Film Noir at DVinfo.net

Kris Galuska · June 19th, 2006, 08:32 PM

I just uploaded my film noir short "Don't Speak" to YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RsN0CTTpVo

I'd like any opinions on the lighting. Overall I'm very proud of the look we were able to achieve.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated (lighting and overall movie)

Thanks,

-Kris

Cole McDonald · June 19th, 2006, 08:48 PM

Nicely done...very distinct looks for each invironment. Nice in teraction of lights in the hallway...like the launch bays from the original battlestar galactica. last scene, just outlines...very cool. Well acted too.

Rob Gregory-Browne · June 19th, 2006, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kris Galuska

I just uploaded my film noir short "Don't Speak" to YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RsN0CTTpVo

I'd like any opinions on the lighting. Overall I'm very proud of the look we were able to achieve.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated (lighting and overall movie)

Thanks,

-Kris

I absolutely loved the shot showing the lead's rage when he discovers his girlfriend's body. That great lighting effect coupled with a shift to black and white. Excellent stuff.

Kris Galuska · June 19th, 2006, 09:33 PM

Wow thanks.

Anyone else?

Cole McDonald · June 19th, 2006, 11:12 PM

Could you post some of these lighting setups in this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=66451

Walter J Walsh · June 20th, 2006, 12:27 PM

Wow that looked great. I loved the switch from color to black and white. I also thought the look you got from your lighting really added so much to the final look.

Kris Galuska · June 20th, 2006, 01:15 PM

Thanks,

I’ve got a lot of good feed back on the color to B&W transition.

Did you guys notice the color effect at 42sec. The girl is the only thing in color, but as the guy crawls onto the bed everything fades into color. It is a subtle effect, but it is one of my favorites.

-Kris

Simon Duncan · June 21st, 2006, 11:43 AM

We done mate. Great use of lighting design. Like mentioned in early post I too am really interesting on the details of how you got this result. Also what Camera was it shot on?

You created something really atmospheric here. Expland on your process and experience for us other dudes who want to come up to the mark.

Congratulations once again.

Joe Wilson · June 21st, 2006, 12:43 PM

That was hot man! I've bookmarked it into my favorites. The contrasts and techniques were awesome.

Actually felt bad for dude. That Bi*#@.

I'm big on story so it's killing me...WHY DID SHE DO IT? And was it worth three of their men dying for.

Great job.

Any chance on you posting you presets and post techniques?

Kris Galuska · June 22nd, 2006, 12:51 PM

Here is some general info on how we worked. I'll go into some scene specific detail latter.

We shot using an FX1 with factory defaults. While setting up lights we would always set up the scene with the camera in black and white and then we filmed in color. We shot in color for a couple of reasons.

1. I didn’t know how many color element I was going to leave in the B&W shots.

2. I could then choose which color channel was the best. Green usually had the least noise while blue had the most. Red sometimes had the best contrast depending on the location.

Our lighting set up was… crap in terms of equipment quality. We used one theater spot light with barn doors. It had to be duck taped to keep in from pointing at the ground. We used two floor painters’ lights, and in a couple scenes we used a battery powered camera light that we held by hand.

So, as far as equipment goes, it was nothing special, and I’m glad. Too often we worry about our equipment. Having limitations sometimes brings about the most creativity.

For the most part we either used the standard three point light system, or a two point light system. For the two point system, we got rid of the fill light and just used the key light and the back light. This gave us very dramatic shadows but still allowed us to separate the characters from the backgrounds.

Some more general tips:

1. We lit for style not for reality. (We put lights were no light source would be).

2. Create your main shadow first and then worry about your fill and rim light.

3. Know your post tools. I used a luma key through most of the B&W shots. I keyed out the darker portions of the image. This allowed my blacks to be as black a possible, and it allowed me to adjust my shadows without affecting my highlights. The color to B&W transition was done this way. If you watch it again you’ll notice that the whites of his eyes never get darker. The contrast almost makes them glow.

4. Black felt is an amazing tool. My camera man suggested using it. First of all it is good to block lights you can’t control. Combined with the luma key in tip 3 it allows for some great contrast. The final shot in the movie is almost all highlights because we held black felt behind the actress then keyed it out.

That is enough for now. I’ll go into individual scenes latter.

-Kris Galuska

Kris Galuska · June 24th, 2006, 11:12 AM

Any specifics you guys want?

Cole McDonald · June 24th, 2006, 02:34 PM

um...are you sure you want to ask that question? :) Scene by scene breakdowns with overhead diagrams and stills. Or explanations of the physical setup with a still posted from that scene...and what you did to it in post to acheive the look.

Jonathan Nelson · June 25th, 2006, 07:22 PM

Did you use a 35mm adapter for the shallow DOF card part(3:48)?

Really neat stuff. The color shift was cool as well.

Overall, I thought the short was great!

I always wanted to make a film noir short, not a serious one, but a comedy one. Someday when I have the free time, I am going to make one.

Ralph Keyser · June 26th, 2006, 03:56 PM

Re: the black felt tip
The stuff that professionals use is called Duvatyne (aka Commando Cloth), and is a cotton cloth treated to be fire resistant (a good thing near hot lights). It has a knap on one side that is much like black felt, and a smoother side that is still black. It's used all over the place for blocking out windows, flagging off lights, killing reflections. and on and on. A very handy addition to any kit.

David Tamés · June 26th, 2006, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kris Galuska

I just uploaded my film noir short "Don't Speak" to YouTube [...]

All filmmakers should be aware that video serving sites vary in many different ways and one way in which they vary is in terms of their licensing arrangement. The blog post, "YouTube: ALL YOUR VIDEOS ARE BELONG TO US" at http://openvision.tv/blog/?p=48 provides some important food for thought.

