Don't need to shift your frame. Just ball up a little bit of gaff tape and put it on the backside of the mirror to tilt it a bit in the direction you want.
Do ya'll offer a kit with various diffusion materials that'll work with the 4x6 setup? I hate buying everything separate as most of the time certain items are out of stock.
Is there ever a time when you stop down around t11 or t16? The example you give here almost looks like it was shot on a green screen due to the tstop being used. Is this the new norm for client interviews? This look seems beneficial if the background is less than desirable.
Personally, I don’t shoot interviews that far stopped down, but certainly go higher to ~ T5.6 on occasion. Just depends on the project and how much the environment plays a character in the story.
any situatinos on where the flap of the book light opens? I've always communicated the "cameraman reads the book" but I've seen others where they open the book with the "binder" closest to the camera op. They always end up deciding to flag off the opening of the booklight because of spill. The "cameraman reads the book" blocks the light a bit more in my experience. Thoughts?
You could do it either way, but the spill would be the biggest issue - unless you wanted to use that to your advantage. That, and the orientation that makes the most sense in the space you have. I didn't do it here, but even with the orientation of this setup, I would still probably block / diffuse the opening, just so it's not distracting for the director during the interview. But that has less to do with the impact on the frame.
This setup is just soo fast and compact, insane! Will you cover other lighting setups too in the future? Or just the most natural light you can get? :) I finally bought a rolling combo stand (used for pretty cheap) like the one in the last video, I can't wait to test it myself!
It’s a quick one indeed! The main lighting I do is for interviews, since for docs I don’t light anything else. And I’m always after a natural look for those interviews. Down the road I’ll have some Case Studies of series I’ve done with substantial recreations that have a lot more lighting.
Hi, would you recommend daylight led for beginner like me or bi-color? I am looking to purchase my first light, 300W, as this is what my budget is allowing me to. Also, please provide any recommendation for what can be a great first light for under 400-500 CAD.
Hi, this is tough question to answer without knowing the kind of work you do. Are you typically working in daylight environments where you will want a daylight-specific light for slightly higher output compared to a bi-color unit of the same wattage? Or are you working in a variety of environments where multi-color is more important than the output? Know that a 300W unit will be hard to compete with the exposure presented out a window, so maybe a bi-color is the way to go. Unfortunately I don’t have any experience with lights on this budget level, so I don’t want to just throw out a product that I haven’t used. Keep your eyes open for sales and reviews and make a decision based on that. Work with what you can at the moment and then upgrade as the budget allows. Best of luck!
Highly underrated channel! I love your teaching style. Watching you do all of your adjustments via the app makes me wish I had gone with all Aputure lights instead of a mish-mosh of Godox, Aputure and Nanlite.
Amazing work, Matt. These last two tutorials are way beyond anything I've ever seen on RUclips. You anticipated nearly every question that arose as I watched. Alas, I have a few: 1. What's your thought process in aiming the front of the book light? Are you looking to center the subject at 45 degrees, or do you play with the angle and targeting based on the overall illumination of the room? 2. I presume the combination of book light fabrics will yield distinctive looks. Any rules of thumb for what you choose and in what scenarios? Thanks as always. Watching these videos on RUclips almost feels like stealing. The quality is insanely high.
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! 1) The angle of the book light all depends on how and where you want the light to fall on the subject / the room. I can come more to the side of the subject to limit how far the light wraps on their face. I can adjust the angle to send more or less light into the room for ambience. You can control some of the spill just by the angle of the book light. But as a starting point, I'll aim somewhat 45 degrees to the subject from the camera, like you said, and play from there. 2) The combo of materials is the age-old question! If you haven't watched it yet, check out my Bounce & Diffusion video where I show all the combinations. It all comes down to personal preference and look you're going for. ruclips.net/video/NfnCYq4G_cA/видео.htmlsi=mXu0evKJ0iEIZLiI
Thank you Matt, I love all your videos! Quick Q, why do you need a big light source if you are going to cut almost half by putting a flag to cut the light on the subjects clothes?
