Posts
My friend film maker, Shailendra, is in US and he is a promising guy who is dedicated to pursuing career in film making only. He wrote to me inquiring about LED lights, I have no idea....told him will find out....I need to roam around Sham Sui Po market coming month.
Excerpt from his email for light specifications:
"i want to know if how much does it cost for 1feet by 1 feet or somewhere of that size for both
3200 and 5600 (or even 5100K). let me know what sizes they have and what do they cost.
take care.
lambu"
After this email, I tried to find more info about LED panel lights, it seems that lighting LEDs is quite convenient than traditional halogen lights. LEDs use less power and are portable. Shailendra thinks it is made in china so it must be cheaper in HK.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Fear now has new address - 13 B
A bollywood horror movie. Watched today with my wife. As usual in all ghost movies, Manu moves with his family in a newly bought flat which is on 13 Floor, Block B. Strange incidents occur to him, like lift not working for him only, electric bulb bursting, can't nail the wall, etc. The most strange and important of all is: every 13:00 hrs, there is a tele serial on channel number 13. The channel is exclusive to their home and the serial's story is their real life's incidences in forecast. Obviously, the house has a story of murder and ghosts dwelling in 13 B. Murder mystery is solved by Manu with his police friend and ghosts cease to trouble him and his family. The irony in the film is the culprit is the paranormal expert, unlike other movies....
Updated myself in Adobe!
Back in Pokhara, I had used Adobe Premiere 6.5 and After Effects 5.0.
Last time when I encountered Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 , I couldn't understand the logic of sequences and GUI was maddening.
I determined to update myself to upgrade myself. I studied and found that Premiere and AFX have done marvellous upgrading.
I Studied Classroom In Book Series for Adobe Premiere CS3 and Adobe After Effects 7.0
Some note scribbling for myself:
Using Mask
-> Create a mask shape using pen tool
Feathering the edges of the mask
--> choose composition >Background color or ctrl+shift+b
--> click color swatch and choose white color background.
-->Select the layer to be masked and increase ask feather to 1.5, 1.5
Adding 3D light layer
1. choose Layer>New> Light
2. Position light laer to 260,-10,-350 which moves the light to above the monitor
3. Press A to reveal Point of interest
4. Press AA to reveal the layer's material options properties. Increase the specular and shininess.
e partial B.
Creating a Vignette
1. Draw an ellipse mask tool
2. choose subtract mode
3. Press MM to display mask options. Increase mask feather amt to 200, 200 pixels
4. Increase Mask Expansion to 90 pixels
Keying
1. Draw a garbage matte
2. Apply color difference key effect.
The color difference key effect creates transparency from opposite starting points by dividing an image into two mattes, matte partial A and matte partial B. Matte partial B bases the transparency on the specified color and matte partial A bases transparency on the areas of th imagaine that do not
contain a second.
3. select effect-->keying--> color differenc key
4. click the eye dropper and chose green color
5. click A button to view Matte partial A. Using black eyedropper click the brightest portion of bg.
6. click B button to view Matte partial B. Using black eyedropper click the brightest portion of bg.
7. In the effect controls adjust(increase) Matte in in Black amount,50 and decrease the matte in White 109.
Choking the matte
1. Effect>Matte>Matte choker.
2. Increase the Geometric Softness 2 amount to 4.0
Removing Spill
1. Effect>Keying >Spill suppressor.
2. Select the color to suppress.
Last time when I encountered Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 , I couldn't understand the logic of sequences and GUI was maddening.
I determined to update myself to upgrade myself. I studied and found that Premiere and AFX have done marvellous upgrading.
I Studied Classroom In Book Series for Adobe Premiere CS3 and Adobe After Effects 7.0
Some note scribbling for myself:
Using Mask
-> Create a mask shape using pen tool
Feathering the edges of the mask
--> choose composition >Background color or ctrl+shift+b
--> click color swatch and choose white color background.
