A bit of a different format today as we teamed up with Illya and Ben from the Cinematography Podcast to co-produce part of this episode.

I sit down with them to chat about this year's Academy Awards Nominees and if Roger Deakin's will ever break his drought.

Also I briefly breakdown a green screen commercial and look at how creating sky light isn't as easy as it sounds.

Part one of today's show is my chat with the team over at the Cinematography Podcast centered around the Best Cinematography Nominations.

We go over each film and talk about elements that may move the academy in one direction or another.  Regular listeners of the podcast will know I am not always the best person to ask about movies but I did my best to keep up with Illya and Ben.

The Wandering DP Patreon page is kicking out more and more content and this week we are back at it with another live stream.

If you are a Patreon member make sure to check the home page for day and time info.  The ability to interact real time is the benefit of the live stream and the more people we can get to come in an ask questions and participate the better the experience is for the group as a whole.  

Remember if you miss the live stream there is a replay of the video available immediately after we finish on the Wandering DP Patreon page.

Part 2 of today's podcast we are looking at a 100% green screen spot.  We look at recreating sky ambient, sun characteristics, and the problem with VFX gigs.

Camera Gear

• RED Weapon @ 6k HD
• ISO 400, 3200K, 25 fps, 180 degree shutter
• Leica Summicron-C lens set

Lighting Gear

• 2x Maxi-Brutes
• 3x 12x12 Full Grid
• 2 x 4x4 Diffusion for Maxi Brutes
• 5k Tungsten
• 8x8 Ultra Bounce
• 2x 4x8 Poly Bounces

Shot #1 - The Close Up

The Shot

The commercial opens up on a close up of our hero talent.  The camera dollies back to reveal his unusual location.

The Lighting

We were in a studio working off a green screen set up.  

We needed to recreate the sky and sun but also needed one set up to work across all the shots for time's sake.

We used a combination of Maxi Brutes and 12x12 frames as our sun key and then filled in with sky ambient from above using the studio 2k fixtures.  For added fill we bounce a 5k of another frame camera right.

The Results

Behind the Scenes

Shot #2 - The Super Wide

The Shot

The wide shot was tricky as the studio space restricted the physical distance we could get back from the talent.  

What resulted was a make the best out of what we could do situation.

The Lighting

The lighting is almost identical except we added some poly bounces from below to fill in the unnatural harshness of the studio lights in an attempt to lessen the contrast.

The Results

Shot #3 - Full Body

The Shot

This is the main shot in the ad where the message is delivered.  We needed the talent to be recognizable and slightly over the top.

The Lighting

We used the same set up as previously mentioned above.

The Results

Everyone has there own way of lighting and working with green screen material.  Some people like it one stop over, some at key, some one stop under.

Some people like green lights, others want daylight fixtures only, while still others feel best when using tungsten lights.

How do you light green screen material?  What do you look for and what are some of the biggest mistakes you've made?