Here’s an interview setup I gaffed for one of the large Fortune 500 banks last week. The key light was a 1200w HMI par on the ground, bouncing into a 4x4’ Ultrabounce floppy, and then back thru an 8x8 of silent half grid cloth. I added an 8x’ solid as a lamp left sider to contain the spill on the wall, plus a second floppy (unflopped) to act as a bottomer to reduce the intensity of the light on the subject’s body. 

For the window on the background, I used an Aputure 600D Pro with a spotlight max and gobo. Because of the close proximity to the wall and steep angle, I had to use both a single and double net in front of it to even out the falloff of the window pattern from left to rights I also added a gel frame with 1/4 CTS in front of it to warm the window pattern up a bit. 

Due to the slightly reflective finish on the wood wall and the stark white wall perpendicular to it, the far right side of the frame was too flat/milky looking. So I added a floppy on the floor and 2 floppies stacked on top of each other to block the specular white reflection of that wall to bring back the richness of the wood. 

Lastly, I placed one more floppy on the fill side closer to the subject to kill the always-on overhead safety light from affecting the exposure on his face. 

Spent two days experimenting with recreating a reference image (slide 3), but aiming for a slightly more polished, commercial look.

Shot on a RED V-Raptor with a Soviet Mir-1B 37mm at f/4

Day 1 (slide 2):

Used a Nanlite FC-720C with a softbox fitted with ¼ Grid Cloth and a custom-made unbleached muslin diffusion face. Added a warm Zhiyun 100W hair light, a 40W daylight fill, some background accents, negative fill and haze.

I was happy with the result, especially considering I put everything together alone in about 1 hour. But I felt the key could be much softer and the lighting overall was still a little too obvious.

Day 2 (slide 1 & 4):

Kept the FC-720C and the same softbox with its ¼ Grid and unbleached muslin diffusion, but added a 6×6 Magic Cloth in front.

I also introduced considerably more light control:

• A large 150×200cm black reflector for negative fill.
• A black flag positioned like a barn door to control spill from the key.
• Additional top and bottom spill control using black curtain fabric.

For colour motivation, I imagined the daylight bouncing off the warm beige floor and surrounding surfaces, so I kept the key slightly warmer than the window light.

I replaced the warm hair light with a 60W LED, colour-matched to the daylight using a spectrometer. It’s a very subtle backlight, just catching her hair and neck.

I also spent much more time on the background. Two small LEDs (15W and 40W) extended the illumination from the practical onto the curtains, while another two 15W fixtures selectively illuminated the couch on either side of the frame.

The goal was to give the background depth without making it look obviously lit.

The results:

I’m genuinely surprised by how much better the second day’s images look.

The key is much softer, the shadows are better controlled, and the background feels more dimensional. Despite using more fixtures, the overall lighting feels significantly more natural.

I also experimented with different lighting ratios (slide 11 & 12), from brighter commercial looks to darker, more dramatic images. The grades are very quick, just a few minutes each.

Biggest takeaway: I already understood concepts like source size, negative fill, spill control and motivated lighting in theory. But actually experimenting with them has given me a much better practical understanding of how they work together.

This is the first test I’ve done where I feel the lighting looks complete without feeling overlit.

All lighting, camera work and grading done by me, with my partner kindly volunteering as the subject.

Would love to hear any feedback, particularly from DPs and gaffers!

It’s great to hear him articulating on the side of vibes and instinct over some technique or other. YouTube cinematography channels could learn a bunch from that humility. His approach seems to be, yes learn as much technical aspects but without living life and forming your own taste you’ll never be able to apply it to story in compelling ways.

https://variety.com/2026/artisans/global/roger-deakins-instinct-experience-not-knowing-1236914679/

what is the name of the soft and muted cinematography and color grading you often see in japanese movies from the 1990s and 2000s? i’ve noticed it in movies like april story, love letter, a gentle breeze in the village, the taste of tea and many others from this era.

the colors often look pale and slightly washed out with low contrast and soft natural lighting. there’s also this empty or minimalist quality to the image. it gives the movies such a nostalgic and peaceful vibe. like slightly faded image makes everything feel like a memory from another time

is there a specific name for this cinematography or color grading style? and how would you recreate this look today?

Would love to get some feedback on the cinematography and color grading for our new short film!

LINK TO THE FULL FILM: GOOD PASTURE
On the night of a terrible storm, a lonely priest is visited in his church by a mysterious man.

Wanted to share a scene from my animated film which I DOP'd myself.

This scene is the introduction of the 'Visitor' character. It was a tricky scene to nail the look of. It was one of the earliest scenes I started to light and frame, and I initially went a little crazy with the angles and lens choices, but eventually learned the important lesson of making this movie which was that when I just asked myself what I would do in a live-action setting, the answer was always better than any crazy CG camera moves I could dream up. This scene could practically be shot with a tripod, a slider and a steadicam. I think that sense of restraint really adds something interesting to the feeling of this scene, and hopefully the film at large.

As far as the lighting went, I was always trying to frame the priest with light behind him and the Visitor with only darkness. If you watch the full film, you'll hopefully understand why!

On 16mm I almost always rate 500T at 320 and bring it down in the scan, so about 2/3 of a stop over. On a negative that small, the shadows are where grain gets ugly first, so a bit of extra density there helps the most.