-->Select the layer to be masked and increase ask feather to 1.5, 1.5
Adding 3D light layer
1. choose Layer>New> Light
2. Position light laer to 260,-10,-350 which moves the light to above the monitor
3. Press A to reveal Point of interest
4. Press AA to reveal the layer's material options properties. Increase the specular and shininess.
e partial B.
Creating a Vignette
1. Draw an ellipse mask tool
2. choose subtract mode
3. Press MM to display mask options. Increase mask feather amt to 200, 200 pixels
4. Increase Mask Expansion to 90 pixels
Keying
1. Draw a garbage matte
2. Apply color difference key effect.
The color difference key effect creates transparency from opposite starting points by dividing an image into two mattes, matte partial A and matte partial B. Matte partial B bases the transparency on the specified color and matte partial A bases transparency on the areas of th imagaine that do not
contain a second.
3. select effect-->keying--> color differenc key
4. click the eye dropper and chose green color
5. click A button to view Matte partial A. Using black eyedropper click the brightest portion of bg.
6. click B button to view Matte partial B. Using black eyedropper click the brightest portion of bg.
7. In the effect controls adjust(increase) Matte in in Black amount,50 and decrease the matte in White 109.
Choking the matte
1. Effect>Matte>Matte choker.
2. Increase the Geometric Softness 2 amount to 4.0
Removing Spill
1. Effect>Keying >Spill suppressor.
2. Select the color to suppress.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Rotoscoping Tutorial - fix goofs, change virtual sets, or make your hero fly
Rotoscoping Tutorial - fix goofs, change virtual sets, or make your hero fly
How to fix on-set goofs, change virtual sets, or make your action heroes fly through the air amidst gunfire, snowflakes, or magic dust.
Rotoscoping is one of my favorite things in Visual FX. I know that sounds crazy, but the results of rotoscoping can be so rewarding. Doing the actual work can be tedious, but, when it's all said and done, you can sit back and be proud of your accomplishments.
Read the article Rotoscoping - fix goofs, change virtual sets, or make your hero fly.
Writing A Script - By Jay Staudt
Writing A Script
By Jay Staudt
With the number of re-makes coming out these days, you'd think every original film idea had been used a dozen times. Not to say that it hasn't (the black-white "buddy cop" film has practically become its own genre.
Examples: Showtime (2002), Blue Streak (1999), The Man (2005), Money Train (1995) and Lethal Weapon (1987)).
The reason Hollywood films are often pushed toward cliché storylines is that it's a big risk for a production house to release something that's never been done before. That's how screenplays end up being so formulaic; since millions of dollars go into producing these films, and the majority of actors are paid regardless of how well or poorly a film does at the box office, no producer wants to put something out that he doesn't think has at least a small chance of being successful.
Why It's Good To Be Indie
Some indie filmmakers shoot movies because it's something fun to do with friends; I know I do. As an independent, realize that while you don't have a big budget to spend on jaw-dropping CGI effects or big name talent, you have something that's much more valuable: creative control.
This is the point at which you and Hollywood diverge. With a low-budget or no-budget film, the majority of your investment is your time. You can use weird camera angles and experiment with different effects, so long as you have the means to do so, and you don't have to worry about whether 8 million people will be willing to spend $12 apiece to go out to a theatre and watch it.
Directors are often under a lot of pressure from their producers and film studios to stay on schedule and within their budgetary constraints, while simultaneously making a movie that appeals to a specific target audience. The big studios need someone to sell to, because if every movie was Fun For The Whole Family™ the scope and subject matter of new films would become severely limited in scope.
So be glad, because as an indie filmmaker with no financial sponsors, you have the freedom to work at your own pace, make films about whatever topic you choose (within legal standards, of course), and spend as little
or as much time and money as you want in making your ideas into a finished piece of filmmaking.
How Movie Scripts Work
Scripts, like the films that are made from them, have to have several things to be successful. In a script it's the combination of useful formatting and camera/actor direction, good writing, and a captivating scenario or plot.