I prefer the look and quality out of a larger source. It also gives me a lot more flexibility in what I can do with it. What I put in front of the key (in terms of cutting/slowing the light) depends on a lot of factors that aren't necessarily determined before starting - like what color shirt is the subject wearing? Maybe I use a single net, a double net, or an even a solid. If a darker shirt, I won't use anything at all. So I like to start with a nice large source and sculpt it from there, as opposed to just using a small light from the beginning that reduces my ability to get what I need. Hope that answers your question!
Thank you very much for doing this! One thing I would like to know is how much softer the light in your first setup really is compared to this. Another thing I would like to see is your take on large flex panels such as the Intellytech mega litecloth or the Godox F600Bi. I’m wondering how much softer the light really gets with a booklight setup if the surface area is roughly equal. And how much brighter a 600D in a booklight setup is, because these new panels are crazy bright and big, I wonder if they challenge your preferred way of lighting or if it’s still superior. Anyway, awesome content, thank you!
The softness of the final light is dependent on a lot of factors. But ultimately, like @Honestandbrokercameraguy said, it's all about the distance - both from the subject, as well as in between the bounce and diffusion sources. In the first video, there was a lot more space between the bounce material and the diffusion. This will have a greater impact on the softness. As will the distance to the subject. The second video used muslin as the bounce, which will create a softer starting point than the silver/white, so it all depends what you're after. I honestly haven't played with the new flex lights, but I would be hard pressed to find one that is as bright as the 600d. So when I need to compete with windows (which is most of the time), these two book light options will be my go-to.
The only thing about a book light is it helps evenly cover the diff frame , ie the light source , if you can do this with a light directly , you will get the exact the same level of softness , but with a book light can achieve what a direct, into diff frame light can do ,in a much smaller space, that's why they were invented . But now you can do the same with large lit matts / Intellytech etc , if your lighting from the same distance , diff frame size. No amount of diff added in front of your source will make it softer unless it's making that source bigger.
@@Cinegavo so a 4x4 will look more natural on a face from 20 feet away than 4ft away . Give that a try , it will be a very hard light . The source size / distance is everything. you will need a much bigger source like a 12x12 or more to keep the softness if you back off the light far enough , but yes the fall off will be much less and look more "natural " but you will have to change the size .
As an educator and practising cinematographer I want to tell you this is brilliant content! Would have loved a bit more on using things like waveform and/or histogram to set exposure and keep whites from blowing out rather than just gauging it by eye on the monitor, for the future perhaps.
Ok, first thing to do is to go outside and check what the sun path is. You don't want the sun suddenly coming through the window while you are in the middle of the shoot.
Don’t even need to go outside, like I did with SunSeeker. And yes, you can choose to avoid those windows all together, or in this case know the path and plan accordingly.
My suggestion from my humble experience is to go outside and see if there are buildings, trees, etc in the way of the sun and other factors that can condition your lighting. Using apps is great to give an idea, but nothing replaces de scouting of reality. For instance, framing. There is nothing wrong with framing with a cellphone (app) if you want to have an idea. However, try to frame with your hands so you can have an idea of distances, volume, space, and other factors like skin condition, etc. Nothing replaces your eye. Your bare eye will give you an understanding of the scene you'll never get through a cellphone screen. Good luck and all the best.@@matt-porwoll
If part of the objective is to expose for the outside in order to retain details, would it be possible to Gel the windows rear of the talent with ND? That would enable a less powerful light such as a 300 to be used, in case you didn’t own or have access to a 600 and you could still be at an aperture that would give a nice shallow depth of field. If too much light was coming in from behind the camera as the day progressed, that’s where the duvetine or anything else for additional diffusion in the road rag kit could come in handy. The booklight is nice but unless I’m doing interview work on a weekly 3 times a month basis, I’d likely just use 2 c-stands for rigging instead of investing 1100 into a Westscott kit.
You certainly could ND the windows if you didn’t have a powerful enough light, but that takes a lot of time to get right. It’s really hard to get an ND’d window to look right in frame. Any time I’ve suggested it on a shoot, my gaffer wishes I hadn’t :) There are probably easier work-arounds if you can’t get the exposure you need. My suggestion would be to throw up some sheers to diffuse and slow down the light that is coming in, or rent something for the day that gives you what you need. No need to buy it if you can’t make your money back. Just get one in for the day if you absolutely need the output. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the tutorial, Matt. One thing that concerns me with that booklight is that the key seems pretty low. The shadows cast by your nose seem to be horizontal, or even going upwards slightly, without much shadow falling on to the neck. That might look more "natural" since, in the real world, a lot of light coming through a window bounces off the floor and causes uplighting, but it isn't all that flattering for those with larger necks.
