Just use this cinematic schemes to Improve your lighting skills

ANDBERY (Andrei Beresnev)

5 Feb 202315:59

Summary

TLDRIn this video, the creator discusses a low-budget art film project shot in one day using both natural and artificial lighting. They share simple, fast lighting techniques to achieve cinematic quality, using LED tubes and low-power lights for practical effects. Challenges like cold weather and equipment issues are highlighted, along with solutions found during filming. The creator emphasizes the importance of lighting knowledge over expensive equipment, and invites viewers to learn more about lighting setups and techniques through their workshops and community. The video offers practical tips for aspiring filmmakers.

Takeaways

🎥 The goal of the project was to make a low-budget, one-day shoot using simple lighting setups for cinematic quality.
💡 Both natural and artificial light sources were used, including LED tubes and small light sources for practical lighting effects.
❄️ There were challenges filming in the cold, especially for the night forest scenes, where lighting equipment became unstable.
📸 The couple planned the project carefully, choosing simple locations and cutting scenes to fit the one-day shoot limit.
🏠 They scouted and selected a flat as the primary filming location, which allowed for creative composition and camera movement.
👗 Set and costume design were handled by the team themselves, focusing on color choices to enhance the visual storytelling.
🎥 A RED Komodo camera was chosen for its ability to handle RAW footage and provide a natural skin tone and dynamic range.
🔧 Simple but effective lighting setups were used, including matching natural daylight with artificial lights to maintain visual balance.
🚪 Practical lights like lamps were used to add dynamic lighting to scenes and ensure balance in light composition.
📚 The director offers workshops and a learning platform to teach others about lighting techniques and set design.

Q & A

Why did the creator of the video choose to work without extra light sources?
-The creator aimed to make an inexpensive project and had limited time for lighting setups, so they opted for a simple and fast approach using minimal lighting.
What kind of light sources were used in the project?
-Both natural and artificial light sources were used, including LED tubes and small, low-power light sources to simulate practical light within the frame.
What issue did the team face during the night forest scene?
-The light sources became unstable due to cold temperatures, making it difficult to achieve the desired lighting setup.
How did the creator plan the shooting to be done in one day?
-They cut extra scenes, limited the shoot to 5-6 scenes, and carefully scouted locations to ensure they could film everything efficiently.
What camera did the creator use, and why did they choose it?
-The creator used a Red Komodo camera because they love the look of RED RAW, especially the skin tones and color gamma, and find it easy to work with in post-production.
What was the lighting approach for the interior scene (Set #1)?
-The natural light from the window was intensified with two additional Godox M600 Bi lights, and a backlight was created from the window side, with bounce light added for the character.
How did the creator achieve a balance between bright and dark areas in the hallway scene (Set #3)?
-They used the window as a key light source and lit the Godox light towards the camera and door, while cutting off extra light from the walls to balance the bright and dark areas.
What challenges did the creator face with the night forest scene’s lighting?
-Cold temperatures caused the light sources to stop working, but they solved the issue by warming the power panel inside a vehicle.
How did the creator achieve a fire flickering effect in the lamp during the night forest scene?
-They used a Godox C5R light source set to a warm temperature and activated the 'candle mode' to simulate fire flickering inside the lamp.
What did the creator emphasize about the importance of lighting, regardless of the camera used?
-The creator stressed that no matter the camera, the full potential of the equipment and location is only realized with solid knowledge of how to work with lighting.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Simplified Filmmaking with Creative Lighting

The creator explains the goal of making a low-budget, one-day shoot without complex lighting setups. They introduce simple, efficient lighting techniques that can be easily replicated by viewers, enabling them to achieve cinematic quality with minimal resources. Both natural and artificial lights, including LED tubes and low-power sources, were used creatively to compensate for the lack of time and equipment, especially when filming in challenging conditions such as cold temperatures.

05:02

🏠 Location Scouting and Production Setup

The filming was done with careful planning, as the creator scouted a flat that allowed for flexibility in shooting with various camera techniques. The large space enabled creative decisions regarding camera movements and focal lengths. During scouting, the creator took photos and rehearsed camera movements to plan the visual composition. They also handled set and costume designs, determining color palettes based on the story and renting appropriate costumes for the shoot.

