Meet The Gaffer is a channel interested in all things Grip and Electric... which includes aspects of Video Production that affect other departments. My experience includes documentary, educational, corporate, commercial, and feature production. My name is Luke Seerveld. I'm a working gaffer who owns a 2-ton Isuzu NPR-HD. Nothing fancy, but it fits the work available in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have access to bigger trucks and more gear, but I like the sweet spot of medium to small sized jobs at this stage in my career. Meet The Gaffer includes walk throughs of jobs I'm on, discussions about new gear, explanations of gear we use a lot, interviews with other working professionals, and opportunities to talk about lighting concepts or aspects of freelancing that may not be super clear to those starting out. I do my best to respond to everyone who participates!
Thank you Luke. I always appreciate you videos. On this one however, the open window is providing a healthy amount of ambient light which would become more influential whenever you darken the 1X1 with cloth. I suspect the softness change would not be so great if no other source, existed, (except for when you moved the diffusion closer to the subject since then the light can better wrap the subject.
I changed my exposure according to false color, so there may be slight discrepancies. I was looking more for light quality than matching exposure exactly. That may have something to do with it.
Hi Luke, How are you? I hope you’re doing well. Your want-to-be-gaffer! I have made some good progress in the last couple of days. I have 2 Aputure 300x’s and 2 Aputure MC-Pro’s; (this is not new). But recently I have bought… Blackout Lighting Console Next for my iPad Pro - $800.00 (3) Godox CRMX Receivers - $200.00 each ($600). (They are powered by an USB port on the light. No Battery.) (1) Aputure Sidus One (Converts WiFi to CRMX Transmitter) - $400.00. (Brand new just got mine Thursday.) Just got everything working this afternoon. (Friday). I always appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions and I wanted to share this news with you. Mathew A Coulliette
LOL old video I know - but that unbleached muslin makes you look like freakin Matthew McConnahey in front of all that whhhhiskey 😂 No but srsly, you look airbrushed, that’s crazy. Building my first studio out, that’s def my next buy!
I’m a newer filmmaker trying to learn as much as I can appreciate your channel! I do have a basic question. What is a scratch light? I’ve heard you say the term several times but haven’t a clue.
It’s like an edge light that scratches the cheek of the talent from behind and to the side. Works best with those with short hair. It usually comes from the direction opposite the key.
In answer to your question, Chinese manufacturers have no regard whatsoever for patents or proprietary designs. They have been manufacturing copies of so many American designs from American companies for decades. They certainly don't have any apprehension for stealing from each other. You will also see the same product marketed under several "name brands" and they are all the same item. Sometimes they will change a button around or two, but otherwise it is the exact same item.
I noticed a lot of chinese manufacturers doing the blow up lights in the months leading up to NAB 2024. Godox, Aparo, and probably some others doing inflatable lights. Aputure is doing it a little bigger but it raised the same questions you have. Seems like there's some open source on inflatable diffusion and all of the sudden its available to anyone making lights. I don't have answers, just find it interesting and peculiar as well.
Nicely presented, Luke. Do you know of any fresnels or focus attachments that are native Bowens M mount? I'm hoping to use these smaller form-factor COB lights, but they lack the modifiers/accessories that make them as useful as their larger (full size Bowens mount) brethren.
The one that comes first to mind is the Nanlite Forza 60c. Its fresnel has that M or FM or mini-Bowens mount. The other way to go is the Dedo or Dedo-like set up where you don’t need an add-on fresnel, but have the internal lensing and internal spot/flood, like the Dedolight Neo or Aputure 60d or 60x. The Aputure 60d/x are not CRMX/DMXable, but have good output and a handy battery option.
@@meetthegaffer Much obliged. I already have a 60w COB led with a Bowens M mount, but it only included a reflector, so I can't get a decent spotted beam out of it. Since it has a built-in battery, it could be as handy as the Colbor unit, but only if I can find the right modifier. I did just find that SmallRig makes a full size to mini bowens adapter...so that's probably the route I'll take. Regardless, I always appreciate your input and your reviews. Keep them coming!
@@AwesomeShotStudios you get a small to large adapter with the 60c, but it won’t work with the COLBOR unit, so it’s kinda hit or miss. Andrew’s review of the z had an adapter too that was not super compatible with modifiers from other manufacturers, so buyer beware! All the best out there😀
Dedo says, and I paraphrase, patents make it easier for Godox and the other Chinese manufactures to rip them off. Western companies are not going to win court cases in China when the state is actively involve in commercial espionage as well as straight spying etc.
My title is a little over the top to draw people to an interesting story. I don’t think the interviewees are sensationalistic in their recounting of the work. They go out of their way to characterize it as regular work with the normal hurdles one encounters through film production.