I can't pretend that I know how to teach you to write a script you can sell to a major movie studio, but for the purposes of your own filmmaking endeavors you can make it easier on your actors, crewmen, and even yourself, by creating a script that's both fun to read and easy to understand.
Script Format
In order to be taken seriously by an agent or producer, movie scripts are formatted in a very specific fashion. It's the same reason all of our traffic lights are red, yellow, and green from top to bottom - things are often easier to use when they're organized in a standard, recognizable way.
Some basic specs for a film script: the entire script should be in 10 or 12 point Times or Courier. Your cover page should contain only your film's title in bold, followed by several line breaks, the words "Written by", one more line break, and then the name(s) of the author(s), each on its own separate line if there is more than one writer.
There are some minor variations in what's acceptable, but script formatting usually goes something like this:
[2] EXT. FIELD - DAY
A valiant WARRIOR stands tall and proud in a field, with sword raised in the air triumphantly. The forest surrounding appears to be empty, and all is quiet in the cool morning air. Warrior appears to be alone, but begins to give an inspiring speech after a deep breath. As he speaks, a small and haphazardly arranged RABBLE of poorly equipped soldiers come into the frame.
WARRIOR
Forsooth, my brethren! We must ride to battle, and conquer the fell fortress of our foul foes!
RABBLE
(Cheering, waving their weapons)
Aaaaaaaaaaargghhh!
WARRIOR
The time is now, my friends. Let us make haste, for fate wills it!
Script pages, starting with the cover page, are numbered in the upper right-hand corner from 1 to the end. Each scene number is surrounded by [square brackets] and bolded. The scene location is indented and also bold, all caps, and on the same line as the scene number. In the example above, it is EXT. FIELD - DAY. Use EXT. for an outdoor scene and INT. for an indoor scene.
The line that contains the scene number, location and time is followed by a description of what we see when the scene opens. This can be as general or as detailed as you want, depending on how much freedom the director is meant to have at the time of the shoot. Not all directors will go with exactly what's scripted, anyway, but this at least should get the writer's ideas across. The first time a character's name is used in the description of each scene it should be in all caps. Our two "characters" in this scene are the WARRIOR and his RABBLE.
Dialogue is indented further and centered within this area; the speaking character's name is in caps on its own line above the line or lines of dialogue. Any cues such as verbal tone or action are placed in parentheses below this line. In this case, we have added (Cheering, waving their weapons) below RABBLE because this is what they should be doing as they deliver their line. Other examples of cues could be (Sitting down in the chair) or (Smirking, shakes his head). You can also include minor camera direction and other specific instructions here if you would like.
Character Voice in Scripts
Ye Olde Character above has a medieval-ish way of speaking, because he's supposed to be the commander of a (modest) force of soldiers. When you get around to writing your script, you might be tempted to use certain catch phrases or terms because they sound good to you. But remember that every fictional character needs to have his own voice in order to be believable.
I've noticed a lack of differentiation between characters even in major motion pictures; you know, when more than one character uses a word or phrase in exactly the same way. This is sometimes overlooked when the same person is writing dialogue for multiple characters.
For example, let's suppose that you think it sounds really funny when your villain verbally abuses his minions, saying "You imbeciles!" Then later on in the screenplay, one of your minor characters is talking about somebody she knows and says "That guy is such an imbecile..."
Really. Would two characters who have nothing in common and nothing to do with each other really use that same word to describe someone they dislike? Sure, it could happen. But there are plenty of other words you could use to provide your audience with a sense that these are two different people, with two different lives and from two unrelated backgrounds.
Of course, the opposite could be true and the use of a word or phrase might work as a subtle foreshadowing where two characters are connected in a way that's unknown to the audience for part of the film. Otherwise, giving each character their own unique voice includes not only word choice, but their phrasing, tone of voice, and sentence structure. It's everything about the way they speak and act, and you have the ability to convey all of those things with your script. Now get writing!