June 19th, 2006, 08:32 PM	#1
Kris Galuska Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY, NY Posts: 59	Film Noir I just uploaded my film noir short "Don't Speak" to YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RsN0CTTpVo I'd like any opinions on the lighting. Overall I'm very proud of the look we were able to achieve. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated (lighting and overall movie) Thanks, -Kris

June 19th, 2006, 08:48 PM	#2
Cole McDonald Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sauk Rapids, MN, USA Posts: 1,675	Nicely done...very distinct looks for each invironment. Nice in teraction of lights in the hallway...like the launch bays from the original battlestar galactica. last scene, just outlines...very cool. Well acted too. __________________ Web Youtube Facebook

June 19th, 2006, 11:12 PM	#5
Cole McDonald Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sauk Rapids, MN, USA Posts: 1,675	Could you post some of these lighting setups in this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=66451 __________________ Web Youtube Facebook

June 21st, 2006, 11:43 AM	#8
Simon Duncan Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Angers, France Posts: 181	Congratulations We done mate. Great use of lighting design. Like mentioned in early post I too am really interesting on the details of how you got this result. Also what Camera was it shot on? You created something really atmospheric here. Expland on your process and experience for us other dudes who want to come up to the mark. Congratulations once again.

June 24th, 2006, 02:34 PM	#12
Cole McDonald Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sauk Rapids, MN, USA Posts: 1,675	um...are you sure you want to ask that question? :) Scene by scene breakdowns with overhead diagrams and stills. Or explanations of the physical setup with a still posted from that scene...and what you did to it in post to acheive the look. __________________ Web Youtube Facebook

June 19th, 2006, 09:33 PM	#4
Kris Galuska Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY, NY Posts: 59	Wow thanks. Anyone else?

June 20th, 2006, 12:27 PM	#6
Walter J Walsh Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Frankfort, IL Posts: 28	Wow that looked great. I loved the switch from color to black and white. I also thought the look you got from your lighting really added so much to the final look.

June 20th, 2006, 01:15 PM	#7
Kris Galuska Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY, NY Posts: 59	Thanks, I’ve got a lot of good feed back on the color to B&W transition. Did you guys notice the color effect at 42sec. The girl is the only thing in color, but as the guy crawls onto the bed everything fades into color. It is a subtle effect, but it is one of my favorites. -Kris

June 21st, 2006, 12:43 PM	#9
Joe Wilson New Boot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 15	That was hot man! I've bookmarked it into my favorites. The contrasts and techniques were awesome. Actually felt bad for dude. That Bi*#@. I'm big on story so it's killing me...WHY DID SHE DO IT? And was it worth three of their men dying for. Great job. Any chance on you posting you presets and post techniques?

June 22nd, 2006, 12:51 PM	#10
Kris Galuska Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY, NY Posts: 59	Here is some general info on how we worked. I'll go into some scene specific detail latter. We shot using an FX1 with factory defaults. While setting up lights we would always set up the scene with the camera in black and white and then we filmed in color. We shot in color for a couple of reasons. 1. I didn’t know how many color element I was going to leave in the B&W shots. 2. I could then choose which color channel was the best. Green usually had the least noise while blue had the most. Red sometimes had the best contrast depending on the location. Our lighting set up was… crap in terms of equipment quality. We used one theater spot light with barn doors. It had to be duck taped to keep in from pointing at the ground. We used two floor painters’ lights, and in a couple scenes we used a battery powered camera light that we held by hand. So, as far as equipment goes, it was nothing special, and I’m glad. Too often we worry about our equipment. Having limitations sometimes brings about the most creativity. For the most part we either used the standard three point light system, or a two point light system. For the two point system, we got rid of the fill light and just used the key light and the back light. This gave us very dramatic shadows but still allowed us to separate the characters from the backgrounds. Some more general tips: 1. We lit for style not for reality. (We put lights were no light source would be). 2. Create your main shadow first and then worry about your fill and rim light. 3. Know your post tools. I used a luma key through most of the B&W shots. I keyed out the darker portions of the image. This allowed my blacks to be as black a possible, and it allowed me to adjust my shadows without affecting my highlights. The color to B&W transition was done this way. If you watch it again you’ll notice that the whites of his eyes never get darker. The contrast almost makes them glow. 4. Black felt is an amazing tool. My camera man suggested using it. First of all it is good to block lights you can’t control. Combined with the luma key in tip 3 it allows for some great contrast. The final shot in the movie is almost all highlights because we held black felt behind the actress then keyed it out. That is enough for now. I’ll go into individual scenes latter. -Kris Galuska

June 24th, 2006, 11:12 AM	#11
Kris Galuska Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY, NY Posts: 59	Any specifics you guys want?

June 25th, 2006, 07:22 PM	#13
Jonathan Nelson Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Kingman Arizona Posts: 298	Did you use a 35mm adapter for the shallow DOF card part(3:48)? Really neat stuff. The color shift was cool as well. Overall, I thought the short was great! I always wanted to make a film noir short, not a serious one, but a comedy one. Someday when I have the free time, I am going to make one.

June 26th, 2006, 03:56 PM	#14
Ralph Keyser Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA Posts: 287	Re: the black felt tip The stuff that professionals use is called Duvatyne (aka Commando Cloth), and is a cotton cloth treated to be fire resistant (a good thing near hot lights). It has a knap on one side that is much like black felt, and a smoother side that is still black. It's used all over the place for blocking out windows, flagging off lights, killing reflections. and on and on. A very handy addition to any kit.