Arts:Visual Arts
The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #415 – Breaking the Light
New year, new commercial to breakdown.
I was flicking through potential projects and saw one set up from this ad that I wanted to go over. It is about using diffusion outside on wider shots and the pros and cons of doing so.
Hopefully you learn something and you can go and try it out for yourself.
Enjoy!
Mastering Exposure is out now. It is the latest course in the line up and so far the reviews have been awesome.
In the course I detail how I learned exposure and I share how I would get up to speed the fastest way possible if I was starting over today.
Cinematography can seem incredibly complex but underneath it all there are some fundamental decisions that must be made if you are going to get images you are happy with. Exposure and understanding how to best manipulate exposure and why one way is better or more efficient than another is absolutely essential if you are going to work with a crew and on schedule.
THis course is my attempt at sharing my exact process so you don't have to struggle to find answers like I did.
If you are interested you can check out the course here:
Mastering Exposure - The Language of Image Creation
Shot of a car travelling down the road with two people inside. Pretty straightforward unless you are trying to pull it off on a budget.
The LightingThe sun and the right time of day at just the right angle.
The ResultInterior car set up with a back and forth between the driver and the passenger.
The LightingThis was done on the back of a low loader and we rigged a few Creamsource Vortexes up front on the bonnet to help carry the light as we dipped in and out of the forest dapple.
Other than that we blacked out all the windows in the rear of the car to help control the contrast a little more.
The ResultCar travelling over a bridge. Again pretty straightforward except we were limited in options and angles by the camera configuration and the lack of the proper gear.
The LightingThe sun, the direction, and the schedule.
The ResultOur hero talent pulls up on a bike beside the car. She then rides off as the light changes.
The LightingWe used the sun as the backlight and then added a 12x12 Ultra Bounce off camera left coupled with as much Neg as we had in the truck to try and eek out as much contrast as possible on a bright sunny day.
The ResultThis was the most contained of the set ups all day so we took full advantage.
The LightingWe positioned the car so as to be backlit by the sun then used a combination of the 12x12 from above plus a Lightbridge to add an edge and act as the key light.
Resting above the car window is a 4x4 diffusion frame to knock off the harshness of direct overhead sun light. Then Neg all around the camera right side meant we could dial in the contrast.
The ResultOur hero family waves to the couple in the SUV.
The LightingThis was the main reason I wanted to break down this ad on the podcast.
Schedule limitations meant we had to be here at this time and we were very limited by the physical space as to how we could control the look.
We ended up just using a 20x20 1/2 grid diffusion between the family and the SUV in the mid ground to soften the harsh sun and give it a bit of a stylized look.
You can see the line of the diffusion on the ground. The only other add was using Neg camera right to darken what we could.
The ResultThe reverse of the previous wide.
The LightingHere the camera is attached to the hood of the car. We have one Vortex to add just a hint to the face and we dialled it way back. The sun is behind the camera which gives us the dappled look in the background.
The ResultThe post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #415 – Breaking the Light appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.
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