Extracted from www.filmmaking.net
By Jay Staudt
With the number of re-makes coming out these days, you'd think every original film idea had been used a dozen times. Not to say that it hasn't (the black-white "buddy cop" film has practically become its own genre.
Examples: Showtime (2002), Blue Streak (1999), The Man (2005), Money Train (1995) and Lethal Weapon (1987)).
The reason Hollywood films are often pushed toward cliché storylines is that it's a big risk for a production house to release something that's never been done before. That's how screenplays end up being so formulaic; since millions of dollars go into producing these films, and the majority of actors are paid regardless of how well or poorly a film does at the box office, no producer wants to put something out that he doesn't think has at least a small chance of being successful.
Why It's Good To Be Indie
Some indie filmmakers shoot movies because it's something fun to do with friends; I know I do. As an independent, realize that while you don't have a big budget to spend on jaw-dropping CGI effects or big name talent, you have something that's much more valuable: creative control.
This is the point at which you and Hollywood diverge. With a low-budget or no-budget film, the majority of your investment is your time. You can use weird camera angles and experiment with different effects, so long as you have the means to do so, and you don't have to worry about whether 8 million people will be willing to spend $12 apiece to go out to a theatre and watch it.
Directors are often under a lot of pressure from their producers and film studios to stay on schedule and within their budgetary constraints, while simultaneously making a movie that appeals to a specific target audience. The big studios need someone to sell to, because if every movie was Fun For The Whole Family™ the scope and subject matter of new films would become severely limited in scope.
So be glad, because as an indie filmmaker with no financial sponsors, you have the freedom to work at your own pace, make films about whatever topic you choose (within legal standards, of course), and spend as little
or as much time and money as you want in making your ideas into a finished piece of filmmaking.
How Movie Scripts Work
Scripts, like the films that are made from them, have to have several things to be successful. In a script it's the combination of useful formatting and camera/actor direction, good writing, and a captivating scenario or plot.
I can't pretend that I know how to teach you to write a script you can sell to a major movie studio, but for the purposes of your own filmmaking endeavors you can make it easier on your actors, crewmen, and even yourself, by creating a script that's both fun to read and easy to understand.
Script Format
In order to be taken seriously by an agent or producer, movie scripts are formatted in a very specific fashion. It's the same reason all of our traffic lights are red, yellow, and green from top to bottom - things are often easier to use when they're organized in a standard, recognizable way.
Some basic specs for a film script: the entire script should be in 10 or 12 point Times or Courier. Your cover page should contain only your film's title in bold, followed by several line breaks, the words "Written by", one more line break, and then the name(s) of the author(s), each on its own separate line if there is more than one writer.
There are some minor variations in what's acceptable, but script formatting usually goes something like this:
[2] EXT. FIELD - DAY
A valiant WARRIOR stands tall and proud in a field, with sword raised in the air triumphantly. The forest surrounding appears to be empty, and all is quiet in the cool morning air. Warrior appears to be alone, but begins to give an inspiring speech after a deep breath. As he speaks, a small and haphazardly arranged RABBLE of poorly equipped soldiers come into the frame.
WARRIOR
Forsooth, my brethren! We must ride to battle, and conquer the fell fortress of our foul foes!
RABBLE
(Cheering, waving their weapons)
Aaaaaaaaaaargghhh!
WARRIOR
The time is now, my friends. Let us make haste, for fate wills it!
Script pages, starting with the cover page, are numbered in the upper right-hand corner from 1 to the end. Each scene number is surrounded by [square brackets] and bolded. The scene location is indented and also bold, all caps, and on the same line as the scene number. In the example above, it is EXT. FIELD - DAY. Use EXT. for an outdoor scene and INT. for an indoor scene.
The line that contains the scene number, location and time is followed by a description of what we see when the scene opens. This can be as general or as detailed as you want, depending on how much freedom the director is meant to have at the time of the shoot. Not all directors will go with exactly what's scripted, anyway, but this at least should get the writer's ideas across. The first time a character's name is used in the description of each scene it should be in all caps. Our two "characters" in this scene are the WARRIOR and his RABBLE.
