How to Achieve Soft Top-Light | Budget vs. High-End

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As a cinematographer, you're going to have to know how to setup a large overhead soft light. Every production, from commercials to music videos to Marvel films, use them at varying degrees. We're going to teach you how to make it two different ways - the indie way and the Hollywood way. We're joined by Danny Boldroff from Honeycrates and Martin Torner from Matthews Studio Equipment to demonstrate how it's done.
Find the Honeycrates gear: honeycrates.com
Find the Matthews gear we used: www.msegrip.com
Matthews IG: / matthewsgrip
Honeycrates IG: / honeycrates
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#Cinematic #SoftLight #Filmmaking

[@ashay94]

Ted saying - This is as indie as it gets Me thinking - You have no idea how indie I can get

[@flight-films2986]

Foam core inner, black matte outside, shower curtains, bolts +washers+nuts, 8 right angle hardware frames and some rope. Background stand + Get your lights high enough or Background stand + gaff the largest foamcore pieces possible to crossbar, point lights up at it from the ground + good luck controlling spill.

[@vmarquez73]

Each time I see indie in a title it's just a bluff tbh. These guys need a master class of indie productions.

[@ArSaSixNine]

This is still way out of the budget!

[@LuisFernandoImperator]

The besy surprise: the Grip dude that talks like Tarantino is BACK!

[@indymogul]

Martin is the man!

[@TimmyLodhi]

Man grip/gaffer folks know their shit. So much knowledge to be learned from them.

[@indymogul]

Right?! They work on Hollywood films for a reason!

[@TimmyLodhi]

@@indymogul The unsung heroes of the film industry!

[@Bojac]

That “make sure the heavy thing is gonna fall in the same direction that the C-stand tightens” is maybe the clearest explanation of that I’ve seen. Now which foot on the stand is the one that you always put the sandbags on?

[@Msegrip]

Place it on the high leg so the the bag hangs and isn’t resting on the ground. That high leg should also be pointing in the direction of the mounted weight.

[@B-Moye]

This was SUCH a golden nugget. Pocketing that one.

[@DeeSimilar]

Danny seems like a cool dude to work with

[@indymogul]

Such a great guy!!

[@thefutur]

perfect timing and the exact thing we need for our studio.

[@indymogul]

Can't wait to see it!!

[@christynunns7019]

Woah the Futur and Indy Mogul in one place? This is like when those two awesome friends from different scenes finally meet each other and get along 😄

[@christynunns7019]

@@imiy yeah just found those! I'm quite annoyed I've been following IM for a decade and KZbin has just randomly stopped showing me videos for the past couple of years 😢

[@ExecutionerO]

Will make those whiteboard sessions pop💥

[@AbodidSahoo]

this just makes me happy seeing the futur comment here!

[@DetroitTintStudio]

woah perfect timing! I'm building a 20' x 20' for my window tint studio / channel. I'm in a big warehouse and hope I can create some nice even lighting

[@TiempoFilmico]

The student film version: Take 5 big polystyrene panels, join them at the sides and at the top with some wire, dont forget to make a hole in the top panel to put your light in there, cover the sides with black plastic bags. Now youll need something to attach the light to some kind of hook. Now just hang it in your location and thats it

[@kams2935]

dont forget to cover the fire alarms!! xD

[@giorgiomarangolo]

Sometimes I think you can read my mind. Thanks, exactly what I needed!

[@florianropers]

Same here - might have to go with one of the even "indier" alternatives like the McGyver way @Carlos Valle shared above

[@LalitRohidas]

The amount of quality content you post is amazing.. I can watch your videos all day continuously ❤️

[@snnvision3189]

I've been looking for top light tutorial for a while , thanx guys

[@pralex4477]

That hollywood thing is just an other level I woukd say just from another planet

[@alejandrotoscano969]

This is one of the best things that i've learned on the last days, ill use it in our next indie film, tnx from Mexico

[@KSchawacker]

Once a scout. Always a scout! Lol man this makes me miss my rigging gig for corporate events. We used half ton chain motors and aluminum lighting truss for eeeeeverything. Safety is ALWAYS first and you will never spend time with a rigger without learning something new that day. Guaranteed!

[@alexanderafgan9594]

I love what you guys do... You're revolutionary for us amatures!! Please keep posting such good stuff ❤️

[@brenthearn4161]

Been scouring the internet for months on how to make this exact size softbox + light combo THANK YOU

[@shadowshapers]

4:55 anyone else notice Danny sneaking behind the frame to wave at the camera? That was funny, I'm sure he's a fun guy to have on set.

[@Msegrip]

Danny is a hoot!!

[@KSchawacker]

I was a corporate event production rigger for about a year before the pandemic. 2 ton motors, lighting truss, dmx'd stage lighting. This makes me miss my gig.

[@kwa42]

thank you soo much for bringing this pro industry stuff to youtube man! legend

[@jayclark2585]

Thank you so much for this! It's not easy to find this information on the net

[@V1N_574]

I like the energy projected on every video, really cool and nice people!!!

