A great show today with the added benefit of not being a real commercial.  We are looking at a spec (sort of) ad today and breaking down how it all came together.

The double edged sword of shooting commercials and trying to break them down here for you is that there is only so much I can show without getting in trouble.  Well that is not the case today.  In this episode I show you what straight out the camera looks like vs. the final images.

Enjoy the behind the scenes look!

Patreon Podcast: Triple Diffusion

On the Patreon podcast this week we look at Triple Frontier shot by Roman Vasyanov.  Roman is definitely one of my personal favorites working right now and we break down a tricky scene involving some car work and exterior day stuff.

Always challenging keeping things consistent and polished on exterior day scenes and we look at how Roman managed to pull it off.

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.

Spec Ads - Shooting for Fun

This ad was not paid.  We shot it to prove that the good people of WA had the ability to pull something like this together during the pandemic.  

The premise of the ad is people at home on lockdown who make bold statements to camera about how they pledge to do their part to get the WA Tourism industry back on track once the travel restrictions are lifted.  

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 Arri Alexa Mini LF paired with the Cooke Speed Panchros.

For the lighting we had a bunch of small lamps but nothing to big as we had to rely 100% on house power.

The Schedule

We shot the ad in one 8 hour day at two different house locations.

Spec Ad - Shot by Shot

Shot 1 - Couch Surfing

The Shot

A couple sit on the sofa watching Netflix.  

The Lighting

This was the most involved of all the lighting set ups from a time and fixture standpoint.  It is because of that we schedule this set up first so everyone could bump n and get the ball rolling.

We used two skypanels as the moonlight and the tv gag light.

We used a China ball for the key (dimmed wayyyyyy down) and the used the practicals on dimmer to help set the mood.

We had a Titan tube boomed out over the talent behind them to act as a backlight.  Throw in some negative fill camera left and a ton of haze and that was it.

The Result

Shoot Location

Set Up #2 - The Push Finish

The Shot

Same as before but we slightly change the angle and are now dollying in.

The Lighting

See above.  Same but everything closer and therefore more contained.

The Result

Set Up #3 - The Smoke Show

The Shot

In the wide for our second set up the camera is tracking left to right to reveal our new location.

The Lighting

We schedule is shot around the sun even though we were inside.  We did so because we had no generator so we had to rely on boosting natural light.

We had a 4x4 CRLS reflector outside bouncing in the day light and then being pushed through a 8x8 of diffusion on the outside of the window.

Throw in the neg on camera right and the haze and we are good to go.

The Result

Full Frame

Behind the Scenes

Set Up #4 - The In

The Shots

Our talent sits at the kitchen table.

The Lighting

Same as above but easier because we are closer.  Added a 4x4 frame and we were done.

The Result

Straight Out the Camera

Set Up #5 - The In In

The Shot

Portrait of the talent.

The Lighting

See above.

The Result

Shot #6 - The Trampoline

The Shot

The girl sits on the trampoline by herself as the camera dollies towards her.

The Lighting

We used the Sun wrap technique to bring down the background and make her pop.  Then we had a 12x12 of Ultra Bounce frame left and a 12x12 Neg frame right. 

The Result

Straight Out the Camera

Shot #7 - Down the Line

The Shots

The same as above but tighter.

The Lighting

Same as above but because we are tighter we added an 8x8 of diffusion for the sun to help control the levels better.

The Result

Straight Out the Camera

Shot #8 - In Again

The Shot

75mm portrait.

The Lighting

See previous shot.  

The Result

Shot #9 - Enter the Sun

The Shot

The camera pushes in on the talent as they deliver their lines.

The Lighting

We used the 12x12 from the previous shot and parked it against the window frame left to help get some level on the talent.

Added haze and let the sun do the rest.

The Result

Shot #10 - The Reverse

The Shot

This is the portrait of the reverse angle inside the kitchen.

The Lighting

We now diffused the sun rather than bouncing it because of the angle of the kitchen. One 4x4 frame and a bunch of neg should do the trick.

The Result

Shot #11 - The Last Stop

The Shot

Camera dollies in as the talent delivers their line.

The Lighting

We had an Arri M18 for the main key plus a Joker 800 for the background.

Add haze and Neg and we are done.

The Result

Straight Out the Camera

Shot #12 - Down the Line

The Shot

Same as above but closer.

The Lighting

See above with the addition of a 4x4 frame left just to help wrap the light around more.

The Result

Shot #12 - The Wrap

The Shot

Same as above but closer for the portrait.

The Lighting

Same again but everything closer.

The Result