The Magic Cloth worked well. Setting up a book light takes up extra space, but you had plenty to work with in that space. And, yeah, that carpet....fugly!!!!
What's that app called, btw? I've seen it somewhere before? I like to use lighter grid cloths, like about half - on average - that's 1 stop reduction. I had magic cloth once on set, we didn't really use it; instead opted for a half silk iirc. At about 1 stop I find the amount of light that I lose vs the look is a good amount of hard vs soft for my taste so far.
It's fine but when the light is pretty much on the same hight as the subject's head you'll have a bad nose shadow 😢 Edit: dude the nose shadow goes into the eye... Honestly that's not looking good all in all 🙈
Don't you feel the hair light is lost after adding in the back lights onto the drop. As that bounce back is pretty intense off it. Were there any thoughts of rather using the length of the room to pull that drop further back to allow for a better separation of lighting.
Hot damn, a Komodo-X and CRLS Lightbridge in the same video? Happy Valentine's day to me! 😄 But yeah, it's a beautiful high-key setup. If you've got enough space to create distance between the light and the diffusion, a book light isn't always necessary.
Coming in swinging! Hope you are having a great day! If you compare the two shots with the background off, then on. You will see how the levels go up on the face from all the bounce. It was nice to change it up a bit. Gotta keep the channel fresh and sharpen my skills!
So happy to see you using the CRLS at 4:43. LightBridge is a head of the game with this reflector system! Would love to see how you reflected light in more your setups!
@joey_arcisz has been pushing me to use them more! I want to get them on set a lot more. I know they can get you out of a bind when space is limited. Thank you for watching and being a sub!
Hello @pdmokry, Thank you for putting this video out. What kind of software do you use for lighting diagram to get an idea of how it’s going to look like before the project ?
Joey is one cool cat! We have worked on a few projects together, but 2024 seems to be connecting us more than ever. You edit full time? Thanks for watching and the sub!
That's awesome! He's great! Yeah I'm at Grit Productions in Grapevine. I'm actually in the process of moving towards more of their video art director, but still editing majority of the time lol. Of course! I love the bts set ups! @@PDMokry
you use powerful lights so the magic cloth is justified. for someone using a 200 or 300 watt light, what cloth or diffusion would you recommend? 2. Did you use fresnel cuz you needed more power from the aputure 600
Pro outfit for sure… I like the Rembrandt with a little more shadow but that’s only stylistically speaking for this high key style you guys are spot on… Doesn’t get better… I’d hire you in a second for an espn style sports documentary interview shoot or the million different corporate vids… Nice work. ❤
Thank you so much! We were fighting the fill levels for sure. We wanted a bit more, but pulled it back. I appreciate it, if you every make it to Dallas, we are ready to work. Speaking of a sports style shoot, check out my other video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kJgMMu0oOzE.htmlsi=2LYkfAluf6rJFVRK
I come from graphic design, not video production... and I am surprised that the background is so bright - isn't the usual approach to help the viewer see detail in the subject (=chiaroscuro), and get the subject to "pop"? Isn't the background the least interesting part of the image? Is this bright background useful for post production effects? Is there another reason this was requested?
I was matching references from work the production company that hired us had done previously. Otherwise I would have suggested we go with a different look for the background. I did build an alternative look/version of this in prepro just in case I had the opportunity to offer up something different.
It's a good point , and a black BG is way more often requested than white . It's a pain to get the lighting right on it , and it bounces light all over the place . No DP,s like dealing with it I think. We have early Apple commercials to blame ! it was trendy for a while back in the day , and maybe making a come back . The best way is to actually shoot green screen and dial in the "whiteness " in post . which is how the Apple commercials did it . But yeah ,basically we have to do what the client wants , this is very seldom the DP,s choice in the corporate world .
What was the app that Joey used for the lighting diagram? I wish I would’ve seen this sooner cause injustice had to do testimonial videos on a seamless backdrop haha.
I really like that book light setup you had in previous videos. Really great setup for 1-man-band stuff. I'll have to steal that setup. :) The lighting setup for this video makes sense with all of the crew you had. Really clean, especially without the hotel walls and carpet.
Everything depends on your gear, time, man power, budget and situation. My work falls right inline with solo gigs and a tiny crew, meaning just an extra set of hands. I will keep trying to share ideas with everyone when possible. Thanks so much for supporting the channel! No need to steal the setup! You can use the knowledge free of charge. . .for now! lol
Hmm. Not sure I get using a hairlight when the background is lit to a bright white. Also, maybe it’s because I’m old, but the fill should come from the camera position, not from the floor to the left.
Hard to see the hairlight on me or the test subject, but it did play for the people we interviewed. Thanks for the input on the fill and for watching. We are all a bit old!
