Here we go!!

Lots of fun things to talk about on this one.  This week on the podcast we breakdown a recent commercial I shot during the COVID lockdown.

This was with a remote director/production company so lots of notes to take away just in that department.

Enjoy the behind the scenes look!

Patreon Podcast: Low-Con = High Times

Low Con is fun.  You like it.  I like it.

This week over on Patreon we take a look at some great low contrast looks and talk about some techniques that can help create shape when working in a low contrast environment.

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.

A Whole Lotta Light - The Spot

Camera Gear:

We shot on the Alexa Mini LF paired with the Arri Signature Primes.  Almost everything was shot wide open at T1.9.

The Location - Shade Ambient

We had a number of locations we needed to shoot in and only a single 12 hour day to do it all in.  Finding a street that had both the businesses, the aspect, and the feel we needed was the major hurdle for this job.

The Spot - Shot by Shot

Shot 1 - Steadicam Fun

The Shot

Man enters frame and buys something at an outdoor stand.

The Lighting

We needed to balance the day levels in the BG with the level we wanted in the foreground for the talent.

We used every light on the truck to get enough light in our action area.  WE had an Arri M90, 2 x Arri M40s, 1 x Arri M18 and some Skypanels inside to raise the level of the interior.

Once we softened off the light it was just enough level to hold the BG buildings from clipping.

The Result

Set Up #2 - Oysters

The Shot

Old mate walks out the building in the BG and in to the middle of the street.

The Lighting

We had to shoot this at a less than ideal time but made it work with a walking 12x12 bounce and some neg fill frame left.

The Result

The Storyboard

Set Up #3 - The Haze

The Shot

Old mate walks up to counter. 

The Lighting

We brought out all the lights again for this shot.  Luckily the location was about 200 feet from the 1st set up of the day.

Outside is an Arri M90 plus 2 Arri M40s pushing through some 12x12s.  Inside there is neg fill frame right and then a bunch of haze rounds it all out.

The Result

Set Up #4 - The Reverse

The Shot

Reverse of the previous shot.

The Lighting

We swapped everything around a bit more and used a 4x4 piece of diffusion and some floppies to add the contrast we wanted in the foreground.

The Result

Set Up #5 - The Lurker

The Shot

Lade watches old mate through the window.

The Lighting

Same as the previous set up except all of the light is now point at the woman instead of inside.  Even with all o that level we just barely got there to be able to hold the background and the front lit building.

Inside are some skypanels for ambient.

The Result

The Storyboard

Shot #6 - The Walk and Talk

The Shot

Old mate walks along a busy street.

The Lighting

This was the last shot of Day 1 and it was supposed to be in the soft light of magic hour but ended up being completely night by the time we got here.

We used the M90 and the M40s to create the day ambient and just shot it.

The Result

Set Up Location

Shot #7 - The Home

The Shot

The camera dollies in past the gate to reveal our hero has finally made it home.

The Lighting

The schedule was flipped and we ended up having to cover this entire scene with a 12x20.  That cut down the front light on the house then we added some contrast back in to the scene using the Arri M90 through a bunch of layers of diffusion as the key.

Throw in some Neg Fill frame right and we were done.

The Result

The Storyboard

Shot #9 - Closer

The Shot

Same as before.

The Lighting

See previous shot and bring the neg and diffusion closer to the edge of frame.  

The Result

The Storyboard