How to QUICKLY Set Up a Cinematic Interview In a BAD Location
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
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Today we set up a premium doc series interview in a BAD location.
As a doc filmmaker, one thing you are called to do over and over again is to set up cinematic-looking interviews. But often you have to do there interview setups with very little time to do them and in suboptimal (or even bad) locations.
This is something I've had to do on numerous occasions. But if you have a system in place and a step-by-step process of how you approach these situations, you'll be ready no matter where you find yourself - even if it's in a basement kitchen of an old church.
Today, we set the timer for one hour and try to make the nicest looking interview we can in a very subpar location. Let's get to it.
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It's fine advice and the process of setting up is good. But in no way is this a *BAD* location. It's actually pretty good compared to what I would consider bad locations. It's long so you can get depth. It has diffused natural light, the walls are white with nothing on them, there are a few organic props and you have plenty of room to set lights, Like...dude. This is totally not a bad location.
I've definitely been in worse locations, true. Still a bland basement in an old church, so definitely not ideal and not many folks would pick it. The diffused windows helped a ton.
@@CurrenSheldon I think it's also worth pointing out that being able to see the potential of a room like this takes a great eye. Plenty of others would walk into this room and have their heart sink with how dingy it looks but I think you've pointed out some really great helpful principles that can be applied to any room you walk into.
@@ZacharyCusson I appreciate that! Five years ago, I probably would have been one of those people - but now every room and situation is an opportunity to make something new, so it's fun to try in less-than-ideal circumstances.
In a world of overly saturated camera content........this is a really good video. Thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it
this is the type of breakdown educational video I learn the most from, seeing the complete workflow and thought process.
Glad it was helpful! I'd like to focus more on these types of videos in the future, so glad they resonate.
I'm filming a scientific conference in March in a not-so-great room; this video was a godsend!
Glad this will be helpful!
This space isnt that bad though lol great video!
haha the windows were nice! But, it IS a kitchen basement in an old church, so... not great.
This was the best lighting video I've watched. Practical equipment being used. 💯
Thanks for the kind words and glad you found it helpful.
Don't get me wrong, this video is fantastic. However, depending on where you are in your cinematography journey, a room like this might not seem 'bad' at all. Personally, with all that natural light pouring in from those windows, I'd never consider this space as bad. But here's the thing - I want to see more challenging room setups.
I work as a videographer/photographer at a university, and we've got some really tough spaces - no windows, cinderblock walls from a bygone era, and almost zero decor in the vicinity to set design. Of course, we have solutions to avoid these spaces altogether, but part of me likes a challenge. I can relate to this content, as I'm sure most videographers do. The beautiful set and travel videos to Iceland that everyone has done are overdone.
Show me more garbage locations, the absolute worst - literally shoot in a closet, lol - and walk us through how you tackle these situations. I think this could be a great series!
Agree that this isn't the WORST room I've ever set up an interview and I love the series idea. I am definitely planning a video (or collection of videos) on setting up in much worse locations. People's windowless offices, drab conference rooms, etc.
@@CurrenSheldon Awesome! Can't wait to check it out. Enjoy your weekend
Great work, great use of the space. I would have removed a few plants from the background of his shoulder and maybe swapped the two plants in the other window but man this is great. Loved seeing it come together. I think I'm gonna make a few videos like this. Good work!
Agreed that after viewing it for a bit I would have moved a couple of plants. I often find myself wanting to change things 20 minutes into an interview - 🤦🏻♂️
I think you made the best frame from what you had to work with.
Thanks!
Just discovered your channel and loving it. Thanks for the practical tips and the money-saving tips in your other videos.
Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching! I have a lot planned for the second half of the year, so appreciate you being on the journey.
Somehow this vid got recommended to me at the perfect time. I have to setup my first interview in a suboptimal location tomorrow!
Perfect! I hope it's helpful and you crush it.
love all the practicality in this!
This came at a good time for me and has definitely helped a lot! I’ve had back to back shoots with multiple Home service companies, where their offices are never ideal, would love to see how you would tackle a room with no windows or blank walls! Either way, thanks for the tips!!
Glad it was helpful! And yes, after I was done with this video I thought of all the worst places I've shot before - especially those no-windows-and-blank-walls type of places. I may do a follow up doing just that.
really good job explaining everything, thank you for this!
Thanks for watching! Glad it was helpful.
Thank you for your content ,💯 this very helpful , clear and straight to the point. Subscribed
Glad you liked it!
Helpful - thanks for the content!
Glad it was helpful!
Such a useful video! Subscribed!
Thanks for watching and coming along for the ride!
This was excellent, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it and it was good fun to make
Solid simple workflow with excellent results. Also dig that case of RGB practical bulbs!
Thanks! Yep, I'm a strong proponent of the keep it simple but effective approach. The Aputure bulbs are great and more useful than I thought they would be. You can check them out here: amzn.to/4bj537K
@@CurrenSheldon Nice! On my wish list. Consider including that link in your “gear I use” sections! I’m currently using their 4 MC set. They make some excellent kits!
Good point,@@TazGoldstein . Will add!
Loved this! Most people will shoot how you did in the beginning and add key light and not dress the set. Not always their fault. But you turned something simple into something extraordinary, it challenged me, great job!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video and were able to get something from it.
Fantastic as always bud!
Thanks!
This is great!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Don’t let all the nitpicking about your set design and the perfect color temp stuff get you down-
You showed how you elevate the frame, where the value added for the client comes in-you showed the work that lets us charge a living wage for a day rate. For this kind of stuff, that’s what matters. How to create 300 dollars worth of value in an hour’s work.
