What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

I've been asked to shoot a documentary interview of an actress who plays Marilyn Monroe in a popular stage play. The director wants the interview to look very glamorous - to match the look of Marilyn Monroe films.
The interview will be shot in pieces in various locations - several rooms in their house, a restaurant, a doctor's office.

I've shot regular doc interviews in the past, and just used standard 3-pt lighting, either with tungsten or led lights, and some bounce reflectors - nothing fancy. I will be flying into Seattle to do the shoot and will have to rent a lighting kit since I can't carry my gear with me.

Any suggestions on how to achieve this look, and what gear I would need? This is a bit beyond what I'm used to.

I'm thinking whatever it is, it's probably a lot of light, with a lot of diffusion, for a nice, soft wrap-around look.

Re: What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

The Marilyn Monroe glam look is done with a hard key. Please confirm with the director/producer that this is what they are looking for. If confirmed, all you need is a hard key with little diffusion, hair light, maybe background light, and gobos instead of reflectors since you are looking for lots of contrast rather than soft, diffused light. Google "Marilyn Monroe photos" and you'll see that the iconic glam look is mostly with the hard light style.

Re: What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

Warren is spot on. It's done with a hard key. And it's done similarly for men and women. In photos, the men retain more character lines, while the women get more makeup and airbrushing. The photos were shot with large format sheets that were airbrushed directly. In the case of motion film, they used lens diffusion, as airbrushing is impractical for motion.

I've attached a self portrait that I did with this style. (I apologize for the aliasing below as I didn't have the original at hand.) I used one hard key light, a hair light, and no fill. (Pay close attention to the nose shadow on the key.) One of the critical factors in black and white shooting is contrasting tones. I spent more time on the placement and shape of the background light than I did with the key and hair lights.

In color shooting, we tend to use shallow DOF to separate background and foreground. The colors and resolutions clearly direct the eye. In black and white shooting, they used a small aperture for deep focus. Blonde hair over a white wall or black hair over a dark wall are fails. If the blonde is wearing a black dress or the brunette is wearing a white dress, that makes it even more challenging. Hopefully, the shots will be static, so you can set things up precisely for each location.

In film noir, camera motion gained popularity. They'd set up one view, say some lines, move the camera and/or blocking, and show the second view. Both views would maintain the foreground/background contrast. Then cut and go to the next setup.

By the 1960s, the style changed and glamour shots used diffusion and clam shell lighting. http://cdn.picturecorrect.com/wp-con...01-515x570.jpg

Here's a video that covers the subject of early glamour photos deeply.
The '40s Glamour Portrait

I recommend getting some Marilyn Monroe portraits and still captures from films and check with the client to make sure this is really what they want. They might think they want that style, but might actually want modern glamour. I'd check that:

1) They really want black and white.
2) They really want these possibly non-glamorous locations.
3) Hard key.
4) Deep focus.
5) Lens diffusion - how much? This can go from zero to full Vaseline for romantic closeups.

Also, if they want wide shots, you might need a lot of lights to cover the area well while balancing realism and artistry.

I think the glamour depends on these elements:
1) The hair light. Light that shines through blonde hair really lights it up.
2) Makeup.
3) The gown. Sequins, and white or silver dresses plus jewelry add sparkle.
5) The location - a night club with dynamic lighting, glass, and sparkling curtains lends class.
6) Juxtaposition of light and dark. (Or light and gray as Marilyn was often in higher key films.)

Remove these elements and you just have a hard light and small sensor camera look.

One last thing: In B&W film, one used color filters to control skin tones. Use red/orange to brighten skin and reduce blemishes. Use green to give the actors a tan. Sure, in digital, many like to filter in post, but this can reduce your resolution and add noise. Also, a filter reduces the spectrum into the lens. This eliminates CA and makes even cheap glass with poor coatings very sharp. Marilyn's skin was very bright and her hair retained detail. Go with red/orange.

Sounds like a fun project!

Re: What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

BTW, I had written a post about the lighting for a particular scene in The Seventh Victim.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/photon-m...th-victim.html

This isn't a glamour scene. This is a dark, suspense scene. But it demonstrates the contrast concept for black and white film to separate foreground from background. It also shows the value of practical lit surfaces like backlit frosted windows. It makes the light in the scene purposeful.

Of course, in an interview, the scene can look "lit", rather than natural. That will really help if the client wants the shot over a blank wall.

Have fun!

Re: What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

To get a black and white film look while not using filters in your NLE, use a color gel Rosco 99 over your lights. It's called "chocolate". What it does is suck the color out of the scene while still leaving the natural colors on your subject. I use it while lighting the 60's segments of Beatle tribute bands. It's amazing how well it works. It makes a modern looking "old" look.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/44595-REG/Rosco_RS9911_99_Filter_Chocolate.html


Sublime Lighting LLC

Re: What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

Jon, what lens diffusion would you recommend?

Re: What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

I have Glimmerglass #1 and #3. I would love to have a #2, but it's not available in screw-on types (last I checked). Then again, having a range is good as the effect varies depending on the lens and shot. For an obvious diffusion look #3 would be the first on my list.

Today, I'd look closely at DigiDiff (Digital Diffusion) filters. They aren't vintage, but they spread the light without screaming "diffusion". I really enjoy older films, but I have to admit, too much obvious diffusion takes me out of the scene. For today's audience, we have to be a bit more subtle and based on a large comparative test, DigiDiff was my clear favorite. It softened skin tones very nicely without going too milky on the lights. It also spread the light evenly, rather than creating Xs or diamond shapes.

Of course, you can do diffusion in post, but it won't start picking up light before the source comes into the frame. Glass sees the whole scene while post only sees what the sensor sees.

Re: What lights do I need for this glamour look?
 

Did a lot of glamour style portraits in the late 60's with Hasselblad 2 1/4 format.
My lens was fitted with a Carl Zeiss Softar number 2 ( There was a #1 and #3 as well) They are very expensive but Hoya seems to also have the same design. You can easily tell the "softar look" ones as they have many small circular "lenticular" half lenses etched in them. The image is a beautiful dreamy look not overdone but retaining sharpness. The highlights are softened especially the back lit hair. The effect is varied by stopping or opening up the lens. Softer as the aperture is widened. I would take one with and one without shots as it is impossible to take off the diffusion once shot. I find it only effective in tight head and shoulder framing, otherwise it is not suited for full length as it tends to make the entire image overly soft and look out of focus.