If you work within a million miles of this industry, you’ll often here media people (especially movie types) talking indecipherable jargon. Nipping off for a fag or a coffee is known as "a comfort break". But an outdoor movie set is often at its most frantic during two specific periods: "There’s only two hours of the day; first thing in the morning and last thing at night - the golden hour," is a phrase frequently murmured. It’s a line well worth remembering, especially in the stills business. The theory often makes the downright mundane extraordinary.
This is Renault’s spangly new flagship truck and van centre on the outskirts of Coventry, shot within a 50 minute window before total darkness. It’s a relatively long exposure of 8 seconds, with an aperture of f9.5 and an ISO of 50. If you’re attempting something similar, make sure you’ve got a tripod with you. If the camera has a ‘mirror lock up’ facility, then use it, along with a few second shutter delay. With the light changing so fast I would also bracket the exposure (by at least +/- .07 or 1.0 stop) - you'll be amazed at what lies just under or just over the correct exposure. You also get the added bonus of (accurately) multi-layering; dropping down brightly lit areas and enhancing shadows.
www.tomcunningham.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment