I know this is general but how to know if lighting could be better or if my guy is taking lazy shortcuts. Any help appreciated
how long should lighting take?
- Thread starter davidevans10
- Start date
Well how about a small room with two people talking for example. To make it the best possible. How long?
Your guy is so clueless he wouldn't even know how to do a short-cut.
- OR -
Your guy is a genius and you are completely inhibiting him, you have no idea what good lighting is, and you should probably get out of the entertainment biz and get a career in waste disposal; at least you'll be getting rid of garbage instead of creating it.
Does that help at all?
Hah that's why I hired him. Just bored and trying to know more. If I knew I'd do it myself. Theres good and there's better no? Ya
Your guy is so clueless he wouldn't even know how to do a short-cut.
- OR -
Your guy is a genius and you are completely inhibiting him, you have no idea what good lighting is, and you should probably get out of the entertainment biz and get a career in waste disposal; at least you'll be getting rid of garbage instead of creating it.
Does that help at all?
How long *is* a piece of string?
Exactly as long as it takes to either be right, or stay on time/budget.
And string is as long as it needs to be, except when the piece is too short.
And string is as long as it needs to be, except when the piece is too short.
Man, if someone asked me what 'techniques' I was using, I would probably tell them to kindly let me do my job.
When I tell my Gaffer what I want, I will usually say something along the lines of 'something big and punchy through a frame as a backy/three-quartery kinda light and something super soft to fill in the face' or 'a 650 through a 216 frame over here, and then maybe a couple Kinos overhead?'
I've never once asked my Gaffer to initiate a 'three-point' or 'Rembrandt' style lighting setup, though what we end up with might fit exactly into those styles.
How long I take to light something depends on numerous factors - what lights do I have, what exposure do I want, how big is the room, what can the camera see, what mood am I going for, where do I want the skin-tone to sit, am I battling sunlight, am I lighting the whole set from scratch, am I augmentin sunlight, how many crew do I have, how experienced are my crew etc etc
When I tell my Gaffer what I want, I will usually say something along the lines of 'something big and punchy through a frame as a backy/three-quartery kinda light and something super soft to fill in the face' or 'a 650 through a 216 frame over here, and then maybe a couple Kinos overhead?'
I've never once asked my Gaffer to initiate a 'three-point' or 'Rembrandt' style lighting setup, though what we end up with might fit exactly into those styles.
How long I take to light something depends on numerous factors - what lights do I have, what exposure do I want, how big is the room, what can the camera see, what mood am I going for, where do I want the skin-tone to sit, am I battling sunlight, am I lighting the whole set from scratch, am I augmentin sunlight, how many crew do I have, how experienced are my crew etc etc
I"d probably kindly tell you to get the fuck out . I mean this is professional but indie. Not everything can be preplanned so some things may be talked about just before hand. The lighting guy isnt the top of the totem pole. Even is he was my cinematographer he's still telling me what he's doing
what does your crew have to do with the lighting?
anyways i' m just saying if the lighting takes a half hour is that too short of time?
I think Jax is saying that it's superficial and reductive to ask what "techniques" he's using, when in reality he's using an amalgamation of a heap of different techniques.
His crew are the ones setting up the lighting (I believe Jax is a DoP).
Half an hour, in my experience on low/no-budget sets seems standard. If you, as director, are happy with the image, then no that's not too short of time. If you aren't, then you ask your gaffer/DoP what can be done to make the lighting the way you want it, and if it's achievable. Perhaps they don't need more time, but need different equiptment/locations/clearer instructions regarding your "vision." Or perhaps they're just not that good.
His crew are the ones setting up the lighting (I believe Jax is a DoP).
Half an hour, in my experience on low/no-budget sets seems standard. If you, as director, are happy with the image, then no that's not too short of time. If you aren't, then you ask your gaffer/DoP what can be done to make the lighting the way you want it, and if it's achievable. Perhaps they don't need more time, but need different equiptment/locations/clearer instructions regarding your "vision." Or perhaps they're just not that good.
I'm not saying there's no discussion about what we want from the scene (I'm talking as a Cinematographer talking to a Director), from the cinematography, the mood etc.
However, I have a wide range of experience and an arsenal of lighting techniques to pull ideas from - as does my Gaffer. Whilst we may end up with lighting that resembles a Rembrandt style, to ask me what style of lighting I'm setting up whilst I'm in the middle of lighting is unnecessary and unlikely to get you the answer you want. I'll say to you that I'm putting up a soft backlight and a little bit of fill from the front. You could google that, but you're not going to get the same results as you would if you googled Rembrandt lighting.
My crew have everything to do with the lighting as they're the ones setting it up!
As I said, how long it takes depends on so many factors that without any clarification it's impossible to even guess at it.
I've lit shots in half an hour.. It can also take two hours or even a whole pre-light and pre-rig day to light a whole set.
At the end of the day, if both of you are happy with the lighting, and you're running on time then does it really matter how long it took?
i realize it was vague. but every bit helps thanks
cool thanks jax
There are a huge number of factors involved, but I suppose you can only judge what a reasonable set-up time is on the compromise between quality (if it achieves what you want it) and budgetary/time concerns. If you only have 6hours available at a location, you may have to sacrifice some quality in place of a speedier set-up. If you spend 4 hours lighting the, you may not finish shooting what you need to.
yes i've run into alot of that. What i dont understand is this is indietalk . Indie movies. And people talk a little smugly about professionalism. Well not everyone has 9 friends in the biz do they?
so this is about finding out how to make more with less isnt it? FOr indie film makers. Not alot of guys on here are spielberg so if they are on here they should want to help.
I am making the biggest film in my city which is not toronto to date. And this may be in scenes and actors etc. but doesnt mean my crew arent volunteers and doesnt mean i dont know what im doing to do what i'm doing.
Show him a picture from a movie or a scene you are trying to replicate
Ask him "how is this lit?"
It's lit thus and so.
How do you know?
Because of the reflections here and here, and the shadows here and here, and the highlights here and here.
Great, can we replicate it?
[yes]
great. awesome. you're hired.
[not with our budget]
What would you do instead to get something similar?
thus and so
great. awesome. you're hired
Ask him "how is this lit?"
It's lit thus and so.
How do you know?
Because of the reflections here and here, and the shadows here and here, and the highlights here and here.
Great, can we replicate it?
[yes]
great. awesome. you're hired.
[not with our budget]
What would you do instead to get something similar?
thus and so
great. awesome. you're hired
Show him a picture from a movie or a scene you are trying to replicate
Ask him "how is this lit?"
It's lit thus and so.
How do you know?
Because of the reflections here and here, and the shadows here and here, and the highlights here and here.
Great, can we replicate it?
[yes]
great. awesome. you're hired.
[not with our budget]
What would you do instead to get something similar?
thus and so
great. awesome. you're hired
thanks