How to Shoot Inserts for your Commercial
Summary
TLDRThis video script offers a detailed guide on enhancing commercials with dynamic inserts and transitions. The speaker discusses overcoming the challenge of creating a seamless narrative flow by capturing contextually relevant transitional shots, emphasizing the importance of understanding the scene's context. Techniques such as using a dedicated day for controlled environment shooting, specific camera settings, and creative lighting for dramatic effect are shared. The script also delves into the technical aspects of shooting, including camera settings on the Sony Venice, lighting setups for distress and isolation scenes, and the use of step printing for smeared frames. The speaker encourages creativity in shooting inserts, suggesting that they don't always have to be captured on set, but can be done separately to achieve better quality.
Takeaways
- 🎥 The importance of adding inserts or textures to make a commercial feel more dynamic is emphasized.
- 🔄 The speaker used to struggle with creating dynamic transitions but found a process that works effectively.
- 📹 A common mistake is quickly 'whipping' the camera around during a shoot, which can be improved with more intentional transitional shots.
- 🗓️ It's recommended to have a dedicated day to shoot inserts in a controlled environment when time on set is limited.
- 🤔 The process starts with context; cinematographers should ask what they are shooting and how to enhance it with transitional shots.
- 📽️ A scene breakdown is provided to illustrate how to implement these techniques, starting with understanding the scene's context and desired mood.
- 💡 Lighting plays a crucial role in setting the mood, with examples given of how to create a distressing and isolating atmosphere.
- 📸 Camera settings such as white balance and lens choice are discussed to achieve a cinematic look.
- 🌟 Creative lighting techniques, like using a top light and diffusion, are used to create specific moods and textures.
- 🎬 The use of multiple light sources, including a trust system with multiple flashes, is described to create a Paparazzi effect.
- 📹 Post-production techniques like step printing and slow shutter speeds are used to add motion blur and smeared frames for artistic effect.
- 🛠️ The speaker advises not to feel constrained to shoot inserts on set, but to be creative and shoot them separately when necessary.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the video script regarding commercial shooting?
-The main issue discussed is the feeling of something missing between scenes in commercials, and how to make the project feel more dynamic by using inserts or textures effectively.
What technique did the speaker struggle with and how did they overcome it?
-The speaker struggled with shooting transitional shots and inserts effectively. They overcame this by developing a process to capture these elements in a more controlled environment on a dedicated day after the main shoot.
What is the importance of context when shooting transitional shots for commercials?
-Context is crucial as it helps the cinematographer understand what they are shooting and how to capture transitional shots that add to the narrative and enhance the overall dynamic feel of the commercial.
Why is it recommended to have a dedicated day for shooting inserts after the main shoot?
-A dedicated day allows for a controlled environment and the necessary time to focus on capturing high-quality inserts without the pressure of the main shoot schedule.
What camera settings were used for the camera flash scene in the script?
-The Sony Venice camera was used with a 4400 Kelvin white balance, and Zeiss Super Speed lenses, specifically a 25mm lens at an aperture of f/2.8.
What lighting setup was used to create the black void effect in the camera flash scene?
-A top light was created using an Aputure 1200d with a 150 soft box set to 20% and a daylight balance of 5600 Kelvin. Two layers of diffusion were used without a grid to allow for spill and a grungy lighting look.
How were the camera flashes achieved in the scene?
-The camera flashes were achieved using multiple Aputure 600C lights with Fels on an overhead rig, set to a Paparazzi effect, and handheld camera flashes operated by the production designer.
What is the significance of the final flash in the scene and how was it inspired?
-The final flash was significant for its dramatic effect, inspired by the Euphoria season trailer, and was achieved using preset effects in aperture life sources to create a slow draw from the back of the light.
What is Step Printing and how was it used in the video?
-Step Printing is a technique where footage is shot at a lower frame rate and then slowed down in post-production to create motion blur and artifacts. It was used to capture the smeared frames of the camera flash inserts.
How did the team ensure the inserts were realistic and not obviously film lights?
-The team shot the inserts in a dark room with actual light bulbs on a table, using a dimmer to control exposure, and captured various movements and angles to create a realistic texture.
What advice does the speaker give for shooting inserts and transitions?
