Camera Test

The Zombie quiz lost its graphics suddenly so I removed it. Too bad I was amused by it.

I bought a new camera last week. it is a Panasonic AG HVX205a Hig def camera that can record to either DV tape or P2 type solid state hard disk. A couple of years ago when we were preparing for Fearless I did some testing with the camera we used a Cannon XL2 which did not have Hi Def and only recorded to DV tape.
Look here for the original tests
With that in mind Mark and I wanted to do an inital test of the new camera. The difference was amazing. Look at how much detail comes out in the background and how it is much less mushy. Also there is none of that bloom nonsense we had with the cannon. I set it at F 8 it stays at F 8

HVX 200 Camera test from Eric Thomas on Vimeo.

So the basic lighting setup was a 1 K Baby as a key with 1/4 CTO on it which reads F8
i mounted a 650 Tweenie on the wall behind her for a back light which reads at F11 and then we filled to the right of the frame with the Kino Flo using daylight bulbs and this read at about an F4. the lampbehind her we replace the bulb with a 75 watt photo flood

Camera Test 2

UPDATED WITH Lighting Diagram

Saturday Mark and Benito came over and we ran another set of camera tests
We changed the rating to 250 and lit to the exposure we wanted. I also wanted benito to get some experience with the dolly. I'm glad I did. The dolly shot was a simple push in on Dylan as she is reading. We tried a couple of different angles but Benito nees work on his operating skills. You can see that he was searching for here in a jerky manner rather than a smooth pan to keep her framed.
Finally we tested the blocking of the reverse angle of the room with myself and the spouse as stand ins. yeah I am kissing my wife of almost 16 years. Get over it.
Also Note that the video did not transfer correctly and I had to do some fiddling around to get it to upload but the point is the lighting at this time.



This is the Diagram of the shots as she enters and sits as well as the dolly


This is the diagram of the reverse angle as we are sitting in the chair

Camera Tests

So after the less the optimal outcome of the 48 hour project as noted in the previous post, I decided we needed to recheck our findings on the Benito’s Camera. Mark, Benito and I met on Sunday to do just that.
First thing we had to do was establish the relative ASA value of the camera. We spent a bit more time on it this time around. We set up a Baby and lit a color chart mounted on a bounce card placed about 10 feet from the camera. The chart read about 65 Foot candles and then with a monitor, we adjusted the aperture until we could see the differences between the two white values without them bleeding over. This was a stop of 4.0. Then we did the math and came up with something between 200 and 220 ASA.
We then lit the room for a lighting test to and had the kid walk in to the scene, sit in the chair read for a bit and then get up and walk out of the shot. The look we were going for was that of the Beach house scenes in Reds. We found that these scenes had a natural feel to them where the DP lit the walls and if there were a practical used that for key. The actors would walk in and out of light. I really liked it and that is the look I am going for.
Se we set a Baby to light the far wall with a double net to add a bit of top shadow. In the practical we placed a 250 watt photo flood. Note the lame was way hot so we cut it down with two pieces of 251 diffusion and a piece of half straw. When we shoot I think we will use nd3 and trim it back so we get a bit of a rim off the spill from the practical. Finally we hung a China Ball with a 250 on a C stand just to the left of the camera to add a bit of volume to the room. She exits between the camera and the china ball. There is also a Bounce card to the right of the chair to fill her face.
We shot these using different Aperture settings from 2.8-8 as noted on the slate.
Here is the test footage. I think the focus is a bit soft, something Benito has to work on before we shoot, particularly in the wider shots. I prefer the look in the 5.6 take. The meters were reading about 2.8 on the Baby, and practical and about 2.0 for the fill