Thanks for your comment. You can absolutely raise the book light if it isn’t giving you the right angle on your subject. Just requires more grip, but totally doable!
I haven't done a video yet on the business side of things, but it's on the list. As far as recording interviews, I've focused more lighting them and the general approach behind trust with subjects. When it comes to asking the questions, that's all the director.
great stuff yet again! When I shoot docs alone I usually just go for a bounced 2x1 or so due to time, but now I feel eager to try this out! Seems almost easier
Thanks Matt. I can't believe everyone gets you whispering in their ear like this. Can you comment on the choice of unbleached muslin? I have wondered if it is not easily replicated in today's landscape, but with more control. How would this change for you if a) your bounce was neutral-white and you had some 1/2 or 1/4 straw or cto, or b) your key was bicolor or rgb?
I'm sure you could come close to replicating the look of unbleached / bleached muslin, but I would ask why? It looks so good! And saves having to spend time setting up another frame with gels or messing around with the various color choices of the light you're working with. I think a lot of it comes down to your own experience with a setup as well. I know what this will give me, so I don't see the need to change it for the same result. But if you know the look you get out of something different with similar results, then that certainly makes sense to me!
@@matt-porwoll thanks for this reply. I’m with you on that. Results you can anticipate. Unbleached muslin seems to have a strong following among dps. It’s one of the few ‘colored’ textiles that crosses almost all lines.
Are you shooting in LOG? I know that's unrelated to lighting but your frame is very clean. You can get a clean frame in log but it can be a matter of a lower ISO for a dark frame or exposing to the right.
@@matt-porwoll I always do too. Best way to go but sometimes fighting noise can be a challenge. Did you denounce that frame at all? And again really beautiful work. I love your channel.
@@jimhestermanphotography Since I’m only shooting log and not RAW, noise isn’t as much of an issue, unless it’s underexposed. So no, I didn’t, and normally don’t do any denoising. It’s always best to pad your shadows to make sure you don’t have to lift anything out of it after the fact. That’s what really gets you!
@@matt-porwoll Right and for the most part I'm not dealing with difficult exposures and noise is minimal but it's still always present to some degree. I just didn't see any in your shot so I asked. Recently I had these very large windows in my frame and naturally I wanted to expose for the exterior/windows but it was a challenge as it was late day sun and it really required stopping down. The blacks in the frame were full of noise. In the end it's not that noticeable after color correction and grade but it made me think I should have raised the exposure more in the room by maybe bouncing light to increase the ambient. Live and learn. Thanks for the responses.
do you ever use the avatars in the Artemis app , very handy for looking at potential interviews sets ups. A little bit of balled up gaffer tape on that mirror right hand side , between mirror and wall, would help with the refection of the light , its quite a good trick for getting rid of refections , its amazing how much you can angle mirror , paintings etc and it looks totally fine in the camera. Great video look forward to the next one
I haven’t played much with the avatars, mainly bc they don’t scale with the lenses. But worth giving another shot for sure! And yes, solid comment about the tape ball behind the mirror / art for reflections. I do this often, but didn’t for this one because of how much the key was in there. But good thing for people to remember!
@@matt-porwoll Yeah I just change them to how wide or tight I want the int shot. There is scale for adjusting the back ground Bokeh , that Ive never really understood . Great app, also handy to take pictures and sent to remote clients / dir after location scouts .
Another great video Matt, thanks! I would love to see a series on how you plan to get your shots on the day of a documentary shoot. Things move so fast and especially if you're the only camera operator you have to really be tuned in to what needs to be captured for a great edit. What are some things you do to make sure you have the footage you need for a great edit and film? Obviously 2 camera operators are better than one, but let's assume one. Thanks!
Thanks! I will definitely be doing a video on getting coverage in the future. But the main aspect of getting what’s needed is what you already mentioned - being tuned in to the story. I would also say having more than 1 camera in a verite doc situation is rarely a better option, especially in the same scene. The more cameras you have, the less point of view you have and the more compromises you take to keep each other out of the shots. The coverage becomes more reality / boiler plate. I always push for a single camera, unless absolutely necessary to have more.