-The speaker advises not to feel pressured to get inserts on set and to be creative by shooting them later in a more controlled environment, emphasizing the importance of planning and creativity.
Outlines
🎥 Enhancing Commercials with Insert Cuts and Transitions
The speaker discusses the importance of adding inserts or textures to commercials to make them feel more dynamic. They share their journey of learning this technique and emphasize the need to understand the context of the scene being shot. The speaker explains the process of shooting transitional shots and suggests having a dedicated day to capture these in a controlled environment. They also delve into the specifics of a project where they had to depict distress and isolation, detailing the camera settings, lighting techniques, and the use of a Sony Venice camera with Zeiss super speeds lenses.
💡 Creating a Distressed Lighting Setup for a Commercial
This paragraph describes the lighting setup for a scene where the actress is meant to appear distressed and isolated. The speaker uses a top light with a soft box and a daylight balance light to create a blue tone and soft highlights. They explain the use of a trust system with multiple aperture 600 C's and Fels to create a Paparazzi effect, with additional handheld flashes for added realism. The focus is on creating a black void with the actress and the floor being the only visible elements, enhancing the sense of isolation. The speaker also discusses the process of achieving a final flash effect inspired by the TV show Euphoria, using preset effects in aperture life sources.
📸 Shooting Insert Cuts for Commercial Textures
The speaker shifts focus to shooting insert cuts, explaining the need to understand the cause of actions within a scene to create meaningful transitions. They discuss shooting close-ups of light bulbs to capture textures that can be used to tie scenes together. The process involves using a macro lens, adjusting the camera's white balance, and experimenting with different shutter speeds to create motion blur. The technique of step printing is also mentioned, where the camera is shot at a slower frame rate and then slowed down in post-production for a smeared effect. The speaker encourages creativity in shooting inserts and emphasizes the value of capturing these textures separately from the main shoot.
🌟 Embracing Creativity in Post-Production Inserts
In the final paragraph, the speaker encourages filmmakers to be creative when shooting inserts and transitional scenes, suggesting that they don't always have to be captured on set. They share an example of shooting various clocks and stopwatches for a commercial based on the theme of time. The speaker advises filmmakers to feel free to shoot these inserts later and send them to the editor, highlighting the flexibility and creativity that can be employed in post-production to enhance the final product.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Commercial
💡Inserts
💡Transitional Shots
💡Context
💡Cinematographer
💡Sony Venice
💡Zeiss Super Speeds
💡Lighting Techniques
💡Macro Lens
💡Step Printing
💡Post-Production
Highlights
The importance of inserts and textures in making a commercial feel more dynamic.
A process for shooting insert cuts or transitions between scenes to enhance the project.
Avoiding the common mistake of quickly 'whipping the camera around' on set for transitions.
The value of context in shooting transitional shots and how it impacts the cinematography.
The strategy of dedicating a separate day for shooting inserts in a controlled environment.
Techniques for creating a sense of distress and isolation through lighting and camera settings.
Using a Sony Venice camera for shooting with specific Kelvin settings for dramatic effect.
The choice of Zeiss Super Speed lenses for vintage look and specific T-stops for scene isolation.
Creating a black void effect with top light and diffusion for scenes of isolation.
Utilizing a trust system with multiple Aputure 600 C's for Paparazzi-like camera flash effects.
The role of actor blocking in conveying distress and the importance of director-cinematographer communication.
Inspiration from 'Euphoria' for creating a final flash effect using preset effects in aperture life sources.
The technique of shooting inserts separately to add realism and texture to the commercial.
Using a macro lens for detailed insert shots of light bulbs to capture intricate textures.
The method of Step Printing for creating smeared frames and motion blur in slow-motion shots.
Experimenting with different camera movements and shutter speeds for dynamic insert shots.
The creative process of shooting vintage camera flashes for a realistic paparazzi feel.
Emphasizing the flexibility of shooting inserts off-set and the benefits of separate focus on textures.
Encouraging creativity in shooting inserts and the practice of sending them to the editor for integration.