Dialogue is indented further and centered within this area; the speaking character's name is in caps on its own line above the line or lines of dialogue. Any cues such as verbal tone or action are placed in parentheses below this line. In this case, we have added (Cheering, waving their weapons) below RABBLE because this is what they should be doing as they deliver their line. Other examples of cues could be (Sitting down in the chair) or (Smirking, shakes his head). You can also include minor camera direction and other specific instructions here if you would like.
Character Voice in Scripts
Ye Olde Character above has a medieval-ish way of speaking, because he's supposed to be the commander of a (modest) force of soldiers. When you get around to writing your script, you might be tempted to use certain catch phrases or terms because they sound good to you. But remember that every fictional character needs to have his own voice in order to be believable.
I've noticed a lack of differentiation between characters even in major motion pictures; you know, when more than one character uses a word or phrase in exactly the same way. This is sometimes overlooked when the same person is writing dialogue for multiple characters.
For example, let's suppose that you think it sounds really funny when your villain verbally abuses his minions, saying "You imbeciles!" Then later on in the screenplay, one of your minor characters is talking about somebody she knows and says "That guy is such an imbecile..."
Really. Would two characters who have nothing in common and nothing to do with each other really use that same word to describe someone they dislike? Sure, it could happen. But there are plenty of other words you could use to provide your audience with a sense that these are two different people, with two different lives and from two unrelated backgrounds.
Of course, the opposite could be true and the use of a word or phrase might work as a subtle foreshadowing where two characters are connected in a way that's unknown to the audience for part of the film. Otherwise, giving each character their own unique voice includes not only word choice, but their phrasing, tone of voice, and sentence structure. It's everything about the way they speak and act, and you have the ability to convey all of those things with your script. Now get writing!
Extracted from www.filmmaking.net
Timro Samjhanale
It is a music video made 4-5 years back, when I was working in Pokhara. I was there in Pokhara to teach in Pokhara College of Techonoloy. With Jinesh, we collaborated to form EyeWill Media House...working for video productions.
This music video was our first and the last endeavor. We lacked resources for music video production so we focused on ad making and documentary making...
This music video was our first and the last endeavor. We lacked resources for music video production so we focused on ad making and documentary making...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Aa Dekhe Zara - A hindi scifi
Maternal grandpa of Ray inherits him a camera invented by him. The speciality of the camera is that the camera clicks on the image of the subject from the future.
He wins all the gamble by using the camera but later on discovers he will be dying after 6 days. All the sequences are made up people chasing after the camera. The film is shot in Thailand.
Ray, with his girlfrend Simmy's help, tries to avoid the predicted death.
The film is well shot and well edited. Though some logical pitfalls for the script, film is good enough for people who believe "films are jst for entertainment only!" .
Film budget seems lower than the normal Bollywood films. If this film sales, people can expect sequel on this because Ray finds similar watch from his grandpa(camera is broken in run and chase).
He wins all the gamble by using the camera but later on discovers he will be dying after 6 days. All the sequences are made up people chasing after the camera. The film is shot in Thailand.
Ray, with his girlfrend Simmy's help, tries to avoid the predicted death.
The film is well shot and well edited. Though some logical pitfalls for the script, film is good enough for people who believe "films are jst for entertainment only!" .
Film budget seems lower than the normal Bollywood films. If this film sales, people can expect sequel on this because Ray finds similar watch from his grandpa(camera is broken in run and chase).
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A scary short film!
My chinese colleague Norns, in AT&T Tier 2, recommended me a link in return when I recommended him to watch a nepali music video. Norns is a hobbyist short film maker. I have watched his short films, I will post some of them later on this blog. I saved the link and told him that I would watch it later at home as I was busy in the work.