I appreciate it! No setup in a real location, especially when done quickly, can be perfect. 90% of documentary cinematography is getting the best results with the context and scenarios that are thrown at you - so that's what you gotta do.
I swear this is my exact workflow, unless I got a chance to scout. Great video man! New Sub
Haha yes scouting is a luxury that we rarely get, but I'll take it when I can get it. Thanks for watching and coming along for future videos.
Excellent! Practical and to the point
Practical and to the point is my middle name. It's a long name.
@@CurrenSheldon Just long enough to get to the point.
would love to see how you would have placed a second camera with a 50mm lens for example. Liked it anyway! :)
Yes I was planning on setting up a second camera but never really had the room. If I did, I would probably set up a tighter shot, a bit more to the side, and angled it down for a more dramatic close-up effect. Next time I'll include it!
Hmm I'm liking the hand holding and checking out the frame. Were you using a 35mm?
It was a 25mm on the C300, so equivalent to about a 35mm field of view on full-frame. I prefer using a 50mm for wide interviews and just backing up more, but as you can see from the video, didn't have any extra room!
Very helpful advice!
Thanks Zack! Hope you can use it on your next shoot.
@8:39 I see your light dome reflection in the window.
Gustin Deiber ended up pretty well lit👌🏾
😆
This was great. Subscribing. :)
Thanks!
I love this so much! Thanks for sharing! What bulbs are you using for the practical light?
Thanks for watching! Those are the Aputure B7c series - you can buy them individally or in an 8-bulb case.
thanks!@@CurrenSheldon
Just saw your Industry Call fro AOD. Amazing presentation although your 4 slides at the beginning made me think my professional life has been a total failure lol. ... Discovering your RUclips channel and looks super interesting / practical .... love the "tone" ... Wonder how you find the time to do this though.. Congrats.
Haha when you lay out your entire 12-year career in four slides, it looks like you've done A LOT, but even I feel as thought I've often only operated at 50% of what I could be doing. Chipping away at big projects over time means you can get a lot done in 6, 12, 18 months and beyond.
Also - the TIME portion is going to be a big question for me moving forward. Had a slow Jan/Feb in terms of DP and commercial work, so I backlogged a bunch of videos - but now things are busier, so we'll see. Will try to get them out as often as I can!
@@CurrenSheldon Would love to see KING COAL at some point. Currently based in Barcelona, any chance to watch it here?
Big thumbs up on this video. Curious what aperture setting you ended up using for the shot. Thanks.
We ended up with the 25mm at T2.1 (which is wide open on the Zeiss CP3).
@@CurrenSheldon thank you!
How do you handle shifting daylight that’s coming through the windows? Editing sometimes requires moving shots around in the timeline and the sunlight changes can be distracting.
Pet hate throwing practicals in. Never understand why people place them dead centre of frame especially if there is only one practical. Hugely distracting. Also try to avoid hard lines emerging from the subjects head. Eg window frames especially when it is high contrast. When in doubt decrease depth of field.
Practicals - you could move them around and I don't always use them. Seemed to fit the space nicely on this one as it was a pretty bare/lifeless room (BAD location, after all). All good points. Lots of people don't have (or don't want to use) f1.2/1.4 lenses or shoot 85mm every time, so you do your best with what you have and the time you've got.
Beautiful set up! Whats your back light? The 200?
That was the Zhiyun X100 Molus: store.zhiyun-tech.com/collections/photography-light/products/molus-x100?variant=42185885974708 - GREAT little light.
@@CurrenSheldon thank you! I like how portable and simple it looks.
the back/hairlight doesnt match the window's temp - window is cold and the (motivated) light is warm making it look/feel fake
Once I added in the lamp I changed the backlight to match the lamp instead - could go either way, but may have worked better with a 5600k temp.
This is so helpful thank you very much. Someone suggested me to bring a 47'' (120cm) softbox instead of a 33'' (85cm) softbox for my amaran 200x keylight. What would be better if I had enough space? And would the 200x even be strong enough for a 120cm softbox (+grid)? Tia
Generally, the larger the source = the softer the light. So the larger softbox will get you a softer light. I prefer my 35" softbox because it's easier to travel with, can be used on smaller lights (like the Zhiyuns in the video or the lighter Amaran lights - though the 200x should be fine), and still gets a light that is soft enough for 98% of my use cases.
Thanks for replying, I subscribed and I'm looking forward to seeing more of these types of videos, very informative and helpful @@CurrenSheldon
@@dinbali Thanks! Glad it was helpful and looking forward to making more videos like these. Let me know if there is anything specific you want to see.
There's also a huge difference in the quality of softboxes. A smaller one of better quality might give you way better lighting compared to a big cheap one.
An easy way to check is to look at the diffusion to see if you can see hotspots/paterns/stripes etc
@@dinbali
@@housepandacrew581 Yeah , soft boxes with an inner light baffle , will give you a softer light , as they spread it more evenly on the front panel , than a larger box / front panel , but with a hot spot , not filling the front panel evenly . The front panel is essentially the light source .
What's the actual realistic time to set this up if you don't have to explain everything?
I would guess I could have done all of this in about 15-20 minutes, though I would always take all the time I could get to make all the small tweaks.
Obviously this video was about lighting and the final set up looks great! I'd love to hear a mention of the time to get the subject mic'd in a scenario like this because audio is just as important as a part of the final deliverable. You don't have to go into detail about it, but just acknowledging that it's a part of the process is realistic.