Transcripts
expectations defy
them have you ever shot a commercial
project and felt like there was
something missing between scenes any
successful commercial has some sort of
inserts or textures to make the project
feel more Dynamic this is something I
struggled with for the longest time
until I started using this process in my
work make sure you stick around to the
end of the video as I will be sharing
things that work and don't work when
using this technique specifically we are
going to be exploring how to shoot
insert Cuts or transitions between
scenes but the main thing I see people
doing and this is something I used to be
guilty of is just whipping the camera
around on set this works to some degree
but there's a much better way to do this
and it all starts with context basically
asking yourself what are you shooting
and how can I shoot transitional shots
to add to that sometimes these are
really easy to capture on set but most
of the time the situation you'll be
finding is that you don't have enough
time the main secret is to have a dedic
dedicated day after you shoot them in a
controlled environment on your own time
we're going to be breaking down a scene
from one of our recent projects to show
you how you can start implementing these
techniques in your work like I said at
the beginning of this video what you
have to do is basically ask yourself the
question of what you're shooting this is
something that we preach on tenfold
whenever we're shooting anything or
teaching when it comes to being a
cinematographer a director involved in
the creative space and always ask
yourself what are you shooting what is
my context in this scene specifically
this is a camera flashing scene where
she is in distress so let's just write
some of these notes here so this is
camera flash and the main thing that
we're trying to feel here is distress
and isolation so myself as a
cinematographer of this project I am
going to have a conversation with the
director and he's going to give me those
key wordss and I need the lighting to
feel like that we are in this black void
and we're going to show you exactly how
we did this but the first thing I kind
want to go over is the camera settings
that we were kind of shooting this on so
this was the Sony Venice and then for
this we are shooting at 4,400 Kelvin and
the reason why I do this is so that the
highlights as you can see in the bottom
of the image here these were daylight
balance lights which we're going to get
into next but this gives you kind of a
blue tone for your general lights and
the skin tone is kind of pushed into
that as well we really like this look
for the commercials that we do for these
dramatic and like uh cinematic
commercials that you can say but this is
something I do all the time and we were
shooting on the Zeiss super speeds so
this is a Zeiss and I believe this was
the 25 mm and these are super 35 lenses
so that equates to like almost a 35
close to a 40 I was usually shooting at
2 2.8 this was because that these lenses
are very vintage and they kind of get
smoy and when it came to this scene
specifically this is the isolation and I
really wanted to see that reaction on
the actress's face in this case so let's
go into the lighting and how we exactly
pulled this off so we had an overhead
Grid in the studio that we had access to
and the camera is basically pushing in
in this direction so distress that means
I'm going to shoot this handheld and
this is just my thought process as we're
going to go through this whole entire
process of me thinking about how I can
add to this as a cinematographer in
isolation we're going to do this black
void you can go with a lot of different
lighting techniques here in terms of
what you necessarily want to see but
Jason that the director of this project
really have this camera flash Paparazzi
scene so I know I need to have this
black void but in this a bunch of
flashes as well but let's just go back
and talk about this black void because
what I really see with this is a toplet
source and this is sometimes in a
spotlight form or just a top light to
give some Ambience we really only want
to see the actress and sometimes the
floor in this so the way that we did
this is we had an aperture with a 150
soft box so this is a 1200d and this is
a soft box and this is set to relatively
20% so very low and this is a daylight
balance light so this is at 5600 Kelvin
cuz I want to live in this blue world
with raing my camera so I don't really
have to mess around with a bunch of
lights so this gives me my top light and
then you can see that softness and
highlight there we just had the two two
layers of diffusion that were included I
didn't put a grid on this because I like
The Spill and what it was necessarily
doing so this is giving me that top
light and then really kind of grungy
lighting look and this is really
associated with being in isolation and
being distressed this gives me a bunch
of Shadows this is my context for that
and now we wanted to go into the camera
flashes so what we had access to on this
overhead rig was actually a trust system
and on this trust system we had set up
multiple aperture 600 C's the only
reason that we use a 600c is because the
rental house that we had access to had
these available and I didn't have enough
daylight balance ones so these are three
times 600 C's and then they all had Fels
on them and what a Fel does is allows
you to flood the light or Focus the beam
and then we kind of had them flooded all