I came home and managed to watch the link and was happily surprised to find it to be a short film by nepali producer. Found it to be quite impressive!
Good job by Sachin!
I came home and managed to watch the link and was happily surprised to find it to be a short film by nepali producer. Found it to be quite impressive!
Good job by Sachin!
Musical Documentary!
Is music limited to fun and enjoyment?
Is there something beyond few moments of merriment in music?
How is musical profession like?
I am trying to seek the answers to the questions in my documentary. I don't know what should be the title, I have been thinking some titles like "In the canvas of air" or "A musician's dilemma","music: my life", etc.
Id
eas pop in my mind and disappear. I have been following Dinesh Dai as the subject. I don't want the documentary just limited to his personal life. I want to dig out some philosophies of life and music out of it.
I am looking forward to completing the script asap and finish everything by june when I will have my annual leave from my job.
Is there something beyond few moments of merriment in music?
How is musical profession like?
I am trying to seek the answers to the questions in my documentary. I don't know what should be the title, I have been thinking some titles like "In the canvas of air" or "A musician's dilemma","music: my life", etc.
Id
eas pop in my mind and disappear. I have been following Dinesh Dai as the subject. I don't want the documentary just limited to his personal life. I want to dig out some philosophies of life and music out of it.I am looking forward to completing the script asap and finish everything by june when I will have my annual leave from my job.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Video Light Kit Review: Videssence KSH2057P-SB Triple Fixture
Studio Lights To Go
Lighting kits are a cornerstone to production company, big or small. The Videssence Triple Fixture Shooter Kit is a 3-light kit that is ideal for high-key, studio lighting setups. Schools and small production companies that do relatively small studio shoots will find these kits a perfect match for their needs.
The Kit
The Triple Fixture Shooter Kit comes in a hard-sided soft case with handle straps and a shoulder strap. For many people, this 30-pound kit might be a little too heavy to lug onto your shoulder, however it's relatively small size for a 3-light kit makes it seem possible to carry it in this manner for short distances. Size and weight considered, it's fairly travel-friendly compared to other 3-light kits.
The kit comes equipped with 3 Matthews Reverse Stands that have a maximum height of 82.5 inches and a maximum load of 11 pounds. When folded up, they are only 22.75 inches long. This makes them easy to pack into the soft case. In fact the soft case has a flap on the top tier of the bag that separates the bottom storage area for the light heads from the upper storage area where the stands rest. There is plenty of room in this case for additional lighting accessories in both compartments of the bag.
The two main lighting heads that come with the Videssence Triple Fixture Shooter Kit are the same. These are 57-watt fluorescent fixtures that throw quite a bit of light considering their low wattage. Details about these heads will be covered later in the review. These fixtures are complete with two 57-watt GE fluorescent bulbs that are rated for 12,000 hours of use and barn doors for shaping the light.
Finally, the Shadowcaster fixture rounds off the 3-light kit as a narrow beam light for accents and highlights. This fixture has a Sylvania 50-watt halogen PAR bulb, gel frame, barn doors, and a long snoot that helps make the beam very narrow. The bulb is rated for 2,500 hours of use.
Light Kit Setup
Setting up a light kit can be an intimidating experience for some people, especially those with little to no experience. The Videssence Triple Fixture Shooter Kit is by far one of the simplest light kits to configure. The most difficult part of any setup is installing bulbs. Putting the GE fluorescent bulbs in was a snap. In fact, it's easier than changing a standard lamp bulb in your home. You simply seat the bulbs in the fixture. You don't have to use any hardware or remove any plates to access the fixture. And, the Sylvania halogen bulb was nearly just as easy, except you have to unscrew the back housing before you can install the bulb. But, you can do that without any hardware and under a minute. Of course, we used gloves to install the bulbs, although we suspect at such low wattage you might be able to get away with installing the bulbs bare-handed. We figured it wasn't worth the risk of getting our oily fingers on the glass. Finger oil residue can lessen the liefspan of some bulbs, so proper care is always a good idea.