[@adapted.6267]

Ya'll do an incredible job, showed our whole team this video!

[@TheOneThreeFour]

You guys may wanna consider recording all your audio on a 32 bit recorders if you really aren't going to lower the heat on your audio. Every video, SOMEONE is distorting like shit

[@zakerylewis]

this!!! great content, but the clipping it kills my sooooooooooul

[@changleon7441]

Yeahhhhhhh

[@cmdcreativity]

They’re using wireless lavs... the clipping happens on the lav transmitter/receiver probably not the audio recorder. It’s a hard balance when using lavs. Just my thought. 😁

[@TheOneThreeFour]

@@cmdcreativity if your lavs are consistently that hot then you're using lavs wrong but yes that's a good point

[@musicelect]

Also, having multiple lav mics live at the same time produces odd phasing and delayed effects. A single boom mic would produce a better sound.

[@MichaelB5522]

Martin is awesome man

[@billtotolo]

Great job as usual guys! Loved it.

[@MichaelPari]

very useful!!!

[@guidetheride2103]

Loved watching this, missed my vocation! Thanks to everyone involved, great team. 👏

[@bensonq]

Grips have the most fun!!

[@chrisvalleqatsi]

I can't say you make it look easy - but you definitely make it look fun!

[@imiy]

And that's the reason I subscribed

[@AyStar]

Can someone tell me what's going on around the 12:00 mark with the video compression derping out? I was trying to ignore the robotic sounding noise suppression earlier but this is getting super distracting.

[@oddlytimbotwillison6296]

Seeing that also. Have seen it elsewhere too, I wonder if it is a KZbin compression issue.

[@JFBence]

Absolutely indie, but we already have a telehandler. So it is a must try. I'll definitely do it in the spring.

[@BasicFilmmaker]

Always great. Still trying to figure out how to do this in my studio and this helps. Only TWO 120 Ds overhead? Is that right? Impressive.

[@CriticasDeCineEn2Minutos]

miss you guys!

[@jaywilliamwhittingtonbarre9601]

Thanks for the awesome video Ted! This was really enlightening!

[@VexedFilms]

This is a great video and a brilliant direction to go. Vastly needed experience from the industry for the KZbin filmmaking community! Keep it up

[@FrameCrafts]

Thank you so much Ted. For all the information you provide us. Thank you very much for your help, specially for a beginner like me.

[@Lo0pDotCom]

AWESOME... NEED THESE ADD-ONS...!

[@MrBowmanMakes]

Dan THE Man!

[@lunaclipsemedia3760]

My dream is to own a studio like this one day... Build it or buy it... Great content guys ♥

This content is awesome ! Best video I've seen about grip so far, do you have others about it ?

[@grimlightwildoutdoors]

Awesome !

[@GripTips]

Did Martin get access to the roof? hahaha

[@Msegrip]

You know dis!! Haa!

[@wanderlust_whispers]

Wow! Thanks for sharing!

[@FelixGA9]

Lol…well the third option is to fly a 20x frame and boom in your lights above it with some mega booms….for those that don’t own an overhead hoist system. Four high-highs and four large crankovators with mega booms makes it an equipment heavy rig though… using a frame does give you quite a few options on the diffusion quality since you can choose grid cloth silk, China silk etc.

[@theipsgill]

Thankyou for teaching

[@santimassei6170]

4:57 SPOTTED

[@ScMediaKe]

This is amazing. I dream to have this. The entire warehouse...

[@JanneAirDotCom]

@ 4:58 a little Hannibal Lecter moment there.

[@LOS-MEJORES5]

keep working guys

[@constantinospetrakis6227]

Awesome video!!!! Extremely useful!!!!

[@imadbenomar1950]

Wonderful energy

[@gonzaazrael2131]

¿Alguien más se sintió observado con el saludo en el 4:57 ? jajajaja

[@MUMUNG0]

it look like a light stuff video, but it was a boyscout stuff actually, i narrowly missed these cool content

[@vmarquez73]

Photography game in this video 10/10 Audio game in the other hand....

[@azlanarainkhan4549]

Great knowledge I like it Your Lighting Work Style.

[@Shadikhaddam]

Great Episode

[@BestAudiovisualTricks]

Minute 1:12 you almost slapped the crap out of poor Danny! 🤣

[@charlyduque8521]

Hey, gracias por mostrar todo eso, me haces soñar.

[@yenra]

Epic!

[@victormunhoz9264]

Some people’s indie is the other people’s pro hahahaha

[@pHarrisDesigns]

4:57 "HEEERRREEEE'S JOHNNNNYY"

[@themorgangold]

Heya. Might want to let your post-mixer know that you have some phasing in the mics. Muting one of the lavs would help when you're close together. :)

[@herzogseth3506]

Bless Honeycrates

[@kollywoodkingss5304]

In taMilnadu we still use wood or light iron or aluminium rods for soft boxes,,,, 💡💡👍👍

[@eechalhoub]

Damn, why does Danny look a lot like Anthony Hopkins? :O

[@Biring1]

I love your channel, but the thumbnail and title really indicates that indies aren't professional. They truly are.