Thanks for the response. That's interesting. I would not have expected one camera being the best option, especially when it's important to get a variety of wide, medium and tight shots or at least wide/tight. The subject is food, so it's important to get those tight shots as well as wide/medium. I just want to make sure there is plenty of good shots to work with in the edit. I think the verite live capture audio seems more tricky vs interview voice over style, but maybe I'm wrong about that. Thanks!
@pizzomedia7261 Certainly doing something like a food show would benefit from more cameras, especially in a relatively static environment. I’m more referring to roaming action that can be difficult to keep other cameras out of the frame without compromising the visual esthetic you might be after. Capturing verite sound is trickier than interviews for sure, but still utilizing the same approach. This is where a good sound recordist is vital!
Cool stuff, Matt. The Westcott gear that Jem developed is a convenient solution. I’ve already got 4x4 Road Flags. Have you seen anyone connect them somehow to make a hinged book light?
You can certainly create a book light with two 4x4 frames, but I don’t think there are hinges for it. Can always zip-tie the two frames together! But I’d still want to put them each on a stand. That’s what’s so nice about the book light kit is that you don’t need any stands at all.
Nice setup w/ the two 4x4’s, it turns out. I’ve got the standard fabrics that come w/ the Matthews Road Flag frames - white/silver reflector & China silk - set them on two light weight stands, clipped them together on one vertical edge w/ a pair of spring clamps to create the book spine, set the 600D to bounce off the reflector, brought the light up to within less than a stop of the light through my window in the frame. I needed a little flagging on the window side because my position was so close to the outside wall. Then added a Matthews 2x3 Road Rag reflector (as you did in this video). Do you bother w/ a meter to get the ratio between the outside illumination and the book light, or are you only using your scopes & false color? Definitely going to use this setup in the future.
I already have the Westcott 6x6 frame with fabrics. The book light kit is way overpriced. Curious if there is a cheaper add on to achieve the book light with the hinge function? Thanks for the informative video as always!
Thanks for this! I’ve always avoided shooting into windows, especially for long-form interviews. this gives me some confidence to work with them instead. Definitely something to practice in my own living room before I do it for real.
Yes! Windows are the greatest element to incorporate into a frame (not to mention a great key motivation), so hope your tests go well! Hope you can take it into the field soon.
Don't need to shift your frame. Just ball up a little bit of gaff tape and put it on the backside of the mirror to tilt it a bit in the direction you want.
Amazing work, love how natural and motivated the lighting is!
Thank you! And thank you for providing the book light kit so I can show it in action!
Do ya'll offer a kit with various diffusion materials that'll work with the 4x6 setup? I hate buying everything separate as most of the time certain items are out of stock.
Is there ever a time when you stop down around t11 or t16? The example you give here almost looks like it was shot on a green screen due to the tstop being used. Is this the new norm for client interviews? This look seems beneficial if the background is less than desirable.
Personally, I don’t shoot interviews that far stopped down, but certainly go higher to ~ T5.6 on occasion. Just depends on the project and how much the environment plays a character in the story.
any situatinos on where the flap of the book light opens? I've always communicated the "cameraman reads the book" but I've seen others where they open the book with the "binder" closest to the camera op. They always end up deciding to flag off the opening of the booklight because of spill. The "cameraman reads the book" blocks the light a bit more in my experience. Thoughts?
You could do it either way, but the spill would be the biggest issue - unless you wanted to use that to your advantage. That, and the orientation that makes the most sense in the space you have. I didn't do it here, but even with the orientation of this setup, I would still probably block / diffuse the opening, just so it's not distracting for the director during the interview. But that has less to do with the impact on the frame.
This setup is just soo fast and compact, insane!
Will you cover other lighting setups too in the future? Or just the most natural light you can get? :)
I finally bought a rolling combo stand (used for pretty cheap) like the one in the last video, I can't wait to test it myself!
It’s a quick one indeed! The main lighting I do is for interviews, since for docs I don’t light anything else. And I’m always after a natural look for those interviews. Down the road I’ll have some Case Studies of series I’ve done with substantial recreations that have a lot more lighting.