Hey Piotr! Been zooming through your videos - so good. Thank you for your generosity. As a traveling doc filmmaker, I'm weighing my options for a travel setup. If you had to fit everything into a checked Pelican, what would your lighting system look like? Obviously I would hire someone like you first, but often my shoots are in remote rural areas of the country that are hundreds of miles from major cities.
Absolutely! I was envisioning purchasing another 1615 Air. It's LxWxH is 29.59 x 15.50 x 9.38 inches. I've mostly used the sun with timing/positioning for run and gun interviews. I own the following, but don't use them often: • 5-in-1 reflector/diffuser from Westcott • Matthews Reverse stands (3) • Amaran 60d and 200d • Aputure MC That's changing, because I'll be doing more sit-down interviews. I'd love to up this to a more powerful and professional setup (softer light), while still able to fit most of it into the 1615. The Westcott book light kit caught my eye, but after I saw you creating a book light in your style, it just made more sense, and looked more flexible. Budget is $4-5K. @@PDMokry
Hey Piotr! Just nudging you on this comment. Seems even more relevant after your latest video. I know you have a lot on your plate, but if you have any advice I'd love to know. Thank you :)
Been wondering about CRLS. Worried about the fragility. Also curious about flaring issues using it as a hair light. Seems like you’d have to put a lenser in there somewhere with no way that I’m aware of to put an egg crate grid those.
On this shoot we did not get any flares from the hair light. But I can see it being an issue. Barn doors or a French flag might be a cool trick on them.
Just wondering if the hair light was even necessary with the way this was set up? The bounce was so bright I can't imagine you'd even see it?? Interesting work here. Thanks.
I was wondering the same thing, until we got a mix of different interview subjects. Hard to see it on Kyle or me. But when we had people with darker hair, it did help. I wish I could show a lineup, because it looked great.
Why do you take your color readings so close to the unit rather than where the talent will actually be sitting? I know you mentioned the magic cloth could give a color shift but wouldn’t you want to know what that shift is? Also wouldn’t you meter the color after it returns from the bounce. Proximity and direction plays a huge roll in accurate metering. Just wondering why you chose to do it that way.
I take multiple readings, close to the source and close to the subject. I did not want to turn this video into a metering heavy video. Thanks for watching!
You always come in with the support! Thanks for keeping an eye on my progress and video! Much appreciated! Looking forward to seeing content out of Norway soon!
I've recently found your videos and find them really valuable. Thank you. With all that light going into the background, did you need the hair light? Love the light bridge you used for it but I'm wondering if you could eliminate it?
Glad you found your way here! Thank you for the support! So the hair light did play more on some vs others. We had over a dozen people with different hair styles and colors. That is why we moved the direction and output of the light often.
I appreciate it! I learned a lot from RU-vid and then getting hired out as a swing to a DP. I would get guided by the DP on how they wanted things. Then it started clicking. This was from networking with Joey and others in the area.
Really appreciate seeing the lights accumulate as they get added in - that false color readout is really amazing to see at a glance where everything is landing. I bet you build up some muscle memory really quick to see where problem areas might be with that on 🙏🏻
With all the lights on, you can get overwhelmed pretty quick. So I like to bring in each light to show the Director or DP what each light is doing. This also helps me isolate problem spots. Using the false color to see where lighting lands, verses just for exposing the image has been very helpful. Thanks so much for watching!
I really like your video ! The way you break down everything. Very interesting. Nonetheless I have to agree with the other comment. It seems way overkill for such a tight shot ! Especially the backlight ! A quite complicated set up for an effect that seems burried in the super bright backdrop. I see your point of having just a light foam board hanging over the head of the talent but you could have use pavotubes with the same effect (or the new very light zhiyun molus with an umbrella) and a smaller footprint overall and faster set up. Same for the backdrop. Considering the framing of the interview, I would have light it only with an amaran p60c and its diffusion. Or a small cob and a small light dome to soften the light and have a perfect circle of light. Right behind the talent but on the floor to avoid having to boom another light. But that's only my take. And sometimes it looks better in front of a client to take out as many lights as you can 😅 Anyway, good job. Just wanted to share how I would have done it. I guess I'm tired to handle lots of heavy lights now that I'm getting old 🥺
Great feedback! We did not have small lights on the van. We used what we had on hand. I know it could always be done with less, but we had the crew, time and budget to go big. I hate lugging heavy gear too! Thanks for watching!
