Oh the glamour of the commercial production world.  

Join me on this week's episode as we take a deep dive in to what you can accomplish with a few Titan tubes, some good people, and 10 hours in a shower.

Enjoy the behind the scenes look!

Patreon Podcast: The Tree of Life

I can't believe it has taken this many Feature Film Breakdowns to finally make it to The Tree of Life shot by Chivo ASC.  The goat before the goat was the goat.

This is a film that had a major impact on cinematography and in the breakdown we discuss how you can take advantage of what Chivo and team were doing in your own work no matter what level your are at.  

You can find this week's Patreon content by clicking the link below:

The Wandering DP Patreon Group

If you are a fan of the podcast and want more video content the patreon group is the place to be.  Each and every week I release an exclusive podcast, video, or live stream just for the Patreon members.

Patreon members also get access to the Private Facebook community for the show.  The podcast couldn't exist without the Patreon support and I do my best to take care of the supporters.

Location Lighting Challenges - The Spot

Camera Gear:

Check out the gear I use on all of my commercial shoots by clicking the link below:

Wandering DP Commercial Cinematography Gear

We used the Alexa Mini LF paired with Sigma Cine Primes.  The 14mm was a life saver in such tight quarters.

For lighting we used a single Arri S-60 skypanel and Titan Tubes for the interior.

The Location - The Luxury of Space

Almost anywhere else in the world this would have been a studio job but here in Western Australia where studio space is hard to come by and set builds are like unicorns we managed to shoot an entire spot in a residential bathroom.  

No false walls, no studio grid, and no air conditioning in the middle of the Australian summer.

The Spot - Shot by Shot

Shot 1 - The Push Start

The Shots

Our main talent enters from frame left as the camera pushes in along the floor to reveal the bathroom.

The Lighting

We set up our faux lighting grid using a combination of wall busters and Astera Titan Tubes.  That rig became the base layer for everything we did inside the bathroom.

Outside the room frame left was some sort of small LED panel to add a bit of push through the door as the talent entered the room.

The Result

Shoot Location

Set Up #2 - Down the Line

The Shot

A slow creep over the should of our two main characters.

The Lighting

The same base as above but we adjusted the levels in the tubes and added a 4x4 frame of diffusion to help soften the light and get a bit more wrap from above.

The Result

The Storyboard

Set Up #3 - The Texture

The Shot

The hardest shot for talent and focus puller.  The hand entering frame shot.  Always easiest to do this in reverse and then reverse the clip in the edit.  

The Lighting

Same as above.

The Result

The Storyboard

Set Up #4 - The Creep

The Shot

The camera crabs from left to right as we use the door as our foreground layer to help hide what s happening and give a bit of the suspense feel to the spot.

The Lighting

Same as our original wide but we played with the LED panel in the foreground room to get a bit more shape out of the door frame.

The Result

Set Up #5 - The Reverse

The Shot

We are now looking the other way.  The two talent lean in as the camera dollies towards them.

The Lighting

Exact same set up as the other angles but we added a single Titan tube frame left to help wrap the light from above and have it be a but more forgiving to the talent.

The Result

The Storyboard

Set Up #6 - The Lean

The Shot

The continuation of the above shot.

The Lighting

See above plus we added a little poly as the camera dollied in.

The Result

Shot #7 - The Opening SIngle

The Shot

The shower curtain opens to reveal our talent.  He reaches for the tap and we cut.

The Lighting

Same as above but the angle and lens change means that we now see the reflection in the talent's eyes.

The Result

The Storyboard

Shot #8 - The Extreme Angle

The Shots

Up shot of the talent investigating the soon to be VFX tap.

The Lighting

A single Titan tube on the original wallbuster rig in combination with a little 2x1 poly from the camera side.

The Result

The Storyboard

Shot #9 - New Tap Who Dis'

The Shots

The director needed a slow push in as the tap is being touched for the first time.  It simply wasn't possible in the space so we relocated the tap for the final shot.

The Lighting

The exterior skypanel became the key through the 4x4 window diffusion then inside a single Titan tube helped to wrap the light a bit more and maintain the shape we were after.

The Result

The Storyboard