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Author Topic: BlueScreen Lighting
Kessno 
Registered: Sep '07
8038_Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 6/15 4:35pm Subject: BlueScreen Lighting - Date Edited: 6/15 4:35pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Kessno
Hey there,

Basicly, I have a few questions regarding bluescreen lighting. I have a bluescreen set up on the wall in my garage, and I have two 500watt worklamps (one on each side) lighting it. They're set back about 4-5 feet, at an angle, and it looks lit evenly. I'm standing about, 5-6 feet from the bluescreen. The camera is sitting back about 12 feet from the wall, and I have a key light for myself.

My problem is, once my camera records it, it doesn't look lit evenly, and I don't really understand why, as there's plenty of light in there. I'm just shooting with a Standard-Def MiniDV camcorder, so there's of course artifacting, and whatnot. I don't expect the quality to be perfect, I was just wondering if there was a way I can improve it, or just "roll with the punches" for now. (I've white-balanced it, and I've locked the Iris for the bluescreen color)




Thanks
-Kessno

 

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Funk-E 
Registered: Sep '03
17818_Yoda and Luke
Date Posted: 6/16 7:28am Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting
Is your lighting diffused?

 

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Kessno 
Registered: Sep '07
8038_Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 6/16 7:58am Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting
No, the worklamps are hitting it straight on...

 

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TaunTaunHerder 
Registered: Oct '07
14777_Binary Sunset
Date Posted: 6/16 9:23am Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting - Date Edited: 6/16 9:24am (2 edits total) Edited By: TaunTaunHerder

Try 1000 watts on each side of the bluescreen.

I used 500 watts on each side, but it wasn't enough, so I got
more lights.

Hook up your camera to a monitor so you can see what the
bluescreen looks like on tv and adjust the lighting from there.

Are you sure bluescreen is better for your project than greenscreen?

peace






 

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Kessno 
Registered: Sep '07
8038_Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 6/16 9:32am Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting - Date Edited: 6/16 9:33am (1 edits total) Edited By: Kessno
TaunTaunHerder posted:

Try 1000 watts on each side of the bluescreen.

I used 500 watts on each side, but it wasn't enough, so I got
more lights.

Hook up your camera to a monitor so you can see what the
bluescreen looks like on tv and adjust the lighting from there.

Are you sure bluescreen is better for your project than greenscreen?

peace




That's a good idea, I've got a small TV I can stick out there to use for that.

Actually, I could probably use either one,(bluescreen or greenscreen) but since I went to all the trouble setting this one up, might be kinda nice to get it working right. Plus I'll be rather good with lighting once I figure this out. (At least, I hope)

 

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DetFilms 
Registered: May '05
14360_Anakin Skywalker
Date Posted: 6/16 9:56am Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting
If you can, add some fluorescents. Even the twisty-bulbs in a clamp light help. They give a better fill and a more diffuse light. For a bluescreen, "bright" is less important than "even."

 

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drewjmore 
Registered: Aug '07
6642_42
Date Posted: 6/16 1:20pm Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting
I got good results with just work lights and some of these. They sell them at my neighborhood home depot.

I sawed one up into 4 pieces, and hung those from the wire-frame shield on the light-heads. Watch where you do the sawing, though, that stuff chips & cracks all over. An abrasive-wheel blade would have worked better than a regular circluar saw, but I was too lazy to swap in a new blade.



You also need to make sure they never touch the housings of the lamps, or they get melty.

 

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TaunTaunHerder 
Registered: Oct '07
14777_Binary Sunset
Date Posted: 6/17 11:03am Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting - Date Edited: 6/17 11:05am (4 edits total) Edited By: TaunTaunHerder
Light up the area around all the edges and corners of the
bluescreen to avoid having dark edges and corners.

You don't want a gradient of well-lit bluescreen in the middle to
darker near the edges and corners.

It's harder to key that way. thinking


 

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Kessno 
Registered: Sep '07
8038_Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 6/17 4:37pm Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting
TaunTaunHerder posted:
Light up the area around all the edges and corners of the
bluescreen to avoid having dark edges and corners.

You don't want a gradient of well-lit bluescreen in the middle to
darker near the edges and corners.

It's harder to key that way. thinking




Yeah, it's a pain lol. Even with professionals I guess it takes alot of work, it's just not a 'point with color-dropper' and voila! I think I've found in After Effects that several Color Keys, and a Color Range work fairly well. With the aide of a garbage matte too. Hopefully there won't be much rotoscoping involved, although sometimes you have too I guess.

 

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backdeskproductions 
Registered: Aug '07
42234_Venator-Class Star Destroyer
Date Posted: 6/17 5:47pm Subject: RE: BlueScreen Lighting
drewjmore posted:




You also need to make sure they never touch the housings of the lamps, or they get melty.



haha so true. We've even had one start to catch fire on us...

 

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