10:07

📹 Using the RED Komodo Camera

The RED Komodo camera was chosen for its ability to deliver great color reproduction, especially in skin tones. Although the creator does not claim to be a professional colorist, they highlight the comfort and flexibility offered by RAW files in post-production. They emphasize that understanding lighting is more important than the camera used, encouraging viewers to focus on lighting techniques to unlock the full potential of their equipment, no matter the budget.

15:07

💡 Professional Lighting Techniques and Andbery Academy

The creator invites viewers to learn advanced lighting techniques through their Andbery Academy. The academy offers workshops, practical demonstrations, and a Facebook community where members can ask questions, share their work, and receive feedback. The lessons focus on mastering lighting and set design, enabling students to create visually compelling stories and recreate professional lighting setups on their projects.

👩‍🎨 Behind-the-Scenes Collaboration

The creator worked closely with their wife, who served as both the set designer and director. They used a Hollyland 4K transmitter and Mars M1 monitor to facilitate smooth communication between the team during filming. These tools provided low-latency playback and color accuracy for reviewing shots, ensuring that the director could constantly monitor the frames and make decisions about set design and camera angles.

🎬 Camera Movement and Lens Choices

For dynamic shots, the creator used a Dana Dolly slider with 2 meters of track, enabling smooth camera movement. They also opted for an Atlas anamorphic lens, despite the high rental cost, as part of their ongoing philosophy to gain experience working with various types of lenses. The focus on trying new equipment emphasizes the creator’s commitment to continuously refining their craft.

🌞 Lighting Setup for Interior Scenes

The creator shares their strategy for lighting an interior scene using a mix of natural light from windows and artificial light from Godox M600 Bi LED sources. They explain how they matched the color temperature to natural daylight (6100K) and used strategic light placement to create a balanced dynamic range, with bright highlights and deep shadows. A practical light in the background helped to balance the overall light composition.

🕯 Candlelight and Silhouette Shots

In a scene focused on candlelight, the creator used windows as a large light source for the character’s silhouette while maintaining lighting consistency with previous shots. By adding a backlight and using a flag to control light flow, they enhanced the volume of the frame. Haze was introduced to create additional depth and texture in the background, accentuating the silhouette effect.

🚪 Lighting the Hallway Scene

For the hallway scene, the creator continued using windows as the key light source and reinforced this with Godox lights aimed toward the camera and door. This setup was designed to maintain balance between the bright and dark areas in the frame, ensuring that the contrast was visually engaging without overwhelming the composition.

🏞 Soft Backlighting for Natural Scenes

In a more atmospheric scene, the creator softened the backlighting from a window by diffusing it to create a darker, moodier environment. A T-bone frame with black textile was placed behind the camera to create a vignette effect, adding depth to the scene. Additional lighting was used on the floor to avoid flat, monochromatic tones, bringing texture and contrast into the composition.

💡 Combining Practical and Artificial Lighting

The creator explains how they used both practical light sources, like a floor lamp, and Godox RGB tubes to maintain consistent lighting logic in scenes. By matching the color temperature of the lights (around 3000K) and using backlighting techniques, they created a volumetric effect that enhanced the character’s visual separation from the background. Simple diffusion techniques, such as using paper to soften harsh light, were employed to improve lighting quality.

📺 Advanced Lighting Tools on Set

The creator discusses the benefits of using LED RGB tubes for professional-quality lighting that blends seamlessly with the natural elements of the scene. They emphasize the importance of grip equipment, like C-stands, to avoid shaky lights during filming. A combination of different light intensities was used to create depth, with backlighting providing emphasis on hair and shoulders, and subtle front lighting enhancing eye details.

🌲 Lighting Challenges in the Night Forest Scene

The final scene, shot in a cold night forest, posed challenges when the light sources failed due to freezing temperatures. However, the crew found a solution by warming up the equipment in a car. The creator originally planned for moonlight simulation but had to adapt due to a short power cord, leading to lighting the character at head level. A Lantern Softbox was used for diffusing the light, and the Godox C5R light was employed as a substitute for a failed kerosene lamp.

🔥 Overcoming Challenges and Final Thoughts

The creator shares how they used the Godox C5R to simulate firelight in a lamp when the actual flame went out. They reflect on the overall experience of the low-budget project, discussing how, despite the challenges, careful planning and creative problem-solving allowed them to achieve their artistic vision. They end by inviting viewers to visit their website for more tips and insights on achieving cinematic quality in filmmaking.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Lighting setups

Lighting setups refer to the arrangement of light sources to create specific visual effects in a scene. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of simple and fast lighting schemes to achieve cinematic quality within budget and time constraints. Various setups, such as backlighting and volumetric lighting, are discussed in detail, demonstrating their role in shaping the mood and depth of each scene.

