Within the last week I started to conduct tests, to get a better idea of what needs to be done on the final shoot. For the first test, I experimented with only using natural light as my main light source as I will be shooting on the Canon 550D, one of the latest DSLRs that are capable of achieving visually stunning imagery without the need of production lighting. I accompanied my friend Dan, who was shooting cut aways for his final peice in a local Church, and recorded various shots by just taking advantage of the lighting that was available on location. Below is the edited footage in a short sequence.
NATURAL LIGHT TEST USING THE CANON 550D
I recently purchased a new lens, the Canon 50mm 1.8, and I personally think that this really allowed me to take the camera further than I would have been able to if I was using the standard 18-55mm kit lens. The main reason was the 50mm lens lets in much more light than the kit lens, enabling me to yield greater results when shooting in lower light locations. The video was shot using an ISO of 400 as stated in the film, with the majority of them using an f-stop of 1.8 (this may have slightly increased to around 2.2 in a couple of shots), before then being colour corrected in Apple Color to try and match the visual grading style of my chosen cinematographers/filmmakers (Fincher, Cronenweth and Khondji).
From the video, you can see that the camera does as it says, and handles brilliantly in natural lighting conditions. The exposure values are consistent across the majority of shots, yet some parts do bloom within the highlight section (this is most likely due to the colour grading used however). I was really pleased with the outcome of this shoot, as I can now understand what light may be needed within my own final piece.
Films such as Se7en or The Social Network are really contrasted and dark, with what seems to be little to no light in some cases. This could be achieved in my final piece by using natural light that is available within the location to light the scene, then use other lighting to focus on a specific part or section of that frame.
I will upload more test shoots, testing ISO and Aperture settings to find the most suitable setting for my film.
From the video, you can see that the camera does as it says, and handles brilliantly in natural lighting conditions. The exposure values are consistent across the majority of shots, yet some parts do bloom within the highlight section (this is most likely due to the colour grading used however). I was really pleased with the outcome of this shoot, as I can now understand what light may be needed within my own final piece.
Films such as Se7en or The Social Network are really contrasted and dark, with what seems to be little to no light in some cases. This could be achieved in my final piece by using natural light that is available within the location to light the scene, then use other lighting to focus on a specific part or section of that frame.
I will upload more test shoots, testing ISO and Aperture settings to find the most suitable setting for my film.