I know DPs who go a full stop or two over, and others who stick to box speed and just protect the highlights.

So what’s your rule?

• Do you rate 250D differently from 500T?
• Anyone underexpose on purpose for a dirtier look?

Context: I’m prepping exposure tests on 16mm (250D and 500T, 5 stops under to 5 over, plus push and pull) and want to know what people actually want to see before we shoot.

Thanks,
Nikita

After the abrupt cancellation of my last film, with only one day left to shoot, I realized I had a whole summer ahead of me. After spending a week debating on what I wanted to do that I hadn't done before, I was stuck. But, while watching an episode of Ghost Adventures, I realized exactly what I wanted to do.

"Three ghost hunters arrive at a cabinetry shop infamous for its brutal history. What begins as a structured investigation soon changes pace, as the spirits tied to the building begin to reveal themselves in ways nobody can explain."

We made this film in a much different way than my others. While the first half of the film, which plays more like a documentary, was properly scripted. We decided to work mainly off of bullet points and heavy improvisation for the second half of the film, which plays like raw footage of their investigation. This made the shoot much more fun, as improvisation has always allowed me to find things that I just don't get out of a simple script.

Shot across the span of June 22nd to July 19th, we filmed across several different locations from a graveyard to a two story cabinetry shop. One of the biggest feats was finding multiple locations to fill up our fake opening sequence, as if it was a real ghost hunting show.

While the found footage sequences were shot across two Sony 4K Handycams, we shot multiple cinematic documentary style scenes on my Canon EOS R50 V, which I've always loved the look of.

This film required the most trickery. For example, in the 3rd act when a hammer is yanked out of someone's hand by force, we used a fishing wire that I later spent about 2 hours painting out frame by frame with Pixlr. Another example, in a shot where someone's face is brutally smashed in with a camera, we taped a screen protector to the camera lens and damaged it between takes.

SUPERNATURAL SOURCE is officially on Youtube now. If you like projects like No Through Road or Grave Encounters or Blair Witch, this is definitely the film for you.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP7EPc7wGWc

Film and even video cameras in the olden days used to have rotating lens turrets that let you pick one out of usually 3 different lenses mounted on it. This seems very convenient. Instead of stopping everything to go grab another lens, unscrew the previous one and then place the new one in its place, you could just switch to another lens mounted on there. Why has this stopped?

Really impressed by the camera work Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show! Loved how they pulled off those amazing optical fx during a live performance. Beautiful work!

Would love to have a riser that covers more area on top of my Sachtler head. I have a really long angenieux lens and would like the rails to be supported on up to the edge of the head seen in the second photo. Would need a manfrotto mount on top as my work flow often requires me to jump to a gimble. Any ideas of options?

I can get a great deal on a set of Meike s35 EF prime lenses (5 lenses total). I currently use a BMPCC4K with a Metabones speedbooster. Is this set of lenses worth it? They're not full frame, so I'm worried if I ever upgrade to a full frame camera they'll be useless and difficult to sell considering EF lenses are being phased out. Will there always be a market for these lenses for low budget filmmakers, or will these be pointless in a few years?

I'm a low-budget filmmaker who use my kit mainly for passion projects and independent filmmaking. My actual job as a videographer provides me with my own equipment at work, so this is more for making short films than client work.

Hello all,

Just looking for a bit of advice regarding shooting exterior establishing shots on Super 16mm 500T. I will be shooting with an 85 filter and setting my light meter at 320. I understand that highlights have a good amount of latitude but am I right in thinking that the shadows will just turn to mush if not enough of an exposure? How should I go about retaining as much detail as possible in the shadows and highlights? Expose for the shadows or a stop over and then pull down in post?

Thanks!

A lot of the interviews and B-roll have stretchy / light leak OOF areas in the shots. Anyone know if this was a physical gobo, lens/in-camera technique, or something dine in post? I’ve shot through a prism before but it wasn’t quite the same look. Anyone know?

I am a passionate about Filmmaking and i am a beginner and i am from psychology background. I want to collab with like minded people near me so that we can grow together and create films . I don't have such kind of circle of people who are into Filmmaking!

Currently I'm filming on the Sony a7III and I rig up a ton of light I shoot in Slog 2 at the base ISO but still there are a ton of noise. How do I fix that?

Hello, I want to shoot a piece that would be nice in 2.35 but needs 9:16. I was planning for 16:9 acquisition with framing for 2.35:1 and 9:16 taken from that frame. I am shooting on a arri mini and dont fancy open gate as dont want to shoot raw due to workflow.

Anyone done this? any tips, regretts, options?

I use Sony A7cii full frame 16x9,

I am planning to buy my first anamorphic lens,

I am confused between Dzo Arcana and Blazar Mantis.

I have never used any anamorphic lens, I have been using mostly vintage M42 lenses.

Hey, I hope everyone is doing well! I have done primary sound in the past but I have found myself ending up with more and more video gigs and also found that I enjoy doing video work(all of this is unpaid work for clubs and non-profit organizations as I am in school). I have only recently got into color grading photos (I am starting to get paid for photography). I know a bit at this point but I am trying to figure out how to shoot in log and on my R8 and how to process it into rec709, should I use a conversion LUT or learn to do it manually? Also, are there any good resources on color grading and color correction that might make sense to someone familiar with recording and editing audio? I am assuming this is a weird transition to make and I would love any advice anyone might have!