Well now that I've learned to get a nice even exposure most of the time, I want to screw it all up. I've got a couple of scenes where I need large parts of the frame completely underexposed, hopefully solid black, with the subject nicelly lit by "beams" of movie light. Sounds like a job for barndoors on my light for sure, but how should I set my f-stop? Should I just zoom on the lit subject, take a reading, lock it off, then zoom out and shoot?
Also I'm doing an intentional silhouette, where I plan on backlighting the subject. I thought about trying it with the subject standing in a doorway, the light behind him in one room, and the camera in front of him in a completely dark room. I want the light to spill around him with no front body detail at all. How do you set the stop for this?
If you've seen any of the brilliant Guy Maddin films then you know the look I'm going for. I'm using a Bauer 715xl, f1.4 lense, 18fps, Plus-X film, one 650 watt Sun Gun, and a couple of other dimmer lights.
Silhouette/Tricky Exposure Advice
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
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Daniel McKay
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Username?
mmmmm.....me again. I logged in but when I tried to use my username in my post above, I got a message saying that user name was allready taken. It is taken, by me! what am I doing wrong?
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Dave Hardy
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It's easy to calculate. Keep in mind that the reflected light meter in the camera will only give you a correct reading on any shot if the reflectance value of the light in the scene is 18% (it averrages out to being close to that on most occasions, which is why aut exposure works for amatures.)
Keeping in mind that a white man or woman's skin tone reflectance is 36%, you proceedas follows.
If you wanted to get correct exposure on the subject (which you don't in this instance) you zoom in to fill the frame with the face & then open up by 1 stop to compensate for the subject reflecting twice as much light as an 18% surface.
For the effect you want to get a rich solid black will be in the 2-4% range % white around 90%. I suggest you try around 4%. The reading you get with the face filling the screen is forr 18&. Each stop you go down will effectively half the value. ie if the exposure says f4, f2.8 is 8% f2 would be 4.5% . In this scenario I would set the exposure at or just slightly under f2 & lock the exposure.
Dave
Keeping in mind that a white man or woman's skin tone reflectance is 36%, you proceedas follows.
If you wanted to get correct exposure on the subject (which you don't in this instance) you zoom in to fill the frame with the face & then open up by 1 stop to compensate for the subject reflecting twice as much light as an 18% surface.
For the effect you want to get a rich solid black will be in the 2-4% range % white around 90%. I suggest you try around 4%. The reading you get with the face filling the screen is forr 18&. Each stop you go down will effectively half the value. ie if the exposure says f4, f2.8 is 8% f2 would be 4.5% . In this scenario I would set the exposure at or just slightly under f2 & lock the exposure.
Dave
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Daniel McKay
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Interesting, but I'm a bit confused. Is your technique referring to my first scene or the second? The first scene has the subject lit properly and all the background black, and the second scene has the subject black(silhouette) and the surrounding area lit.
For "correct" exposure, you say that a face will reflect 36%, so one takes the reading and then "opens" by 1 stop. If opening Increases the amount of light to film, then my backround in the 1st shot should lighten, and my forground in the 2nd shot should lighten. This is what I want to avoid.
I was under the assumtion that I should underexpose these scenes. Therefore shouldn't I do the opposite? I think I'm missing something
For "correct" exposure, you say that a face will reflect 36%, so one takes the reading and then "opens" by 1 stop. If opening Increases the amount of light to film, then my backround in the 1st shot should lighten, and my forground in the 2nd shot should lighten. This is what I want to avoid.
I was under the assumtion that I should underexpose these scenes. Therefore shouldn't I do the opposite? I think I'm missing something
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Dave Hardy
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The basis of all exposure using the reflected meter built into a camera is that it gives the correct exposure if the subject is 18% reflectance. The CU of the face is 36% reflectance (twice as much light is being reflected as an 18% surrface, so the meter underexposes the face by 1 stop) Once you understand this concept, you can get any lighting effect you desire.
If you want to get a silloette you have to compensate for the readinng the meter is giving. The meter is already giving you a reading that is 1 stop underexposed. To peg the exposure of the face at 4& reflectance (black) you need to reduce the exposure by 2 additional stops.
Just rember the at meter in the camera thinks that what it is seeing is a solid expanse of 18% (mid gray). You can adjust the look of the scene to whatever you want it to look like just as long you keep in mind that the meter is trying to give you an exposure that will make the area you are filling the screen with to mid gray.
Dave
If you want to get a silloette you have to compensate for the readinng the meter is giving. The meter is already giving you a reading that is 1 stop underexposed. To peg the exposure of the face at 4& reflectance (black) you need to reduce the exposure by 2 additional stops.
Just rember the at meter in the camera thinks that what it is seeing is a solid expanse of 18% (mid gray). You can adjust the look of the scene to whatever you want it to look like just as long you keep in mind that the meter is trying to give you an exposure that will make the area you are filling the screen with to mid gray.
Dave
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Daniel McKay
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I see Dave, that makes complete sense to me now. I think it was just the terminology that was mixing me up. That's a common a problem for beginners in almost any technical field, I see it all the time in audio engineering, where most of my training lies. My new goal is to not use a lightmeter at all, hopefully training my eye through a processs of trial and error.
I also just want to thank everyone for their input in this forum. You all are putting me through the film school that I cannot afford, and I continue to learn more and more everyday.
I can repay the favor to anyone needing advice on audio production. I do alot of multitrack studio work and live sound reinforcement, analog and digital. I am also a connoisseur of inexpensive equipment that sounds like the priciest stuff. Don't buy that Super Expensive Microphone!
Cheers! Daniel
I also just want to thank everyone for their input in this forum. You all are putting me through the film school that I cannot afford, and I continue to learn more and more everyday.
I can repay the favor to anyone needing advice on audio production. I do alot of multitrack studio work and live sound reinforcement, analog and digital. I am also a connoisseur of inexpensive equipment that sounds like the priciest stuff. Don't buy that Super Expensive Microphone!
Cheers! Daniel