over the place all pointed directly at
our talent and then I had my gaffer set
them to a Paparazzi effect and these
were all connected on cus link as you
can see in the scene there's the
multiple going off at multiple times and
then on the ground we had our production
designer with two of these handheld
camera flashes really cheap ones that
you can get on Amazon for like 30 bucks
and she was just flashing them in this
direction so all these camera flashes
are going off at multiple times and it
gives you really interesting lighting as
we are going along so this goes into the
distress and the flashes of the CL
camera flash scene and then if we go
into more more of this breakdown this is
goes into actor blocking so you can see
that distress on her face and what
exactly we're going for in this scene
specifically so it's always asking
yourself what are we shooting and then
how can we add this to what I'm applying
it to I'm a Director of Photography
executing on what the director's vision
is and then this is exactly how we
pulled this off and to kind of wrap up
this scene what we wanted to do is have
one final flash that went off and to
give us that kind of effect that was
from Euphoria I know it was a season
trailer and this is where directly I got
inspiration from and I did a bunch of
research to see exactly how they did
this so what they just did is they had a
bunch of light sources and then they had
somebody on a dimmer and they turned it
up and then turned it down as they were
shooting that on film we didn't
necessarily have access to that but I
knew that there was a bunch of preset
effects in aperture life sources so
that's exactly what we did so if we do a
kind of top down view of what's going on
here we have our actor here and then my
camera is set up on a Dana Dolly so
that's just a simply simple Dana Dolly
and then we like this framing of her
being in necessarily the bottom half of
the frame and then having a lot of head
room really emphasize this black void
that we have going on so we have our
Dana track there and it's just simply me
pushing in so this is the Sony Venice as
well and then we kind of H wanted that
more medium feel so this is shooting
with a 4400 white balance I kept that
throughout and then this is with a 35 mm
sitting at 2.8 from the same set but we
did shoot this in 60 FPS just because we
wanted that flash to go off and be very
very slow with what we were looking for
and her kind of putting her hand up and
like being blinded from it to give us
that effect we only really had one light
in play we didn't have any Ambience cuz
we wanted this to go into dark and then
bring up with that light so we just have
an aperture Nova p300 and this is set to
the firework effect the paparazzi was
too flashy and it wasn't giving us that
slow draw from the back of it on the
back side of it so it basically go off
and shut off but we wanted to go off and
then come back down very slowly and then
we just cycle through the preset effects
in there and the firework gave us a
really good one although it was very
random and then we had my basically my
grip really get on a timer and really we
got back and forth in terms of what this
was supposed to look like so I would set
up at the first part of the dolly track
and then go to the seconds and then he
would tell me exactly when to go and
then I kind of get did this at a fast
speed because I was working with
shooting this at slow-mo so this is just
something that you really have to plan
for and this is how we knew that we
wanted to end off the scene and be a
really big moment but let's start
getting into what we actually talk about
in this video which is how you shoot the
insert cuts for something like this so
for this this is the camera flash and we
kind of have these two scenes that we
already shot but we want to shoot things
in between that will add to it and
really sell it and tie it really
together so what we are going to be
shooting is we obviously shot her but
let's what's the reaction to that like
what is making her react to that so for
this camera flash scene we have to ask
ourself is what is causing these flashes
what is the cause and in our case we
have the camera flashes and then we have
this final like bulb go off so this was
the kind of thing that we had so we can
obviously do camera flash and then I had
the idea based off of what Jason said he
the director said he's like oh I won't
this final bulb to go off and what's
inside of a bulb that really gives us
nice textures and there's like a
filament so like the uh wire kind of
string thing inside the bulb well I'll
just put wire bulb and then I'm like
okay perfect these are the kind of one
two and three inserts we're going to be
shooting cuz I just don't want to whip
the camera around her on set or go up to
an aperture fixture and start whipping
the camera while it's flashing off like
you could do that but it's not
everybody's going to tell it's like a
film light you want to make it real as
possible so now let's actually look at
some of these and see what we have going
on so these are kind of the light bulbs
that we use we ordered a bunch of them
off of Amazon some of them are the
actual fluorescent ones with the this
filament that you see here that run
current through and then that emits
light and then there were some that were
more of the LED type and we didn't
really use a lot of those and what I
actually did is I just shot this in a
dark room I just turned off the lights