I'm a director/dop doing documentaries and news in China and have been around these companies a lot. They are pretty much all sourcing in the same few streets of shopping mall-looking buildings where every floor is specialized for e.g. batteries, camera chips, cables - every shop there is a rep from a factory somewhere in the country making their individual, small solutions. if you are looking for that one screw one brand is using there is a good chance they sourced it there. so these guys came across something a factory was offering there and went for it and the factory lowered prices because now they had volume and the next took that as well because it was cheap and good and before you know it you have a new standard emerging that others are trying to get into as well. there are companies who are litigious and make their own, really proprietary stuff (DJI is one such place) but most are fairly small operations, even the names you know. Look at the new CineD video on Siriu as an example. it's a businessman in one office building with one factory. they aren't the size of canon or arri and basically mostly decide to move on quickly to where nobody else yet is. that makes china a fascinating place for innovations and trends in my opinion - so much is being tried, so much doesn't work and dies out and so much does and suddenly we have a new standard. Shenzhen in particular is a proper beehive of tinkerers.
So to shed some light on your question at the end (not really answer, but give some fun info). Aputure wasn't the first to do that folding softbox design. The US retailer, Adorama have their in house branded products. One is called 'Glow', and specifically, they make a product within their 'Glow' line, called 'parasnap'. On top of that, a Canadian based retailer, Stropepro, came out with a product called 'rapid snap'. Both of these products predate the aputure light dome 3 'quick fold' by at least 2+ years. Being canadian, I personally have two of the Stropepro Rapid Snap Bowens softboxes in my grip van almost 8 months before aputure released their version.
Because Chinese companies get chips from the same major factories, so many cheap lights are on par with high end brands in that regard. Same goes for many other stuff there. It's like all smartphones using Sony sensors and many cameras as well using Sony sensors.
Right, I get that about the actual chips, but why are the actual designs, what I’m probably incorrectly calling form factor, so similar? And is anyone company the primary innovator or does everyone copy everyone else willy nilly?
@@meetthegaffer I think for similar designs it's probably a 3rd party factory that makes the design then sells it, that's the only explanation. Or patents are limited to actually insane innovations. Overall, it benefits us the consumers with better prices due to fierce competition, but probably puts other non-Chinese companies in a very hard position as well.
@Nauwl I would go directly to Nanlux Americas if you are in the US or your local Nanlux dealer. I’ve been meaning to do the same. Ping me if you have difficulty.
I haven't tried it yet so a bit of speculation but back when Chimeras were popular with the Arri 1200PARs and 2k open-face I used to hang a 10 lb. shot bag to the rear handle with a carabiner to even out the weight difference.
@@alansteinheimer4274 we use straps and hook itself to the styrup. kinda iffy solution but it works until they offer a solution (which i think they are soon). shotbag would be to much add weight whenhaving it on a 30kg windup sadly. but thanks for the suggestions
I have two of the 100x batteries and they are front to back garbage. Literally e-waste. They last maybe 20 minutes at 70% draw. The included small softbox with the 100x broke within a day as well.
@aRuraLChilDVision 2 days ago Great interview. The BTS footage and stills enabled me to properly visualize the conditions described. (I had one title that didn't hold it's position in the initial uploaded episode, so I fixed it and wanted to keep the one comment the video had received!)
Hi Luke, It’s your want-a-be Gaffer. I am a big fan of Aputure lights, but I just don’t get these spot light adapters. I absolutely hate them! Why not buy the real thing: “CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL Ovation Rêve E-3 IP Multi-Color LED Ellipsoidal Fixture”. Maybe there is something that I am missing and you can straighten me out on this. For my money I would buy the Ovation! Thanks. Mathew A Coulliette
It would be interesting to see how it compares. Perhaps the efficiency of a purpose built unit would make up for the lower wattage ceiling. Have you compared them to a 675 Orion paired with the spotlight max. I used to use series 2 ETC DaylightHD’s, but beyond the rotating barrels they have issues too.
@@meetthegaffer Hey Luke, No I have not done any testing or comparisons yet, but I am planning on buying one. The original Aputure Spot Light mount was interesting, when they were selling the idea of Buying the Adapter once and having it forever; just keep changing the lights, but the adapter, barrels, and gobo’s are yours forever. But that is not what happened. Each adapter only works with certain lights, and even with lights that it is supposed to work with you get varied results.
@mathewcoulliette2233 I don’t think it’s fair to say the first Aputure spot mount was touted as something you could use on many different units. It was meant for the 300 series, but got used for the 600 series by many. The spotlight max is actually quite versatile and works well with a fairly wide range of units, allowing you to up the output depending on the size of fixture you use. A purpose built unit like the Chauvet may be good at what it does, but will be held to a particular output, so not exactly an example of a multi-unit adapter, nor a unit that can do the other things a COB can do. You are right that a purpose built unit could be a relief after fighting with spot mounts that can be on the clunky side, but you have to be very happy with what it does well because that is probably all it will do😉
@@meetthegaffer Hey, Luke. I am always happy to hear your opinion and I always appreciate your valuable time. I guess I am fine with having a special unit instead of a Spot Light Mount. I guess I want one unit designed to do one thing well; and I will have other units that do their jobs well too.