OMG!! the technique to find the frame is soooo bad!!!!!
Hi, would you recommend daylight led for beginner like me or bi-color? I am looking to purchase my first light, 300W, as this is what my budget is allowing me to. Also, please provide any recommendation for what can be a great first light for under 400-500 CAD.
Hi, this is tough question to answer without knowing the kind of work you do. Are you typically working in daylight environments where you will want a daylight-specific light for slightly higher output compared to a bi-color unit of the same wattage? Or are you working in a variety of environments where multi-color is more important than the output? Know that a 300W unit will be hard to compete with the exposure presented out a window, so maybe a bi-color is the way to go. Unfortunately I don’t have any experience with lights on this budget level, so I don’t want to just throw out a product that I haven’t used. Keep your eyes open for sales and reviews and make a decision based on that. Work with what you can at the moment and then upgrade as the budget allows. Best of luck!
I’m loving your videos. Keep up the good work. Thank you!
Thank you! Will do!
I haven’t learned this much in such a short amount of time. You condensed a lot of information inti 25 minutes Thank you so much for doing this.
Thank you!
Highly underrated channel! I love your teaching style. Watching you do all of your adjustments via the app makes me wish I had gone with all Aputure lights instead of a mish-mosh of Godox, Aputure and Nanlite.
I appreciate that! There is certainly something to be said for brand consistency, even if there are particular trade-offs.
Amazing work, Matt. These last two tutorials are way beyond anything I've ever seen on RUclips. You anticipated nearly every question that arose as I watched. Alas, I have a few:
1. What's your thought process in aiming the front of the book light? Are you looking to center the subject at 45 degrees, or do you play with the angle and targeting based on the overall illumination of the room?
2. I presume the combination of book light fabrics will yield distinctive looks. Any rules of thumb for what you choose and in what scenarios?
Thanks as always. Watching these videos on RUclips almost feels like stealing. The quality is insanely high.
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!
1) The angle of the book light all depends on how and where you want the light to fall on the subject / the room. I can come more to the side of the subject to limit how far the light wraps on their face. I can adjust the angle to send more or less light into the room for ambience. You can control some of the spill just by the angle of the book light. But as a starting point, I'll aim somewhat 45 degrees to the subject from the camera, like you said, and play from there.
2) The combo of materials is the age-old question! If you haven't watched it yet, check out my Bounce & Diffusion video where I show all the combinations. It all comes down to personal preference and look you're going for.
ruclips.net/video/NfnCYq4G_cA/видео.htmlsi=mXu0evKJ0iEIZLiI
Hi, thank you for your video. Which monitor are you using in this video? thnx
I’m using the SmallHD 1703. I wish they still made them!
Thank you Matt, I love all your videos! Quick Q, why do you need a big light source if you are going to cut almost half by putting a flag to cut the light on the subjects clothes?
I prefer the look and quality out of a larger source. It also gives me a lot more flexibility in what I can do with it. What I put in front of the key (in terms of cutting/slowing the light) depends on a lot of factors that aren't necessarily determined before starting - like what color shirt is the subject wearing? Maybe I use a single net, a double net, or an even a solid. If a darker shirt, I won't use anything at all. So I like to start with a nice large source and sculpt it from there, as opposed to just using a small light from the beginning that reduces my ability to get what I need. Hope that answers your question!
What kind of monitor is that?
@@elvin00 it’s a SmallHD 1703
I feel like i need a dummy too to frame up shots without talent too
Yes, I'd feel silly carrying one around, but it seems undeniably useful.
What production monitor are you using?
I’m using the SmallHD 1703
Thank you very much for doing this! One thing I would like to know is how much softer the light in your first setup really is compared to this. Another thing I would like to see is your take on large flex panels such as the Intellytech mega litecloth or the Godox F600Bi. I’m wondering how much softer the light really gets with a booklight setup if the surface area is roughly equal. And how much brighter a 600D in a booklight setup is, because these new panels are crazy bright and big, I wonder if they challenge your preferred way of lighting or if it’s still superior. Anyway, awesome content, thank you!
