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Specific Lighting

I

iamlance

Hey, I recently watched a music video cover and I really like the lighting that they used. I know that you can't give me the exacts without actually seeing the lights they use, but here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGoCtJzPHkU

I'm referring to when the background is very dark, although I do like the part where you can see the sunspots with the lit up backround.

I have a tight lighting budget of around $200 max.
Any ideas on how to achieve this effect?

Thanks! - Lance
 
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Hard rim straight behind the subject, soft key high and 8:00 to the subject. For $200 you could probably either rent a couple little baby PARs, or purchase a mediocre makeshift solution, like Halogen lamps and Wax Paper.
 
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Be careful of the eBay ones, as they can often be Chinese knockoffs, and they just do not come close.

This lighting is relatively easy to accomplish, doesn't seem to be much more than 2 lights at play here on the girl, plus the light on the keyboard - though as the keyboard shots would probably have been shot earlier/later, it could easily have been the same light as the one as the soft fill on her face.

You could probably get away with a couple of tungsten par cans - they can be pretty versatile, and they're the sort of thing that you'll find yourself using with different gels for certain effects as you get more experience in lighting, unlike halogen work lamps and the like which you are most likely to chuck as soon as you get something half decent.

Get some 216 and 250 diff gels, or use trace paper as a make-shift approach. The softness of a light is directly related to it's size and distance from subject, so if you can get a speedring and softbox that will fit a par can, you can probably get that soft effect on her face, and a hard open par can at the back for that back spot/rim. Alternatively, stick 216 on it and walk it back until you get the effect you want.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
The toughest thing in one of these setups is controlling the spill of the rim light onto the background.
Click to expand...

In the posted video, the background doesn't seem to be all that dark, though it is obviously darker than the girl.

It'd be much easier to control the spill with fresnel lights, but considering that the budget is $200, and a baby Arri 150w fresnel csots ~$300, compared to something like a Par 64 can which costs $20-$30...
 
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This isn't for anything professional, so I don't need any high-up gear quite yet. I'm kind of clueless when it comes to pars, as I never really thought that they would work well (don't ask me why). Are the par 64s made out of tungsten, or are those more expensive ones? Could you give me a link to some good priced/quality ones you have found before?
 
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You could probably come close to duplicating that shot with clamp lights.

Put a fairly bright key on the talent.
Put the bright rim light in the background several feet from the wall or what ever is behind it (to control spill).
Adjust exposure so everything but the bulb of the rim light and the talent are underexposed.
The rim shining right into the lens will create the flare.
 
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2 lights... the rim light, you can see as it's in shot. The Key light is camera left -- look at the reflections in her eyes to figure out the shape of the light and it's exact position (google: angle of incidence).

Screen shot 2012-09-27 at 5.27.52 PM.png
 
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nose shadow shows the key is relatively level with the subject and gives the angle as well. The shadow edges look pretty hard, so probably not softened, although not much of a hot spot, so it's probably a fresnel set to flood.
 
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Okay, so now I can figure out their setup positions, but what lights should I get? Clamp, tungsten par 64, fresnel (probably out of my price-range)?

EDIT: Okay, never mind about the tungsten part, those are way up there...just normal par 64s
 
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I'm talking about these:

PAR64.gif


More traditionally used for theatre/stage, but I've certainly seen them used in film, both at low end and at high end. IMO, a much better and more versatile option than your home depot work lights, and will last you a lot longer. Plus, they have gel frames, and you can buy barn doors for them.

When I first started shooting stuff, they were all I had for lights and they worked fine. I still pull them out occasionally for different effects, and especially for music videos.

See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dR42w4Q6hg

Four par 56 cans across the back, and at the front are two floodlights. These are lights I bought probably over 10 years ago that at the time cost me ~$200 (IIRC).
 
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