This week on the podcast we are breaking down a commercial I shot early last year.
The spot combines a small interior bedroom set up and a working retail space so there are quite a few hurdles to jump over to get the job done.
Enjoy the breakdown and if you have any questions please let me know!
Advanced Cinematography: On Set Training
Are you interested in coming on set with me and seeing how I work on a typical commercial? Do you want to see the Framework in action and follow along as the various pieces are added to see the before and after differences?
If so than please check out the latest course from the Wandering DP:
Advanced Cinematography – On Set Training
This course follows a project from start to finish and you get to come on a virtual set and see how all the shots are designed. The positive feedback from students has been overwhelming and the new technology that runs the course and allows you to see lighting and framing decisions in real time has changed the way cinematographers will learn forever.
Patreon Breakdown: The Fundamentals of Caring
On the Patreon Breakdown this week we take a look at a few different scenes from the 2016 film The Fundamentals of Caring shot by Giles Nuttgens BSC.
The main scene we focus on is a great example of something that might read very simple on the page but once you start to do the mental math of the coverage needed it can get very complicated very quickly.
Lots of takeaways from this one and I am excited to get it out there.
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.
Patreon members also get access to the Private Facebook community for the show. The podcast couldn’t exist without the Patreon support and I do my best to take care of the supporters.
A New Leaf – The Spot
Camera Gear:
We shot this on the Alexa Mini LF in Full Sensor mode and used the Cooke Speed Panchros which cover from 40mm and up.
A slightly wider lens would have been nice in the bedroom interior but we knew what we were up against on the scout and decided the pros the Panchros offered outweighed the cons.
The Location – Retail and Residential
For this spot we were based in two very different locations.
The first we are going to look at is a real bedroom in a small condo. It was a very tight fit and locations were limited in the area we needed them so sacrifices had to be made. If we would have had a little bit more room we could have altered the light in camera to more closely represent what we wanted out of the final image.
The other location was a working retail shop inside a typical mini-mall environment. Terrible overhead lighting needed to be attended to and lighting options were limited as the store had several restrictions.
The Spot – Shot by Shot
Set Up #1 – The Bedroom
The Shot
The camera slowly pushes in on the talent as he plays the guitar.
The Lighting
The idea was to create a wash of soft key light using a sliding door frame right then accent the BG with a harder slash. The limited space and access to the shooting area meant we had to scrap the harder accent on the day and just use the soft key which flattened things out quite a bit.
We used a 4k HMI outside and pushed it through a 12×12 and the sheers on the sliding door.
Inside to provide some much needed wrap we used an Arri Skypanel S-60 with a softbox and grid.
We also pushed some haze in the room to help give us some depth.
Frame right the wall you can’t see is covered with Neg.
The Result
Set Up #2 – The Same But Closer
The Shot
Same push in but we bumped up a lens and moved the track closer.
The Lighting
See Above.
The Result
Set Up #3 – The Mirror Reverse
The Shot
We shot into the mirror to show that the talent was actually playing for himself.
The Lighting
Same as shot #1 but we added a small tube light frame left to just lift the darkest area of the image and fatten the exposure a little. The effect is very slight.
The Result
Set Up #4 – Retail Coverage
The Shot
Our hero talent chatting with the salesman about the product.
The Lighting
We killed all the overhead lights at the location to clean the palette up and then added our own key and ambient light sources.
For the key we used an Arri M18 through a 12×12 and the used a 4k through another frame for the mid ground BG area.
We used a Skypanel for the edge light and then added Neg all along frame right.
The Result
Set Up #5 – The Reverse
The Shot
The reverse of the conversation with the salesman.
The Lighting
We used all the same fixtures as shot #4 but rotated them accordingly.
The Result
Shot #6 – The Approach
The Shot
The hero talent walks along a selection of guitars before eyeing up his favorite.
The Lighting
Same as above.
The Result
Set Up #7 – The Exit
The Shots
The hero talent exits the store with his newly purchased guitar.
The Lighting
We waited until magic hour to help balance the store interior with the exterior reflections in the window. We had to do multiple passes with different talent so the balance only increase as we continued shooting.
Frame left is 2 12×12 of Neg to help add some contrast to the natural soft magic hour light.