Fluorescent Heads
The fluorescent heads make for a really nice even, flat field of light. This is ideal for studio lighting and green screen lighting. With a little bit of modification, these heads can also play the role of a good soft fill light, too. All you need is some diffusion.
The intensity of the light is just perfect for small studio sets. It falls off pretty quickly so you won't be able to get a lot of depth out of these lights. The throw is very even across the center of the beam and then slowly falls off around the edges, however the edges stay pretty bright even outside 45 degrees of center. This is not really ideal if you are trying to control the light coming from these heads. The barn doors do little to help since they have a reflective interior surface. As you move the barn door in to shape the light, you end up bouncing more light in the opposite direction. If you want to shape the light more carefully, flags and cine-foil will be necessary accessories. While this is a weakness of the light, it also can't be ignored that it's also a strength if your goal is to wash a room with plenty of bright light. High-key lighting environments are a good match for these two lights. With a little bit of work and a few lighting control accessories, you can get more out of these lights than just high-key scenarios.
It takes a few minutes for the bulbs to warm up and reach their maximum output. The On/Off switch makes it easy to run tests when configuring a multi-light setup. The color temperature of the light is pretty warm, matching typical indoor light.
We were most impressed with the operating temperature of these fixtures. After a half an hour of use, the fixtures were pretty warm, but not too hot to touch without gloves. And, with all three lights on at the same time, we were challenged to heat up even a small living room. This is ideal for student operations where safety is a concern.
The third light in the kit is truly unique. The 50-watt halogen Shadowcaster head is a much more controllable light source that complements the other two fixtures very nicely by providing accents and highlights to the scene. The most notable feature on this head is the long snoot-like face that helps make the beam angle very narrow. It's so narrow it seems almost like a spot light, yet it has a fairly even field of light in the center of the beam. Outside the center of the beam, the light falls off very quickly. This light is not nearly as intense as the fluorescent fixtures, but it's just strong enough to create highlights. It's small size makes it easier to hide when it's being used as a rim light or back light.
The Shadowcaster is much easier to control with its barn doors that are a nice matte black. The gel frame makes it easy to attach gels for modifying the light. We weren't pleased that the light head is not equipped with an On/Off switch like the others, making it difficult to run tests quickly. Also the cord length is pretty short, even with the supplied extension cord. With the stand at full height, the cord and extension cord together has a little bit of slack past reaching the floor.
The Shadowcaster operates in the same warm color temperature as the fluorescents, yet it's physical temperature gets much hotter. Gloves will be necessary for adjusting this light after a few minutes of operation, however it's still a relatively low wattage. It would take a couple of hours to warm up a small room with this light on.
Read full article
Lighting kits are a cornerstone to production company, big or small. The Videssence Triple Fixture Shooter Kit is a 3-light kit that is ideal for high-key, studio lighting setups. Schools and small production companies that do relatively small studio shoots will find these kits a perfect match for their needs.
The Kit
The Triple Fixture Shooter Kit comes in a hard-sided soft case with handle straps and a shoulder strap. For many people, this 30-pound kit might be a little too heavy to lug onto your shoulder, however it's relatively small size for a 3-light kit makes it seem possible to carry it in this manner for short distances. Size and weight considered, it's fairly travel-friendly compared to other 3-light kits.
The kit comes equipped with 3 Matthews Reverse Stands that have a maximum height of 82.5 inches and a maximum load of 11 pounds. When folded up, they are only 22.75 inches long. This makes them easy to pack into the soft case. In fact the soft case has a flap on the top tier of the bag that separates the bottom storage area for the light heads from the upper storage area where the stands rest. There is plenty of room in this case for additional lighting accessories in both compartments of the bag.
The two main lighting heads that come with the Videssence Triple Fixture Shooter Kit are the same. These are 57-watt fluorescent fixtures that throw quite a bit of light considering their low wattage. Details about these heads will be covered later in the review. These fixtures are complete with two 57-watt GE fluorescent bulbs that are rated for 12,000 hours of use and barn doors for shaping the light.