💡Natural light

Natural light is the use of sunlight or daylight as a primary source of illumination in a scene. The video highlights the use of natural light from windows to enhance the cinematic quality of interior shots, as it is complemented by additional artificial light sources to create dynamic range and volume in the image.

💡Artificial light

Artificial light refers to man-made lighting equipment used to control the illumination of a scene. In the project, LED tubes and low-power light sources simulate practical lights. The video discusses how the speaker used artificial light creatively in combination with natural light to maintain a balanced and well-lit scene.

💡Dynamic range

Dynamic range in filmmaking refers to the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image. The speaker stresses the importance of achieving a wide dynamic range in shots by carefully balancing highlights and shadows, especially through the use of backlighting and natural light sources like windows, to create depth and contrast in the images.

💡Set design

Set design involves creating the physical surroundings where the story is filmed. The video mentions how the speaker's wife helped with set design, choosing costumes and analyzing the color palette to match the film’s aesthetic. This aspect is essential to enhance the visual storytelling and create the right atmosphere.

💡RED Komodo

The RED Komodo is a camera known for its capability to shoot in RED RAW format, which offers high-quality image capture with superior dynamic range and color detail. The speaker praises the Komodo for its ability to produce excellent skin tones and color gamma, making it ideal for their low-budget yet artistically ambitious project.

💡Backlighting

Backlighting is a technique where the light source is placed behind the subject to create separation and add depth to the scene. In the video, backlighting is used extensively to create a volumetric effect, particularly by positioning light near windows to simulate natural light and enhance the dynamic range.

💡Godox M600 Bi

The Godox M600 Bi is a bi-color LED light source with adjustable color temperature. The speaker used it in various lighting setups throughout the project, highlighting its flexibility in simulating different lighting conditions such as moonlight and daylight. The color temperature control feature allowed for seamless blending with natural light in different scenes.

💡Volumetric lighting

Volumetric lighting creates the illusion of three-dimensional space by using light and shadow to add depth and texture to a scene. In the video, volumetric lighting is achieved through a combination of natural light, backlighting, and haze to emphasize the atmosphere and bring out the visual layers in the frame.

💡Pre-production planning

Pre-production planning refers to the process of organizing all aspects of the film before shooting starts, such as location scouting, script cuts, and deciding camera angles. The speaker highlights the importance of having a clear plan to ensure a smooth and efficient shoot, particularly when time and resources are limited, as demonstrated by their one-day filming schedule.

Highlights

The project was designed to be inexpensive, using minimal light sources and filming all scenes in one day.

The filmmaker invented simple and fast lighting schemes to achieve cinematic quality under time constraints.

The film worked with both natural and artificial light sources, using LED tubes and low-power lights to simulate practical lighting.

Challenges arose due to cold temperatures, which caused instability in the lighting setup during the night forest scene.

The story was simplified to shoot only 5-6 scenes in one day, and the filmmaker scouted locations in advance.

The filmmaker used a Red Komodo camera for its ability to produce a perfect skin tone and easy post-production work with RED RAW.

Mastery of lighting is more important than the type of camera used for achieving beautiful, cinematic shots.

The filmmaker offers workshops and tutorials at Andbery academy, teaching professional lighting and set design techniques.

The filmmaker used a Dana Dolly slider for smooth camera movement in scenes with a 2-meter track.

The Godox M600 bi-color LED lights were used, allowing adjustable color temperatures to simulate different lighting conditions such as moonlight and daylight.

In the interior scene, natural window light was amplified using Godox M600 Bi, and careful light balancing created a dynamic range from highlights to shadows.

A simple backlight from the window was used to match the natural lighting and enhance the volumetric feel of the scene.

In the hallway scene, the filmmaker used a window as a key light source, balancing bright and dark areas in the frame for depth.

A more complex lighting setup in the final scene involved using RGB tubes and Godox 'C5R' lights to match the temperature of practical light sources.

In the night forest scene, the cold weather caused lighting issues, but the team adapted by warming power panels in the car and using a Lantern Softbox for diffusion.