The Result
After one of the most popular, informative, and entertaining episodes in the history of the show we pause from the interviews to take a look at how a recent commercial I shot was put together.
This time on the podcast we break down a horse racing spot and talk lighting, lenses, schedule, and more.
Enjoy the behind the scenes look!
Advanced Cinematography: On Set Training
Are you interested in coming on set with me and seeing how I work on a typical commercial? Do you want to see the Framework in action and follow along as the various pieces are added to see the before and after differences?
If so than please check out the latest course from the Wandering DP:
Advanced Cinematography – On Set Training
This course follows a project from start to finish and you get to come on a virtual set and see how all the shots are designed. The positive feedback from students has been overwhelming and the new technology that runs the course and allows you to see lighting and framing decisions in real time has changed the way cinematographers will learn forever.
Patreon Podcast: Bad Times at the Backlot
Over on Patreon this week for the Feature Film Breakdown we are going over Bad Times at the El Royale.
A very unique looking film with lots to talk about. We go over cinematographer Seamus McGarvey’s studio approach and how he was able to blend style in to the story.
You can find this week’s Patreon content by clicking the link below:
The Wandering DP Patreon Group
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.
Patreon members also get access to the Private Facebook community for the show. The podcast couldn’t exist without the Patreon support and I do my best to take care of the supporters.
High Contrast Exteriors – The Spot
We shot two cameras for this job because time with the horses was limited. This was also the final S35 tvc for a while now I would imagine.
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 Alexa XT and an Alexa mini for the gimbal. The gimbal was the Ronin 2. We shot Prores 444.
The only kit not listed on that page is the set of Vintage Cooke Panchros we used on this one.
No lights on this one but we did make heavy use of 12×12 Ultra Bounces, Neg, and Highlight frames.
The Location – Schedule is Everything
The entire spot plays outside on a racecourse. We had a single day and had to move quickly to get the sun in the spot it needed to be for all of the set ups.
The treatment called for high contrast imagery and we need a strong backlight (the sun) to make that happen.
Below is a diagram of the location. We moved 3 times on the day and those moves are also highlighted on the map.
The Spot – Shot by Shot
Shot 1 – The Push Start
The Shots
The ad ends with a slow push in on a jockey as he eye balls the camera.
The Lighting
This was the hero shot of the ad so we made the best use of the location and the light and scheduled this shot as the first of the day.
We oriented the action so that the camera was facing North and used a 4×4 frame of highlight to cut the sun on the talent. Then we used a 12×12 of Ultra bounce to wrap the sun on his key side.
Finally we had two 4×4 floppies camera right to create the contrast we were after.
The Result
Shoot Location
Set Up #2 – The Push Finish
The Shot
Final position on the push in.
The Lighting
This is a continuation of the previous set up.
The Result
The Storyboard
Set Up #3 – The Texture
The Shot
This shot wasn’t storyboarded but because we had two cameras rolling the entire shoot we were able to pick up extra textural moments as A cam was focused on the storyboard essentials.
The Lighting
We were now on the West side of the track looking East. The sun is starting to rise in the sky which meant our subject would be backlight if we shot towards the East.
We have a 12×12 Neg camera left and a 12×12 Ultra Bounce camera right.
The sun was ducking in and out of clouds so the effect of the bounce and neg is more or less impactful depending on the moment.
The Result
Set Up #4 – The Grand Wide
The Shots
This was the hero shot of the riders preparing to enter the starting gate.
The Lighting
We used the sun to backlight the rider then bounced a 12×12 Ultra from frame right and a 12×12 Neg was camera left to add some shape.
The Result
Set Up Location
The Storyboard
Set Up #5 – The Take Off
The Shots
The B cam angle of the previous shot.
The Lighting
See shot #4.
The Result
The Storyboard
Shot #6 – The Fly By
The Shots
We moved back to the East side of the track to start the final sequence of the day. We needed shots of the riders and horses entering the gate. B cam was able to get this shot while A cam was frame right getting a profile of the riders in the gates.
The Lighting
Donuts.
The Result
Set Up Location
Shot #7 – The Exit
The Shots
The super shot.
The Lighting
All the lighting remained from the previous set ups as we hunted for various angles to lay the super over. They ended up choosing a frame with some dirty foreground window elements which always helps to create depth.