and that was it I didn't set up any
black material or anything like that and
then what I did is I just had these on a
lamp thing on a table and I just took
the lamp shade off and then I just had
that on a dimmer so I could just expose
it for my camera so it wasn't completely
blown out so this was just shot on the
Venice with a 990 mil macro so just to
give you guys some context this is the
Venice and then I'm just shooting this
at a standard white balance of 5600
Kelvin and then we are shooting on the
dzo 90 mil macro this is just one we
have on in house and this we just like
using it the best and then in a lot of
cases everybody thinks that you should
be shooting at like a t- stop of 2.8 but
when it comes to macros and getting
really good textures I'm generally
shooting on like an like almost like a
T8 to a T14 just so I can get everything
in Focus that you see here especially
when it comes to getting really tight
with all these shots so what I generally
do is for like lighting things like this
cuz I like to use it in my work a lot I
will generally just go up and down with
the dimmer with static shots and then
set it at a constant light that it's
good for exposure and then I'll Whip the
camera around so this is just me moving
the camera if we were doing a top down
of this and then here's my light and
then I'm just rotating on a tripod back
and forth back and forth sometimes I'll
shoot this at a shutter of 100 over 80°
or sometimes 360° to give me some motion
blur so this just gives me more blur and
more kind of artifacts to work with
that's what I really like and then I'll
just move the camera closer and then
kind of do the same thing I'll do up and
down or side to side but what we really
use in this commercial and what uh Jason
really likes to use especially when he
tells me to shoot inserts is a lot of
these smeared frames and this is a
technique called Step Printing and then
we just basically released a video how
to do this on a Sony Venice or how to do
it on any camera but just to give you
some context again this was set on the
Venice and then I shot this at 3 frames
per second with a 360° shutter and then
when we brought it into post- production
you basically slow that down by 12.5%
that is the technique I like to use when
shooting slow shutter you could easily
do this on a fx3 or a camera that uses
shutter speed and if you were looking to
do this in a camera that does shutter
speed instead of shutter angle so this
is my angle and then I have a speed like
a fx3 or something like that you would
shoot this at 1 over 1/8 and then really
adjust that with an ND filter at 24 FPS
and that's really all you need and I
could easily shot this on a Sony fx3 we
just wanted to use the same camera that
we used through throughout the whole
thing so that's what I did for these so
beyond these light bulbs we also s shot
some camera flashes we shot multiple but
the only ones that we really used the
only one that we actually used for the
piece was this vintage camera flash that
we got off of Amazon and it's something
that we bought and then just simply
returned after that we were done using
it so we did a bunch of whips and just
basically set up the camera and Jason
was shooting that here's the camera just
shooting into this camera flash and it
was kind of a dome thing with this kind
of light bulb here because we wanted to
make it feel vintage we wanted to make
it feel kind of old school cuz that's
what you kind of associate with the
paparazzi shooting uh camera equipment
that is today's age isn't is kind of
boring so that's exactly what we did and
then you can see that kind of texture of
the bulb here and what's going on here
and that was just shooting in a studio
so if I kind of do a top down of what we
were shooting so here's the camera flash
we just had a door open here and then
there's a window in that door which is
giving this kind of ambient tone that
see here and that was about it and then
when Jason was just firing the camera I
Just Whipped the camera around in
multiple directions so this is whipping
the camera up and down and then this is
the same thing here and then I would
kind of put the uh camera free on its
florid head and then I would just whip
in any direction possible so it's not
just doing whips on set with um what you
have it's just setting apart a separate
day and shooting in this could be your
bedroom this could be anywhere and it's
just a room that you can just really
focus on getting the textures and we
like to do this textures especially with
lights this could be any prop we
recently did another commercial which
was based around time and we shot maybe
10 different clocks and stopwatches so
this is what I kind of want to leave you
guys off with when shooting inserts and
transitional scenes for your project
itself don't feel that you have to get
them on set sometimes they're very
specific if you're renting props and you
need something but just feel feel free
to be creative and shoot those later and
just send them to your editor cuz this
is what we do all the time
Voir Plus de Vidéos Connexes
How to Shoot a Narrative Commercial - Cinematography Breakdown
Ultimate Guide to Cinematic Lighting Pt. 2 — How to Light Subjects and Locations
COLOR GRADING Techniques to bring FOCUS to Anything.
10 Lighting Setups for Your Animated Shots
Create Hyper Visuals & Physics - Motion Design in After Effects
5 Easy Concepts for Great Portraits in Any Park
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)