more than before to deal with the deepness of the eyes.
The Result
Set Up #5 - The Hallway
The Shots
This series of hallway shots required various different looks as we follow the talent down the hallway and out the door.
The Lighting
The lighting here had to be extremely flexible as each outfit change required a lighting change in very little turn around time. We used the ambient day and controlled it through a T bar of neg fill behind the camera.
Each room had a sky panel s-60 and one room had an M18. As lighting changes were required we would change color and intensity on the fly to give us a variety of different looks.
The Result
Set Up #6 - The Kitchen
The Shots
A montage of quick kitchen moments was required to sell the business of their lives as well as the passing of time.
The Lighting
We used a combination of an Arri M18 coupled with a Joker 800 for the direct light. We also added a bunch of haze to this sequence to help lift the blacks and control the harshness of the lamps outside the window.
The Result
Set Ups #7 & #8 - The Bits
The Shots
More of the montage.
The Lighting
Here we used the same lamps as before but swapped them to come from the other side of the window. Again just for variation and a different look.
The Result
Set Up #9 - Cup of Coffee
The Shots
Our hero talent sips his daily coffee.
The Lighting
Same as before for the baclground outside but now we added a Skypanel through the Octodome as the key. Frame left we used a T bar Neg to help model the contrast.
The Result
Set Up#10 -The Stir
The Shot
Same as before but in tight on the process.
The Lighting
Same as above.
The Result
Shot #11 - In the Car
The Shot
We shot a whole series in the car in a variety of outfits and talent combinations.
The Lighting
We chose to shoot these in the afternoon when the sun would be low enough to get some light inside the car but not low enough to actually enter the frame. This kept the contrast manageable without needed lots of lighting or rigging.
We picked a path that was backlight and drove in a loop to get all the coverage we needed. No light or bounce just some neg behind and to the side of camera.
The Result
Set Up #12 - The Bedroom
The Shots
In the bedroom we needed a number of different set ups with the couple. The challenge was the bedroom was on the second floor and we had to shoot during the day and the room was floor to ceiling glass on one side.
The Lighting
We blacked out all the windows, added a few titan tubes above the bed from frame left to act as the practical carry, put the pracs in shot on dimmers and set the level very low.
Then on the hero talents computer I placed and Aputure MX to help dial in the coolness of the monitor we needed to contrast the warmth of the practicals.
Frame left we used the door to leak in just a tiny bit of ambient daylight from the hallway.
The Result
Set Up #13 - Sawing Logs
The Shot
A single of our hero lady in bed asleep.
The Lighting
We kept everything in place from the previous shot but added some Titan tubes on the shadow side of the camera to add just a hint of level to pull her out of the darkness.
In the BG you can see a leak of daylight coming from our black out job. Would have been great to get it patched up but we ran out of time.
The Result
Set Up #14 - Sleep In
The Shot
The morning look inside the bedroom.
The Lighting
This was our last look inside the bedroom and as the G&E team worked to breakdown everything and move to the next set up we snuck in this morning look.
WE kept the neg in place from the previous shot and opened up the lens and exposed for the blinds in the BG. This shot is all natural daylight coming in from outside the sheers.
The Result
Set Up #15 - Morning Run
The Shot
In this series we see the female talent running on the treadmill. Lots of fast cuts and points of coverage in what was a fairly bland white room.
The Lighting
We used an Arri M40 from outside through a series of frames for ambient room levels and for her soft key. Then we used the Joker 800 to add the sun slash on the wall.
In the background for the window we added a 4x4 frame outside to block off the view and then we finished it off with quite a bit of haze in the room.
The Result
Set Up #16 - TV Time
The Shot
This is the start of a series of shots in front of the TV late at night.
The Lighting
We built up the ambient outside with a combination of the Joker 800 and the Arri M18 with the CRLS Reflectors.
Inside we had the practicals on dimmers coupled with two skypanels on the ground to key the middle ground and the foreground.
Don't forget the haze.
The Result
Set Up #17 - Her Turn
The Shot
Close up of the female talent watching tv with the male in the BG.
The Lighting
Same as before but we shot this at dusk so there is a bit more level outside.
The Result
Set Up #18 - Stir Fry
The Shot
Late night dinner prep scene.
The Lighting
We used a series of Titan tubes for the key from frame right then added neg frame eft. In the background on the windows was a net material to take down the daylight we were actually shooting this scene in.
For the light above the stove we used a Astera Helios.
Add haze to taste.
The Result
Set Up #19 - Warm Glow
The Shot
Our talent is ironing his shirt as he watches the tv.
The Lighting
Here we used the same set up as the other night scenes in the tv room.
We were able to add a bit more control and contrast to the scene by walking all the fixtures closer. That control allowed us to have a bit more shape here than in the previous wide shot.
The Result
Set Up #20 - Solo Dinner
The Shot
Our final shot for the day. Our talent eats a meal at the dinner table by herself.
The Lighting
By this point everyone was packing up the gear from the previous scene so we used the bare minimum amount of fixtures to do the job and still make the day.
We had a Titan tube outside for level in the BG then inside we had a Titan tube rig above the kitchen counter inside as well.
We used an Arri S-60 from both frame right and left to act as key and edge light. Then of course haze to round it out.
The Result