The fall off of omething with more distance distance provides creates a more natural look regardless of the source size
The softness of the final light is dependent on a lot of factors. But ultimately, like @Honestandbrokercameraguy said, it's all about the distance - both from the subject, as well as in between the bounce and diffusion sources. In the first video, there was a lot more space between the bounce material and the diffusion. This will have a greater impact on the softness. As will the distance to the subject. The second video used muslin as the bounce, which will create a softer starting point than the silver/white, so it all depends what you're after. I honestly haven't played with the new flex lights, but I would be hard pressed to find one that is as bright as the 600d. So when I need to compete with windows (which is most of the time), these two book light options will be my go-to.
The only thing about a book light is it helps evenly cover the diff frame , ie the light source , if you can do this with a light directly , you will get the exact the same level of softness , but with a book light can achieve what a direct, into diff frame light can do ,in a much smaller space, that's why they were invented . But now you can do the same with large lit matts / Intellytech etc , if your lighting from the same distance , diff frame size. No amount of diff added in front of your source will make it softer unless it's making that source bigger.
@@Cinegavo so a 4x4 will look more natural on a face from 20 feet away than 4ft away . Give that a try , it will be a very hard light . The source size / distance is everything. you will need a much bigger source like a 12x12 or more to keep the softness if you back off the light far enough , but yes the fall off will be much less and look more "natural " but you will have to change the size .
@@robinprobyn1971 true. Hense the sun, haha
Cheaper Alternative option for the wescott book light ? Please
Ingenuity!
@@matt-porwoll might just get a cheaper wescott white frame and try achieve hat soft look
As an educator and practising cinematographer I want to tell you this is brilliant content! Would have loved a bit more on using things like waveform and/or histogram to set exposure and keep whites from blowing out rather than just gauging it by eye on the monitor, for the future perhaps.
Thank you
You're welcome
Ok, first thing to do is to go outside and check what the sun path is. You don't want the sun suddenly coming through the window while you are in the middle of the shoot.
Don’t even need to go outside, like I did with SunSeeker. And yes, you can choose to avoid those windows all together, or in this case know the path and plan accordingly.
My suggestion from my humble experience is to go outside and see if there are buildings, trees, etc in the way of the sun and other factors that can condition your lighting. Using apps is great to give an idea, but nothing replaces de scouting of reality. For instance, framing. There is nothing wrong with framing with a cellphone (app) if you want to have an idea. However, try to frame with your hands so you can have an idea of distances, volume, space, and other factors like skin condition, etc. Nothing replaces your eye. Your bare eye will give you an understanding of the scene you'll never get through a cellphone screen. Good luck and all the best.@@matt-porwoll
Thanks for your comment
Actually thank you for the video!@@matt-porwoll
Hidden gem.
Thank you!
If part of the objective is to expose for the outside in order to retain details, would it be possible to Gel the windows rear of the talent with ND? That would enable a less powerful light such as a 300 to be used, in case you didn’t own or have access to a 600 and you could still be at an aperture that would give a nice shallow depth of field. If too much light was coming in from behind the camera as the day progressed, that’s where the duvetine or anything else for additional diffusion in the road rag kit could come in handy. The booklight is nice but unless I’m doing interview work on a weekly 3 times a month basis, I’d likely just use 2 c-stands for rigging instead of investing 1100 into a Westscott kit.
You certainly could ND the windows if you didn’t have a powerful enough light, but that takes a lot of time to get right. It’s really hard to get an ND’d window to look right in frame. Any time I’ve suggested it on a shoot, my gaffer wishes I hadn’t :) There are probably easier work-arounds if you can’t get the exposure you need. My suggestion would be to throw up some sheers to diffuse and slow down the light that is coming in, or rent something for the day that gives you what you need. No need to buy it if you can’t make your money back. Just get one in for the day if you absolutely need the output. Hope that helps.
Sun Travels (path) what App U can using... Tell me pls.
The app is called Sun Seeker and a link to it is in the description
It's free app.... It's available in play store...
@@pugazhenthipandian9040 it is available for Android, but it’s not a free app. There is a standard version and a pro version for different prices.
@@matt-porwoll Thq 🙏
Thanks for the tutorial, Matt. One thing that concerns me with that booklight is that the key seems pretty low. The shadows cast by your nose seem to be horizontal, or even going upwards slightly, without much shadow falling on to the neck. That might look more "natural" since, in the real world, a lot of light coming through a window bounces off the floor and causes uplighting, but it isn't all that flattering for those with larger necks.
