A few months back we shot a commercial in one of the trickiest set ups possible.
A non-montage, day exterior, that in film world takes place over a few seconds but in the real world took 10 hours to shoot. Plus the location was surrounded by large trees and sat at the bottom of a valley and it was the middle of winter.
This podcast is all about how we overcame the many hurdles and ended up with something in the world of decent.
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: Ozark Strikes Back
Ozark is always a fun show to breakdown and this is the second time we have a look at it.
The show certainly has a style but in this breakdown it was interesting to compare it to previous seasons as cinematographers have changed and their influence can certainly be felt.
This was another Patreon member request so if you have more shows you want to see broken down please let me know.
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.
Chasing the Sun – The Spot
Camera Gear:
We had all the usual suspects on this commercial for gear. We shot with the Alexa Mini LF paired with Cooke S7 lenses all operating from a Ronin 2 with your truly manning the Tilta Armour man rig.
Did it work? Yes.
Would I recommend it? No.
Why? Listen to the podcast.
The Location – Chasing the Sun
The location was about as tricky as you could possible make it for a day like we had scheduled.
Budgets are getting tighter and tighter and more is being packed into an already crowded day with the addition of socials and other content pieces.
We did our best to keep a consistent look but we were also realistic about what was going to happen over the course of 10 hours in a heavily wooded valley in the middle of winter.
Below is the final shot so that you can orient yourself to the aerial map above. The frame is looking almost due North. The sun is almost completely behind the little hill to the left and we were really racing to get this done before we lost all level.
The Spot – Shot by Shot
Shot 1 – Wide Reaction Shot
The Shot
Couple exit their car and meet at the front. There they notice our hero talent one upping them.
The Lighting
The sun dud most of the heavy lifting but the heavy BG foliage meant getting a bounce on the talent wasn’t the easiest. We used a 12×12 Ultra Bounce and did the best we could.
Camera right is a 12×20 Neg to try and add some shape to the relatively flat foreground.
The Result
Story Board
Shot #2 – The Push In
The Shot
Same as above but closer.
The Lighting
This is a continuation of the previous set up.
Only change is everything is closer and the position of the bounce was shifted to catch the shifting sun light.
The Result
The Storyboard
Shot #3 – Stand-alone
The Shot
The middle of the day stuff ended up being the social campaign. These needed to feel in the same world but didn’t have to match.
The Lighting
The sun is the backlight and then bounced back to the talent via a 12×12 Ultra Bounce. Camera right is our 12×20 Neg for some contrast. Only other addition is a 4×4 frame above camera to help contain some of the highlights on the car.
The Result
Shot #4 – The Tea Sipper
The Shot
The classic pour shot.
The Lighting
Same as above but we lowered the bounce and added a poly for more punch and we removed the 4×4 frame as it would have been in shot.
The Result
The Storyboard
Shot #5 – A Moment of Reflection
The Shot
Wider version of the above frame.
The Lighting
See above but removed the 4×4 Poly.
The Result
The Storyboard
Shot #6 – Attack the Day
The Shot
Camera slowly creeps backwards as our hero talent gets her gear from the truck and heads out on the hiking trail.
The Lighting
Sun as the backlight and a small 4×4 Poly adding the little kick to the face. Our 12×20 Neg is wrapping camera left to behind the camera.
The Result
Shot #7 – The Reaction
The Shot
Our hero eyes the couple and they walk off together down the hiking trail.
The Lighting
Same basic set up as we have run all day. Large Bounce frame right to wrap the sun, sun as backlight, and the neg camera left.
The Result
Shot #8 – The 2nd Stand-alone
The Shot
Stand-alone ad for the couple. They walk towards camera sharing a laugh.
The Lighting
See above.
The Result
Shot #9 – The Logo
The Shot
Logo end frame as talent emerges from a day of hiking.
The Lighting
We were just trying to get this shot before the sun dipped behind the hills frame left. Behind camera is the 12×20 Neg to add some shape but more so to hide any reflections of crew, agency, craft tents everywhere.
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.
The Result
Shot #8 – The Exit
Shot #9 – The Exit