Finally, the Shadowcaster fixture rounds off the 3-light kit as a narrow beam light for accents and highlights. This fixture has a Sylvania 50-watt halogen PAR bulb, gel frame, barn doors, and a long snoot that helps make the beam very narrow. The bulb is rated for 2,500 hours of use.
Light Kit Setup
Setting up a light kit can be an intimidating experience for some people, especially those with little to no experience. The Videssence Triple Fixture Shooter Kit is by far one of the simplest light kits to configure. The most difficult part of any setup is installing bulbs. Putting the GE fluorescent bulbs in was a snap. In fact, it's easier than changing a standard lamp bulb in your home. You simply seat the bulbs in the fixture. You don't have to use any hardware or remove any plates to access the fixture. And, the Sylvania halogen bulb was nearly just as easy, except you have to unscrew the back housing before you can install the bulb. But, you can do that without any hardware and under a minute. Of course, we used gloves to install the bulbs, although we suspect at such low wattage you might be able to get away with installing the bulbs bare-handed. We figured it wasn't worth the risk of getting our oily fingers on the glass. Finger oil residue can lessen the liefspan of some bulbs, so proper care is always a good idea.
Fluorescent Heads
The fluorescent heads make for a really nice even, flat field of light. This is ideal for studio lighting and green screen lighting. With a little bit of modification, these heads can also play the role of a good soft fill light, too. All you need is some diffusion.
The intensity of the light is just perfect for small studio sets. It falls off pretty quickly so you won't be able to get a lot of depth out of these lights. The throw is very even across the center of the beam and then slowly falls off around the edges, however the edges stay pretty bright even outside 45 degrees of center. This is not really ideal if you are trying to control the light coming from these heads. The barn doors do little to help since they have a reflective interior surface. As you move the barn door in to shape the light, you end up bouncing more light in the opposite direction. If you want to shape the light more carefully, flags and cine-foil will be necessary accessories. While this is a weakness of the light, it also can't be ignored that it's also a strength if your goal is to wash a room with plenty of bright light. High-key lighting environments are a good match for these two lights. With a little bit of work and a few lighting control accessories, you can get more out of these lights than just high-key scenarios.
It takes a few minutes for the bulbs to warm up and reach their maximum output. The On/Off switch makes it easy to run tests when configuring a multi-light setup. The color temperature of the light is pretty warm, matching typical indoor light.
We were most impressed with the operating temperature of these fixtures. After a half an hour of use, the fixtures were pretty warm, but not too hot to touch without gloves. And, with all three lights on at the same time, we were challenged to heat up even a small living room. This is ideal for student operations where safety is a concern.
The third light in the kit is truly unique. The 50-watt halogen Shadowcaster head is a much more controllable light source that complements the other two fixtures very nicely by providing accents and highlights to the scene. The most notable feature on this head is the long snoot-like face that helps make the beam angle very narrow. It's so narrow it seems almost like a spot light, yet it has a fairly even field of light in the center of the beam. Outside the center of the beam, the light falls off very quickly. This light is not nearly as intense as the fluorescent fixtures, but it's just strong enough to create highlights. It's small size makes it easier to hide when it's being used as a rim light or back light.
The Shadowcaster is much easier to control with its barn doors that are a nice matte black. The gel frame makes it easy to attach gels for modifying the light. We weren't pleased that the light head is not equipped with an On/Off switch like the others, making it difficult to run tests quickly. Also the cord length is pretty short, even with the supplied extension cord. With the stand at full height, the cord and extension cord together has a little bit of slack past reaching the floor.
The Shadowcaster operates in the same warm color temperature as the fluorescents, yet it's physical temperature gets much hotter. Gloves will be necessary for adjusting this light after a few minutes of operation, however it's still a relatively low wattage. It would take a couple of hours to warm up a small room with this light on.
Read full article
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)