Breakdown Episode!
Today we are looking at job that has all the hallmarks of a challenging operation.
Tiny location, no room to light, tough style to emulate, and not a lot of time to do it.
Then again, these jobs are always the most fun.
Enjoy!
Course: Mastering Exposure
In the course I detail how I learned exposure and I share how I would get up to speed the fastest way possible if I was starting over today.
Cinematography can seem incredibly complex but underneath it all there are some fundamental decisions that must be made if you are going to get images you are happy with. Exposure and understanding how to best manipulate exposure and why one way is better or more efficient than another is absolutely essential if you are going to work with a crew and on schedule.
This course is my attempt at sharing my exact process so you don’t have to struggle to find answers like I did.
If you are interested you can check out the course here:
Patreon Podcast – Wrapping the Light
This week over on Patreon I am releasing a podcast on the subtleties of wrapping the key light when using the framework apporach.
As your skills get sharper and sharper you are going to end up demanding more and more nuance from all of your fixtures on set. In this podcast I talk about my own progression and give some advanced pointers that can help you leap frog what took me years to figure out.
If you want to hear the podcast or check out any of the past content you can find it all by clicking the link below:
The Spot – The Joy of 360 Degrees
Shot #1 – The Wide
The Shot
This is the master angle for the entire commercial. The two people in the frame are interacting with a 2D animation as it dances around the room.
The Lighting
In this spot we saw the entire bathroom you are looking at in this still. It was a real location which meant low-ish ceiling and no grid to light from.
We put the grid in with a bunch of Fiilex LEDs to give it the retro feel.
Outside we had to tent the window and add another LED panel to create the moonlight effect on the bushes that art department had put there.
Inside we added a china ball overhead in the foreground for general ambient and then added practicals as well to spice the frame up a little.
The Result
Shot #2 – Down the Line
The Shot
The camera moves in as our main talent interacts with the animation and sings along to the theme song.
The Lighting
Same as the previous shot but we have added some titan tubes being pushed through a 4×4 frame to bring the light from high to low a bit more.
You can also see the effects of another LED out the back right window along the curtains in the BG.
The Result
Shot #3 – Closer
The Shot
We went in for a slightly tighter version of the previous set up.
The Lighting
Same as above.
The Result
Shot #4 – Top Down
The Shot
This shot was the peak of the song moment before the real owners of the house walk in and bust the fake folks.
The Lighting
The same fixture are being used as before but they have all been slightly modified position wise to accommodate for the camera position which is touching the ceiling as it looks down.
The Result
Shot #5 – The Flop
The Shot
Now looking the other way inside our bathroom the singer interacts with the animation.
The Lighting
The set up for 90% of it is mostly the same as before. Titan tubes through a 4×4 frame do the heavy lifting on the talent.
The only real additions are the Apeture bulb in the shower behind the door and the Fiilex Q8 out the window in the doorway.
The Result
Shot #6 – Reality Kicks In
The Shot
In the middle of the song the real owners of the house walk in to jump in the bath.
The Lighting
Same as above but the China ball above is doing most of the work on the talent in their current position.
Plus you get a better view of the bulb in the show that we placed for a bit of interest.
The Result
Shot #7 – The Exit
The Shot
The fake characters sneak around the real talent as the commercial comes to an end.
The Lighting
Same as above.
The Result
Breakdown Episode!
Today we are looking at job that has all the hallmarks of a challenging operation.
Tiny location, no room to light, tough style to emulate, and not a lot of time to do it.
Then again, these jobs are always the most fun.
Enjoy!
Course: Mastering Exposure
In the course I detail how I learned exposure and I share how I would get up to speed the fastest way possible if I was starting over today.
Cinematography can seem incredibly complex but underneath it all there are some fundamental decisions that must be made if you are going to get images you are happy with. Exposure and understanding how to best manipulate exposure and why one way is better or more efficient than another is absolutely essential if you are going to work with a crew and on schedule.
This course is my attempt at sharing my exact process so you don’t have to struggle to find answers like I did.
If you are interested you can check out the course here:
Mastering Exposure – The Language of Image Creation
Patreon Podcast – Wrapping the Light
This week over on Patreon I am releasing a podcast on the subtleties of wrapping the key light when using the framework apporach.
As your skills get sharper and sharper you are going to end up demanding more and more nuance from all of your fixtures on set. In this podcast I talk about my own progression and give some advanced pointers that can help you leap frog what took me years to figure out.
If you want to hear the podcast or check out any of the past content you can find it all by clicking the link below:
The Wandering DP Podcast Patreon
The Spot – The Joy of 360 Degrees
Shot #1 – The Wide
The Shot
This wide was the final shot of the spot we were doing on this day. A big ride on crane number and we needed to see 270 degrees for the shot to work.
The Lighting
The sun and the right time of day at just the right angle.
The Result
Shot #2 – The Realization
The Shot
This was the first shot of the day and needed to be directionally cheated for schedule purposes.
The Lighting
We had an overhead diffusion in place that I think was a 12×12 of Half Soft Frost. I always net a half soft frost so that was there s well taking out some of the unnatural heat and spread from the sun.
The key is a 12×12 ultra bounce paired with a 12×12 Neg frame right for contrast.
The Result
Shot #3 – The Second Day
The Shot
This was the same set up as shot one for a different spot in a different location.
The Lighting
The sun, the direction, and the schedule.
The Result
Shot #4 – Overcooking the Coverage
The Shot
This was the final shot of the day for the previous set up.
The Lighting
I tried to wait as long as possible for the sun to come around but sometimes you have to make do with what you have.
Here I probably went to heavy with the sun diffusion hence the levels feeling overly HDR’y. IF I could go back I would let more level through on the sun side and kill some of the bounce from the ground.
The green is actually coming from the grass she is standing on even with surrounding her with blacks on the ground.
The Result
Shot #5 – The Wide #3
The Shot
Two neighbors say hello to one another.
The Lighting
There might have been a 12×12 on the right side of the camera but I doubt it.
The Result
Shot #6 – The Balance
