Since I started the gaffers diary, I got lots of emails about the site, asking questions. So, this is a try, I'Ve opened the blog for postings. Feel free to comment, ask questions, everything aslong as it has to do with lighting! Lets give this a try. I'll answer as soon as I can.
Yours, Jacob
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I just stumbled across this blog on the internet. I'm a student/beginning grip/gaffer here in LA. I look forward to stopping by now and then. Thanks for sharing everything.
Hi I'm a Best boy/ 3rd Electrics in Sydney Australia. I've been very interested in the reflected light system you've been using. I have a question though? do you still reflect light into 4X4 frames or even 6x6 frames, in close to actors to gain a larger source. I guess what I'm really asking is, with the reflected light system do you still get wrap around. In all the videos I saw that the bounce materials were all quite small.
Regards,
Chris
using larger surfaces is not necessary, due to the exact diffusion of the reflectors. larger reflectors just give you more lux. thats how precise they reflect! our standard equipment mostly doesn't maximize the output of rays (for the amount of diffusion we want), we just use more power. the same accounts for reflectors, ect. we know what happened when dedo brought out his first lamps - everyone was exited how much punch he could achieve by using precise optics. thats thekey to the rls system - being very precise!
Hi Jacob
I just wanted to ask you with limited equipment what sort of technique you like to use for creating moonlight. I'm gaffing a short film coming up soon and we need to light large areas surrounding trenches in a WW1 period setting, the space would be 100 meters by a 100 meters. We don't need to light it all but just as much as we can with only 2 5k frezzies. I was thinking about bouncing them into 4x4 bits of roscoe soft silver. I'm not really a fan of super hard moonlight so i thought i'd try and keep it a little soft. I know its a vague question but any advice is appreciated
Cheers
Chris
Sydney, Australia
hi chris,
it really depends on some factors: are you guys using the 500T stock? or are you shooting on video, HD? Is the "moonlight" going to be underexposed,if yes, by how many stops? will there be inframe ligthsources, torches, or so?
In any case, i more and more discover for myself, that it is not really about the lightsources you use, but about the quality of material that you are letting the light fall on to. so if for example you have a wetdown, you can easly light the shots with some 2k fresnels. have the actors in silhouttes of the reflections in the wet street, in the closeups just ad some soft sidekicker. or if the surrounding is not that interesting for creating shadows you can get a cherrypicker, do a soft toplight over the actors. the falloff has an interesting effect - even if not that "natural". to follow up your thought, course, you can bounce into some 6x6, the light will diffuse more, creating softer shadows, but keeping the "punch" in reflections. but rigging the 6x6 at an interesting hight, can be tricky if weather is not stable (also relighting takes more time). the quality of the light gets more important the more it "leaves the kicker position", the more skin you have to light. just keep in mind, its always good to have big contrasts. not only in luminance but also in diffusion. have fun! jacob
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