lighting Using cellophane with lights

[MileCreations]

So I currently have a red head and a blondie in my possession which both produce a yellow kind of light. I'm filming a night time kind of shot and want the lights to be more of a blue colour as I've been told blue light on the background reduces grain. Not to mention that the scene looks too yellow even when I've desaturated in camera.

I was wondering if it were dangerous to put some blue cellophane over the light (obviously not physically touching the light) to make it closer to the colour I want? The lights heat up quite a bit so I wasn't really sure.

EDIT: I've had a look around google and some people have suggested it before, but they're using examples of just work lights which aren't quite as powerful as the ones I have I don't think

 

[MileCreations]

The T3i doesn't have the ability to set the white balance using Kelvin, but you can use white balance correction. The details are in the manual under "Adjusting the Color Tone for the Light Source", on page 119 if the manual is the same as the one distributed in the US. This method will probably be more consistent than setting a custom balance from a colored card, it allows you to shift in 5 mired increments.

Yes I did discover this feature and it was on around page 119 I think from memory when I tried it a few hours ago. It seemed to do a fair job

The result of attempting to use both lights on one circuit will blow the circuit. It's not necessarily hazardous (unless you don't have circuit breakers) but its annoying and ultimately means you won't get more than a few minutes with both lights on, effectively rendering your lighting setup useless.

Ok, now I know when I get my own kit (these are borrowed lights) that I'm probably better of getting three redheads rather than any blondies, at least for the time being for my own set

 

[Lucky Hardwood]

When you decide to purchase your own kit, you may want to look into fluorescent fixtures that are daylight balanced. They tend to be less expensive and draw way less amperage and wattage than their incandescent/halogen counterparts. LEDs are another option, but they are still rather expensive. Each type of lighting has it's advantages and disadvantages. My kit consists of fluorescent softboxes, halogen Fresnels and LED kicker/accent/beauty lights.

 

[jax_rox]

When you decide to purchase your own kit, you may want to look into fluorescent fixtures that are daylight balanced. They tend to be less expensive and draw way less amperage and wattage than their incandescent/halogen counterparts. LEDs are another option, but they are still rather expensive. Each type of lighting has it's advantages and disadvantages. My kit consists of fluorescent softboxes, halogen Fresnels and LED kicker/accent/beauty lights.

I personally don't like such flouro fixtures, mostly because they are too soft, their light output low and their CRI odd. Their colour is more green biased than blue.

 

[David.rhsc]

They're named for their distinctive body colours:

I did always wonder where that came from.

 

[MileCreations]

Well my medium blue gels arrived today from the UK. Unfortunately not in time, but I thought I may as well have a play with them, see how they work.... S how exactly am I mean to attach them to the lights? So far I've just attached it to the clip bits on the end of the barn doors, but it doesn't really look like a particularly professional way of going about it

 

[jax_rox]

With highly professional, specialty equipment - the C47:

Just make sure you get the wooden variety.


I've also seen these used, in the absence of C47s

I keep a number of clamps in my AC kit (including a few C-clamps), but the most numerous are probably 'Pony' and 'A' spring clamps. I generally try and keep a bag of wooden pegs in it, but the pegs tend to go walkabout (and are very rarely returned after being taken off a gel - lucky they're dirt cheap!)

 

[MileCreations]

Cool I actually I bought a pack of the good olde 'C47' in anticipation but was wondering if there was any specific way of attaching them

 

[knightly]

Put the gel in place on the barndoor, then bring in the C47 from the back/side and clip to the barndoor.

If you don't have bardoors on a particular light, clip a C47 to the edge of the light, then clip the gel to the end of that with a second C47.

 

[MileCreations]

Just a question about dialing in your own colour temperature. Inside magic lantern it has settings of:
White balance: 3200k etc etc
then it has
WBshift G/M: Currently it is on Magenta 9. What should this be set on? I suppose that differs for each scene, but this is yet another variable in determining the correct WB. And I know I accidently changed it once and don't know its original setting.

 

[CraigL]

Just a question about dialing in your own colour temperature. Inside magic lantern it has settings of:
White balance: 3200k etc etc
then it has
WBshift G/M: Currently it is on Magenta 9. What should this be set on? I suppose that differs for each scene, but this is yet another variable in determining the correct WB. And I know I accidently changed it once and don't know its original setting.

The temperature determines the yellow/blue balance, but if there still might be a magenta or green cast that needs to be adjusted back to white. You can set it manually, but it's often best just to use the auto-wb: push the Av button until the Kelvin/ISO cross is up, and in the middle you'll see "PushWB", if you put a grey (or reasonably exposed white) card in the frame and push the Set button, it will autobalance first for temperature, then for G/M. I'm in the habit of doing this for every setup now.

To change it manually, you need to go to the Exposure menu, it's the first option. You can also adjust the Blue/Amber balance there manually, but I'm not sure why after setting the temperature.

CraigL

 

[MileCreations]

Hmm that didn't really answer my question, I enjoy using manual as I have a better understanding of lighting, I feel. Which is why I'm confused about the magenta bit if anybody knows?

 

[chilipie]

Just a question about dialing in your own colour temperature. Inside magic lantern it has settings of:
White balance: 3200k etc etc
then it has
WBshift G/M: Currently it is on Magenta 9. What should this be set on? I suppose that differs for each scene, but this is yet another variable in determining the correct WB. And I know I accidently changed it once and don't know its original setting.

There are two variables when adjusting white balance: blue-red (on the x-axis) and green-magenta (on the y-axis).

Green-magenta shift should generally be set to 0 if shooting in daylight/tungsten light. Fluorescent lights not designed for film use can require adjustment, as can HMIs (but the latter are usually gelled to match existing daylight if there is a shift).