We all know the feeling of packing every piece of gear you anticipate needing for a shoot after discussing the plans with your client. We also know the feeling when inspiration hits, the shot changes, and you aren’t sure you have what you need to pull it off. This happened to me during a recent rooftop shoot – and the Rosco Silk LED Soft Lights empowered me to pull it off.
I was recently hired as cinematographer to shoot a video that would unveil the new logo for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The plan was to feature Minnesota-based rapper P.O.S. at dusk with the Minneapolis cityscape as the backdrop. However, the client and I decided to extend our shot list into the night to feature the downtown skyline lights in the distance. With this change, I was concerned that I didn’t have the right lights to key the entire shot. Fortunately, I happened to have brought two Rosco Silk LED lights along – just in case.
This certainly wasn't the first time I’d used the Silks, but this is the first time I was blown away by just how much output they delivered. When we added the extra evening shots, I auditioned the Silk 210 (set to 3200K) as my key and the Silk 110 (set to 5500K) as fill.
One of my biggest concerns was that my talent was performing on an elevated 4’x10’ stage that we had built on the roof so that he could roam from side to side. I needed a lighting solution that would provide enough output to give me consistent exposure across the entire stage and deliver a soft look. Lucky for me, the Silk 210 and 110 auditioned perfectly and provided the light we needed for the shot.
Another issue we had was that there was only one outlet on the rooftop that we could pull power from. We needed that outlet to power the stage accent lights (which were more set dressing than set lighting), and a generator would have made too much noise and interfered with our audio capture. Thankfully, I was able to power the Silks off my Anton/Bauer batteries the whole time without any problems.
Check out the Timberwolves logo launch video and look out for the evening shots around 3:11 with P.O.S. My final image turned out great! It looked just as if we had planned for it – and I have the Rosco Silks to thank for that. My team and I watched the video premiere to a sold-out crowd during the Timberwolves last home game this past season. It was a rush to hear live reactions to our footage from the team's die-hard fans.
As a bonus, we were able to turn the lights around at the end of the night and use them to wrap out on what would have been a pitch-dark rooftop! I always say buy equipment that can be used for multiple purposes and, in every way, the Silk 210 and 110 met and exceeded that challenge on this job. For more information about the growing Rosco Silk Family, visit www.rosco.com/silk.
Barry Andersson May 23, 2017 Questions?
Guest Author Barry Andersson is an award-winning director and cinematographer and the author of The DSLR Filmmakers Handbook. His career includes shooting/directing feature-length films, several acclaimed short films and numerous commercials. Besides his book, Barry also shares his expertise via nationwide workshops, global webinars and a number of articles on sites like ProVideo Coalition, Planet 5D and ProductionHub.com.