And there was light... at DVinfo.net

Matt Ratelle · January 13th, 2009, 01:30 AM

Okay, here's the issue. I'm working on editing a video that was shot in a church. There are two camera's that are used, with one positioned on the left side halfway to the front, and the other up on a balcony at the rear. There are tall, thin windows along both sides allowing in sunlight, as well as incandescent "chandeliers" hanging from the ceiling to provide the house lights, and the newest addition is a row of six halogen(or quartz?) lights which are used to cover the stage.

The video seems to change fairly quickly from red tinged to blue tinged during any camera movement. The AWB will can't seem to make up it's mind. Perhaps I should also mention that the paint and carpet colours are of a blueish green nature. I'll post a still when I have a chance.

So my question is two fold. What is the best way to handle the colour temp situation? Avoid pans? What can be done to control or alter the light in the room?

Would gelling the halogen lights be the best move?

Perrone Ford · January 13th, 2009, 03:41 AM

1. gel the lights to match color teMp.

2. TURN OFF AWB!

If the white balance is off you can sort that in post, but with awb, you have a constantly moving target. I did a job once where I had to correct an awb recorded video. I had over 200 keyframes in a seven minute video. NEVER again.

Dave Blackhurst · January 13th, 2009, 04:11 AM

Shot a wedding like that once - everything in the rear of the chapel was blue/green from the stained glass widows, and it would change to a more reddish mix towards the front... panning required for processional, and since the takes were continuous, not a lot to do but cutaway where possible... and make the best of it I could in post.

Matt Ratelle · January 13th, 2009, 07:53 AM

I should mention that I don't use the AWB because it will just change from time to time even when just locked off.

@Perrone: So would you suggest slapping some gels on the halogen lights?

Perrone Ford · January 13th, 2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Ratelle

@Perrone: So would you suggest slapping some gels on the halogen lights?

No, I would suggest settling on a color temp, and then gelling the lights to that temperature.

Dave Blackhurst · January 13th, 2009, 11:47 PM

Don't know the shooting situation and can't quite tell from your description - but I know my preference is to either set all the cameras to a manual white balance and leave them there, or if the cams are the same or close, choose one preset that looks the best under the majority of shot angles, and cutaway/CC in post. AWB is a nightmare waiting to ruin your day. Presets aren't perfect, but they provide a known quantity to start your CC adventure from.

If you know your time of day and your shoot is a consistent one, maybe you could spend the time to dial in a WB preset or adjust the lighting... but those windows could really muck up your work as the big light in the sky moves about! If they are stained glass, just grin and grit your teeth.

Steve Rusk · January 19th, 2009, 12:09 AM

A lot depends on where the chandeliers are and how much impact they have on the areas being shot. Assuming they can't be color corrected with CFL bulbs or gels, the next suggestion would be to eliminate their output when shooting. Geling the halogens with CTB would match them to the 5600K window lighting, but the incandescent lights will emit a reddish hue on anything close enough to be illuminated by them.

If the filming is for a special event and you aren't shooting the entire church, you may get by with a couple of rolls of CTO gel taped to the windows nearest the stage so that everything in the front of the church is around 3200K. Hope that helps.

Matt Ratelle · January 19th, 2009, 09:47 PM

I seem to be having trouble uploading the shots...so heres a test

Ok...seems there was no luck...The files appear to be small enough, but the page seems to time out. Any suggestions?

January 13th, 2009, 01:30 AM	#1
Matt Ratelle Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Catharines, ON Posts: 63	And there was light... Okay, here's the issue. I'm working on editing a video that was shot in a church. There are two camera's that are used, with one positioned on the left side halfway to the front, and the other up on a balcony at the rear. There are tall, thin windows along both sides allowing in sunlight, as well as incandescent "chandeliers" hanging from the ceiling to provide the house lights, and the newest addition is a row of six halogen(or quartz?) lights which are used to cover the stage. The video seems to change fairly quickly from red tinged to blue tinged during any camera movement. The AWB will can't seem to make up it's mind. Perhaps I should also mention that the paint and carpet colours are of a blueish green nature. I'll post a still when I have a chance. So my question is two fold. What is the best way to handle the colour temp situation? Avoid pans? What can be done to control or alter the light in the room? Would gelling the halogen lights be the best move?

January 13th, 2009, 03:41 AM	#2
Perrone Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 4,100	1. gel the lights to match color teMp. 2. TURN OFF AWB! If the white balance is off you can sort that in post, but with awb, you have a constantly moving target. I did a job once where I had to correct an awb recorded video. I had over 200 keyframes in a seven minute video. NEVER again. __________________ DVX100, PMW-EX1, Canon 550D, FigRig, Dell Octocore, Avid MC4/5, MB Looks, RedCineX, Matrox MX02 mini, GTech RAID, Edirol R-4, Senn. G2 Evo, Countryman, Moles and Lowels.

January 19th, 2009, 09:47 PM	#8
Matt Ratelle Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Catharines, ON Posts: 63	I seem to be having trouble uploading the shots...so heres a test Ok...seems there was no luck...The files appear to be small enough, but the page seems to time out. Any suggestions? Last edited by Matt Ratelle; January 19th, 2009 at 10:12 PM. Reason: I suck

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January 13th, 2009, 04:11 AM	#3
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Shot a wedding like that once - everything in the rear of the chapel was blue/green from the stained glass widows, and it would change to a more reddish mix towards the front... panning required for processional, and since the takes were continuous, not a lot to do but cutaway where possible... and make the best of it I could in post.

January 13th, 2009, 07:53 AM	#4
Matt Ratelle Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Catharines, ON Posts: 63	I should mention that I don't use the AWB because it will just change from time to time even when just locked off. @Perrone: So would you suggest slapping some gels on the halogen lights?

January 13th, 2009, 11:47 PM	#6
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Don't know the shooting situation and can't quite tell from your description - but I know my preference is to either set all the cameras to a manual white balance and leave them there, or if the cams are the same or close, choose one preset that looks the best under the majority of shot angles, and cutaway/CC in post. AWB is a nightmare waiting to ruin your day. Presets aren't perfect, but they provide a known quantity to start your CC adventure from. If you know your time of day and your shoot is a consistent one, maybe you could spend the time to dial in a WB preset or adjust the lighting... but those windows could really muck up your work as the big light in the sky moves about! If they are stained glass, just grin and grit your teeth.

January 19th, 2009, 12:09 AM	#7
Steve Rusk Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Stuttgart Germany Posts: 63	A lot depends on where the chandeliers are and how much impact they have on the areas being shot. Assuming they can't be color corrected with CFL bulbs or gels, the next suggestion would be to eliminate their output when shooting. Geling the halogens with CTB would match them to the 5600K window lighting, but the incandescent lights will emit a reddish hue on anything close enough to be illuminated by them. If the filming is for a special event and you aren't shooting the entire church, you may get by with a couple of rolls of CTO gel taped to the windows nearest the stage so that everything in the front of the church is around 3200K. Hope that helps.