In college, we used to have final Fridays where we critiqued each other's work in a safe space. As a photographer of over 25 years, in the last 10 years, I've also ventured into video work at the request of clients, constantly learning from peers and quite a bit of RU-vid university. Over the past three years, I've worked as a Director of Photography on some significant projects, primarily in corporate settings, focusing on talking heads and anything that puts me behind the camera. On to my critique; the direction or angle of your key light has created a noticeable shadow on the subject's nose, resembling more of a "Rem-can't" than a Rembrandt. This could potentially make interviewees self-conscious about their appearance and may affect their perception of the shoot. It only takes one influential person in the group to comment on this to the director, anyone on the upper pay scale of the shoot, this could have lasting effects on future work with the client.
I think you might want to try flagging off the entire lower third of your key light, or maybe even half it or raise the magic cloth higher. Because you look at the nose shadow, it is angled slightly upwards, the left chin "feels" brighter from the light coming from camera right. It seems the large surface area of the magic cloth is also doing too much of a kicker from a lower angle altogether. I also think since this is to be a high key lighting, why not expose the skintones slightly higher to make the overall tonality more airy, right now I feel it lacks a bit of that airy high key look, but this might just be a preference thing. But you guys did a great job anyways, and having the lighting diagram before a shoot is always such a nice thing to have.
Your feedback is great and very important. So many viewers read the comments and it helps everybody grow. I am taking notes and will be sure to keep an eye out next time around. Thanks so much!
@@PDMokry I think you can even forget the 8x8 as keylight and nex time replace it with the a 2x2 led panel closest posible to talent. Hairlight was lost as soon as 8x8 was turned on, because of the big wrap of this keylight. Anyway great job and thanks for sharing!
I just got a 6x of magic cloth this week. I think I may need to get a fresnel attachment though because the reflector dish for my aputure light gives a big hot spot in the center of the diffusion.
So the old style reflectors used to cast an even spread of light. The new style create a hot spot to boost output. The F12 will help diffuse the light a bit also.
I was so freaked out when I started getting into lighting. Now I just act like a sponge and try to learn as much as possible. We will always be students. Always ask questions and practice when you can. Thank you for watching!
@@PDMokry Either frontal to the camera or opposite way depending on whether it should look less or more dramatic. Right now it's an unpleasant shadow climbing over the eye and elongating the nose. Nothing personal, just the opinion of a simple amateur.
I always love to see setups/explanations like this! Thanks! For those of us who operate several notches down from this level: "On paper" a setup using a step down in lighting power (300 instead of 600) would result in 1 stop lower light levels which would require making it up on ISO and/or aperture. Does that translate in reality?
Glad you like the video and format. If you look back at the diagram, you can see the camera settings. I can see that possibly working, but we always like to leave room in the output, just incase we need it. Thanks for watching!
I am sure it is all up to the client, but this just looks like an excessive amount of light. It appears as though the subject is in a sterile room, and someone said "No, I said light him up!" It is much brighter than anyone would want to be sitting in, passing through, and especially to spend some time in this room. But if that is what the client wants, this nails it.
Great stuff! Love the use of the CRLS! One question though, what is the name of the app that joey used for the lighting diagram and test for the iPad? Id love to see if I can implement it into my workflow!
One tip re Eye direct etc , you often need a very small LED light , just mounted on the camera , dimmed down , to be on your interviewers face . I guess you guys had tons of ambient flying around there , but mostly its way darker behind the camera ,and the subject wont be able to see the face of the interviewer in the mirror.
I always like Magic cloth. Haven’t used one that big it was in a 4x4 frame. Question though. I applied to be one man band shooter for an event. They I think asked to use a seamless as well. Would you recommend one that big? Or would any work? Mine is way smaller and I use it for auditions. Think I can get away with it? Also FYI I have a small kit for it if hired.
Nice breakdown. Thanks for including the False Color info. I wish the CRLS gear was more affordable. It's a great idea, but I can't swing it, and none of the rental shops I use will carry it as they fear it's too fragile.
The false color just clicked one day for me, we use it so much on set. So it would play well in a video. They do command a big price. I know there are other in the market, but those are frowned upon by some. What is your opinion on copies of the LightBridge? Thanks for watching!
I've been to a workshop where they showed us how to use properly the CRLS and to be honest, I will NEVER buy this system. It is WAY too fragile. You have to wear gloves, clean them, make sure anything doesn't drop on it, this product needs to be treated like a real diva. You can achieve the same kind of result which just a simple bounce board.
@@PDMokry I think the CRLS system is brilliant, and could be helpful in some unique situations, but therein lies the rub. I don't see enough applications that can't be achieved with other, much less expensive lights, to warrant the cost and special handling. I think Godox may be offering a similar product, but even that one is quite expensive. For now, I will rely on conventional bounce materials and rigging a few extra, less expensive lights.
