Examples of Good Lighting

[Peter Ford]

Hi all- I do a lot of reading on this forum, but probably not enough posting! so here goes:

Thought it might be a good idea to share examples of anything thats stood out to you as good lighting - I love learning about how people have lit a scene or got around a problem.

These days everyone seems to be going mad about new cameras, (which is great - i'm a kid in a candy store when it comes to technology!) but I always have to remind myself its the craft itself that makes a good production- lighting, direction, organization, etc.

So, anyway, I thought this thread might be a useful way to share and discuss lighting tips.

This first clip i'll share, wasn't shot by me sadly, but it really stood out to me as a really well put together interview.

It was a while ago during the BBC's F1 coverage. They do some really nice work with their coverage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9im4U...eature=related

(it gets into the main interview about 15 secs in)

Usually, I hate it when kit is used as set pieces, but it works so well here, in this stark round room- qudos to whoever researched that room for them to shoot it- The round nature of it really suits the steadicam shot that circles the interviewees. Nice idea getting the two stars to interview and riff off each other too. Another touch I like- how you can occasionally see the crew sillouetted in the background. It would have looked odd if the room had been bare- 'whos actually interviewing these guys?'

The lighting itself looks a bit of a compromise to me- they're a little flat, but I think its really lit for that dramatic circling steadicam shot, more than anything. And minor OCD critisim- i'd have liked the two keylights to be the same, so asthetically they match! Also, might be just me, but i'm sure the Divalight looks a few K cooler than the softbox? But i'm not taking anything away, i think its a fantastically shot interview, and nice to see something a bit different.


Anyone else care to share some good (or bad?) lighting?

[Daniel Weber]

This is a very useful document:

http://rtf.utexas.edu/equipment/sp/g...d75_012403.pdf

Daniel Weber

[Eric Lagerlof]

Though they may be a bit difficult to find, a short-lived British series called "Jericho", a sort of '50s noirish detective show shot about 5 years ago, (not the US show by the same name), had some great lighting.

Notably two episodes, "The Killing of Johnny Swan" with lots of bright backlight in the scenes and "The Hollow Men", in whcih the story takes place during one of London's 'black fogs'. The fog results in a lot of soft mid-tones yet the dp.Cinders Forshaw, keeps so many crisp colors in the frames. Just some of my favorite stuff.

[Marcus Martell]

Thx Daniel, very useful!
Merry Xmas

[Jayasri Hart]

Originally Posted by Eric Lagerlof

Though they may be a bit difficult to find, a short-lived British series called "Jericho", a sort of '50s noirish detective show shot about 5 years ago, (not the US show by the same name), had some great lighting.

Notably two episodes, "The Killing of Johnny Swan" with lots of bright backlight in the scenes and "The Hollow Men", in whcih the story takes place during one of London's 'black fogs'. The fog results in a lot of soft mid-tones yet the dp.Cinders Forshaw, keeps so many crisp colors in the frames. Just some of my favorite stuff.

Here's The Killing of Johnny Swan on Netflix:
Jericho_The_Killing_of_Johnny_Swan

I watched the series on PBS, so PBS Home Video might have them as well. And yes, the lighting is worth checking out.

[Marcus Martell]

Is there any other example of setting the LED panels for interviews?

thx and happy 2k11

[Peter Ford]

Hi Marcus,

for a nice setup using LED panels, have a look at the following

http://www.litepanels.com/lp/broadca...w_template.pdf

and for a video of their setup, you can also goto Litepanels Award Winning LED Lighting for Video, Still Photo & Motion Picture Production - then click on '02', and 'get templates'.

Theres quite a few interesting little videos hidden around litepanels website. I always like seeing different setups.

Shame lightpanels kit is so pricey, but they make exceptional lights

[Eric Lagerlof]

Jaysari,
glad someone else has seen the Jericho series. It was the combo of that soft, nostalgic look the Brits use in period dramas coupled with that noir sensibility of guys like Alton that intrigued me.

Marcus,
the litepanel setup is fine if you don't go wider than a shoulder/maybe chest shot. A full single and you would see the c-stand and key light. The alternative is to space the talent farther apart and put the key instruments in the middle (and offside towards the the wall) between the two talents:

Key < > Key

Talent Talent

Camera< > Camera


\/
Fill

Kind of a Chart :-) (Edit: The type didn't preserve spacing when it went online, so the 'chart' won't make any sense, sorry about that.)

This allows the cameras to shoot a little wider, handy if you need to include more of a set/banner/logo etc. in the background.

[Ivan Jasper]

If you need any examples of bad lighting just give me a call.