Thanks for your comment. You can absolutely raise the book light if it isn’t giving you the right angle on your subject. Just requires more grip, but totally doable!
Hey!
Is there anywhere you tech the business side of being a filmmaker and recording interviews?
I haven't done a video yet on the business side of things, but it's on the list. As far as recording interviews, I've focused more lighting them and the general approach behind trust with subjects. When it comes to asking the questions, that's all the director.
great stuff yet again! When I shoot docs alone I usually just go for a bounced 2x1 or so due to time, but now I feel eager to try this out! Seems almost easier
Love it!
I feel like I paid to access content like this, thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very interesting 🎉
I realised that this is the same shot for your interview video in Luc Forsyth‘s course 😂
Nice catch :)
I loved this, man. You are good at this. Thank you!
Thank you too!
A big thank you!!! Your content is so valuable
You're so welcome!
Thanks Matt. I can't believe everyone gets you whispering in their ear like this. Can you comment on the choice of unbleached muslin? I have wondered if it is not easily replicated in today's landscape, but with more control. How would this change for you if a) your bounce was neutral-white and you had some 1/2 or 1/4 straw or cto, or b) your key was bicolor or rgb?
I'm sure you could come close to replicating the look of unbleached / bleached muslin, but I would ask why? It looks so good! And saves having to spend time setting up another frame with gels or messing around with the various color choices of the light you're working with. I think a lot of it comes down to your own experience with a setup as well. I know what this will give me, so I don't see the need to change it for the same result. But if you know the look you get out of something different with similar results, then that certainly makes sense to me!
@@matt-porwoll thanks for this reply. I’m with you on that. Results you can anticipate. Unbleached muslin seems to have a strong following among dps. It’s one of the few ‘colored’ textiles that crosses almost all lines.
Are you shooting in LOG? I know that's unrelated to lighting but your frame is very clean. You can get a clean frame in log but it can be a matter of a lower ISO for a dark frame or exposing to the right.
I am shooting in log. Funny enough, I don’t know the last time I didn’t! Probably 10 years or more :)
@@matt-porwoll I always do too. Best way to go but sometimes fighting noise can be a challenge. Did you denounce that frame at all?
And again really beautiful work. I love your channel.
@@jimhestermanphotography Since I’m only shooting log and not RAW, noise isn’t as much of an issue, unless it’s underexposed. So no, I didn’t, and normally don’t do any denoising. It’s always best to pad your shadows to make sure you don’t have to lift anything out of it after the fact. That’s what really gets you!
@@matt-porwoll Right and for the most part I'm not dealing with difficult exposures and noise is minimal but it's still always present to some degree. I just didn't see any in your shot so I asked.
Recently I had these very large windows in my frame and naturally I wanted to expose for the exterior/windows but it was a challenge as it was late day sun and it really required stopping down. The blacks in the frame were full of noise. In the end it's not that noticeable after color correction and grade but it made me think I should have raised the exposure more in the room by maybe bouncing light to increase the ambient. Live and learn. Thanks for the responses.
@jimhestermanphotography what camera are you using?
Love your content... Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪
Awesome! Thank you!
I watched all three in this series tonight. Very glad I did, thank you.
Glad you like them!
Excellent video. Thank you Matt.
Glad you liked it!
Incredible content, thank you
You're welcome!
do you ever use the avatars in the Artemis app , very handy for looking at potential interviews sets ups. A little bit of balled up gaffer tape on that mirror right hand side , between mirror and wall, would help with the refection of the light , its quite a good trick for getting rid of refections , its amazing how much you can angle mirror , paintings etc and it looks totally fine in the camera. Great video look forward to the next one
I haven’t played much with the avatars, mainly bc they don’t scale with the lenses. But worth giving another shot for sure! And yes, solid comment about the tape ball behind the mirror / art for reflections. I do this often, but didn’t for this one because of how much the key was in there. But good thing for people to remember!
@@matt-porwoll Yeah I just change them to how wide or tight I want the int shot. There is scale for adjusting the back ground Bokeh , that Ive never really understood . Great app, also handy to take pictures and sent to remote clients / dir after location scouts .
