Shooting in a Subway at DVinfo.net

Tommy Davis · January 19th, 2007, 04:42 PM

Hi All:

I am trying to shoot with the HD100 (in 24p mode) in the subway, not on the train but in the station itself. The light is pretty dim. So I have tried a few recipes from the thread above but nothing really seems to work. The image is way too dark. I am trying to give it a cinematic look, yet also come away with an image that's viewable. Any advice or recipes?

Thanks in advance.

Best,
Tommy

Council Bradshaw · January 19th, 2007, 05:38 PM

Don't know what kind of action you have in your frame but you may try dropping your shutter speed to 1/24th. This will help and looks acceptable as long as there isn't fast motion.
That's my 2cents.

Stephan Ahonen · January 19th, 2007, 09:49 PM

How much gain are you using? You might have to bite the bullet and crank it up a bit. The other option is to bring in some of your own light.

Jason Nolte · January 22nd, 2007, 10:05 AM

You could go even lower than the 24p - try cranking it down to 7.5. You will get blur on movement, but will be able to use existing light.

Jiri Bakala · January 22nd, 2007, 11:14 PM

...hmmm, how about finding another station that might be a tad brighter? Also, if you have a permit to shoot there (trust me, I almost got arrested shooting in NY subway with Z1U), and also depending on what you are shooting, you might be able to bring a single light (like a 1k) and bounce it to get a little more light. Let us know how things are progressing...and good luck.

Tim Dashwood · January 23rd, 2007, 05:25 PM

I shot in a few subway stations and trains for a feature film without an issue.

24P, 1/48th, 0dB. My gaffer brought along a pocket par with the softbox attached and we used it when we needed a little extra fill. I don't even think I had to increase the gamma, but I may have. I can't remember.

January 19th, 2007, 04:42 PM	#1
Tommy Davis Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 33	Shooting in a Subway Hi All: I am trying to shoot with the HD100 (in 24p mode) in the subway, not on the train but in the station itself. The light is pretty dim. So I have tried a few recipes from the thread above but nothing really seems to work. The image is way too dark. I am trying to give it a cinematic look, yet also come away with an image that's viewable. Any advice or recipes? Thanks in advance. Best, Tommy

January 22nd, 2007, 11:14 PM	#5
Jiri Bakala Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kelowna BC Canada Posts: 706	...hmmm, how about finding another station that might be a tad brighter? Also, if you have a permit to shoot there (trust me, I almost got arrested shooting in NY subway with Z1U), and also depending on what you are shooting, you might be able to bring a single light (like a 1k) and bounce it to get a little more light. Let us know how things are progressing...and good luck. __________________ www.ascentfilms.com

January 23rd, 2007, 05:25 PM	#6
Tim Dashwood Wrangler Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 3,637	I shot in a few subway stations and trains for a feature film without an issue. 24P, 1/48th, 0dB. My gaffer brought along a pocket par with the softbox attached and we used it when we needed a little extra fill. I don't even think I had to increase the gamma, but I may have. I can't remember. __________________ Tim Dashwood

January 19th, 2007, 05:38 PM	#2
Council Bradshaw Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 44	Don't know what kind of action you have in your frame but you may try dropping your shutter speed to 1/24th. This will help and looks acceptable as long as there isn't fast motion. That's my 2cents.

January 19th, 2007, 09:49 PM	#3
Stephan Ahonen Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 512	How much gain are you using? You might have to bite the bullet and crank it up a bit. The other option is to bring in some of your own light.

January 22nd, 2007, 10:05 AM	#4
Jason Nolte Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 29	You could go even lower than the 24p - try cranking it down to 7.5. You will get blur on movement, but will be able to use existing light.