5 stars rating video thank you :)
Thank you!
Hey brother, between you and Shane, your channel is on par ( no pun intended) with his. Wow. Great teaching and master of craft. Instant fan.
Wow, thanks!
Do you mean Shane Hurlbut? Personally I prefer Matt's teaching style!
спасибо тебе большое)смотрю каждое твое видео)ты очень крут)рад знакомсту с твоими видео )
Thank you! Glad to have you on the ride.
Incredible! Thank you!
You're welcome!
very helpful! Thank you.
You're welcome!
Another great video Matt, thanks! I would love to see a series on how you plan to get your shots on the day of a documentary shoot. Things move so fast and especially if you're the only camera operator you have to really be tuned in to what needs to be captured for a great edit. What are some things you do to make sure you have the footage you need for a great edit and film? Obviously 2 camera operators are better than one, but let's assume one. Thanks!
Thanks! I will definitely be doing a video on getting coverage in the future. But the main aspect of getting what’s needed is what you already mentioned - being tuned in to the story.
I would also say having more than 1 camera in a verite doc situation is rarely a better option, especially in the same scene. The more cameras you have, the less point of view you have and the more compromises you take to keep each other out of the shots. The coverage becomes more reality / boiler plate. I always push for a single camera, unless absolutely necessary to have more.
Thanks for the response. That's interesting. I would not have expected one camera being the best option, especially when it's important to get a variety of wide, medium and tight shots or at least wide/tight. The subject is food, so it's important to get those tight shots as well as wide/medium. I just want to make sure there is plenty of good shots to work with in the edit. I think the verite live capture audio seems more tricky vs interview voice over style, but maybe I'm wrong about that. Thanks!
@pizzomedia7261 Certainly doing something like a food show would benefit from more cameras, especially in a relatively static environment. I’m more referring to roaming action that can be difficult to keep other cameras out of the frame without compromising the visual esthetic you might be after. Capturing verite sound is trickier than interviews for sure, but still utilizing the same approach. This is where a good sound recordist is vital!
Cool stuff, Matt. The Westcott gear that Jem developed is a convenient solution. I’ve already got 4x4 Road Flags. Have you seen anyone connect them somehow to make a hinged book light?
You can certainly create a book light with two 4x4 frames, but I don’t think there are hinges for it. Can always zip-tie the two frames together! But I’d still want to put them each on a stand. That’s what’s so nice about the book light kit is that you don’t need any stands at all.
Roger that. I’m going to play around with some spring clamps and stands, see what develops. Thanks for the inspiration!
Let me know how it goes!
Nice setup w/ the two 4x4’s, it turns out. I’ve got the standard fabrics that come w/ the Matthews Road Flag frames - white/silver reflector & China silk - set them on two light weight stands, clipped them together on one vertical edge w/ a pair of spring clamps to create the book spine, set the 600D to bounce off the reflector, brought the light up to within less than a stop of the light through my window in the frame. I needed a little flagging on the window side because my position was so close to the outside wall. Then added a Matthews 2x3 Road Rag reflector (as you did in this video). Do you bother w/ a meter to get the ratio between the outside illumination and the book light, or are you only using your scopes & false color? Definitely going to use this setup in the future.
I already have the Westcott 6x6 frame with fabrics. The book light kit is way overpriced. Curious if there is a cheaper add on to achieve the book light with the hinge function? Thanks for the informative video as always!
You can buy the pair of hinges on their own if you want as well: bhpho.to/3uGeWeN
Thank you Matt
My pleasure!
Thank You!!!
You're welcome!
Thanks for this! I’ve always avoided shooting into windows, especially for long-form interviews. this gives me some confidence to work with them instead. Definitely something to practice in my own living room before I do it for real.
Yes! Windows are the greatest element to incorporate into a frame (not to mention a great key motivation), so hope your tests go well! Hope you can take it into the field soon.
Thanks for this
My pleasure!
This was fantastic!
Thank you!
Nice Emmy! 👍
Thanks! 😄
Awesome series!
Thanks!
Thanks !❤
You're welcome!
Love it!
Thanks!!
Bravo!
Thanks!
I love this!
Thanks!
Bro literally used one light! whew.. 👏🏾
:)