[@bienveqe]

I've learned from this video, you must know to make knots. Never bring out the boy scout in you. A lot of toys to have fun !

[@NailAdam]

1:10 you almost poked the mans eye out

[@priyanshjig]

that's cool rigging 💯

[@wildwoodweddingfilms]

This might seem like a stupid question, but could you do a tutorial on how to build a 4x4 frame? What clamps, clips, etc?

[@DAAT_FILMS]

Amazing!

[@madman1128]

Tbf if you wanted a budget box, you could probably make one cheap using pvc pipe and some kind of diffused fabric.

[@justexist841]

yep that sounds like alot to do imma have to hire folks to put something like this in my office haha lol

[@mr.t4294]

are those 12ft rails? or 2 6ft rails joined together by the T adapter?

[@loneangler9063]

One of the grips Lav audio was clipping bad.

[@loneangler9063]

Also wtf is up with all the reverb and poor audio

[@JimBlind]

Cool episode. Q: why you didn't use honey crates in big 12x12 soft box?

[@rathuone3001]

Excellent episode loved it. Can i know how you miked the episode did you use lav Or boom?

[@whospier]

righty tighty 👌🏻👌🏻

[@Doodleveiled]

Why don't we have cinematic lights all the time in our day to day life? That would be so interesting to live in. And just shoot whenever we like!

[@belbozs]

What does Martin’s grip kit look like

[@DeanCovert]

I wonder how Martin feels about Opera Knots...

[@lostproductionspdx]

So interesting the divide between live events and film world, we do similar things with all these variations.

[@steheran1251]

I always wonder magic cloth and Beauty cloth all are the same?

[@rickdeckardbladerunner2049]

Footage was dark and not usable. Nice setup and tons of work to set up. You should flag off sections of the 12 x 12 to have pockets of light and dark, also up the intensity of the light so your actors are not so dark.

[@mr.t4294]

where can I buy these speed rails?

[@AndrewCarey3]

What percentage were you running the p300c's at for daylight balance? Wondering if 4 p300c would be punchy enough for a 12x12 12ft off the ground with a china silk to light a choir and band.

[@DEFYfitness]

I recently converted my garage into a video studio / gym. I had pot lights put in and rarely use them for my videos. I happen to have a large outdoor movie projection fabric sheet that has grommets. I was thinking of tying 2 corners to the garage door rails off the ceiling while the other 2 corners into light stands. Do you think this would a budget friendly way to have some soft and diffused overhead lighting?

[@EonBreakfast]

bounce your lights off the ceiling.

[@frenchfilmco4197]

Where can I email for more specific questions for my studio we're building out?

[@rumorscameras]

what are these red t connectors?.

[@CoveringFish]

That pulley isn’t there anymore can anyone point me to where it might be?

[@LemonExtras]

6 feeet!!!!

[@belbozs]

How do I get power to my lights when it is rigged up?

[@martintorner]

We rig a couple pullies for the power to be pulled up to the softbox.

[@ParkerDV]

nice

[@konradnoises]

This is pretty cool! But how can we achieve an interesting result at home with mostly consumer level stuff (120d's and softboxes, or simple diffusion set ups)? I believe it would've been a much more helpful video for your audience!

[@mattcaporaso7570]

Either stick the 120d on a C-stand and boom it over head or shoot it up and bounce off the ceiling. I think this show has made it pretty clear that its not reaching for the 'at home with no budget, clients or equipment' market. Theres plenty of other channels like that. This is a channel for people who are working for clients in the industry. Trust me, once you break out of that early stage in your career you'll be screaming for more channels like this where they show a more professional environment

[@konradnoises]

Matt Caporaso I disagree. Their are always producing content that can be reacheable without the budget of a industry production. You do realize that they used an enormous overhead rig with multiple lights right? People that reach that level, already know how to do that. This channel is for those who are not quite there yet, but have passed the level of simple home videomaker level, in my opinion.

[@mattcaporaso7570]

@@konradnoises With that first rig I saw a big soft box with a couple aputure lights in there, its not that crazy of a rig, especially on stands. The argument of 'people that reach that level already know' is kinda crap and does nothing for people that want to learn to get to that level. WIth videos like this people can go 'actually thats not that crazy and unobtainable. i'll give it a go on my next shoot'.

[@konradnoises]

Matt Caporaso most people in the US/canada/Australia etc, don’t realize how incredibly expensive and unreacheable it is to buy a simple c stand on developing countries. We earn a lot less, and everything costs more. So if you live in the US, making that rig isn’t such a big deal, and that’s why I said that people that know about that, are already comfortable with the idea. While in the rest of the world, if you have a 120d, you probably own a very successful production company (yes, it is this weird of a disparity). With that said, I strongly believe that more than half of their audience comes from developing countries, hence my opinion. But still, it is good content, just not something you can try to fully indie it.

[@haq765]

ted sim asc ;)

[@TonyRain415]

Grip Game.

[@charming_and_granite]

Dang! The Futur and Daniel Schiffer watch this channel too?

[@Sahibproduction]

Danny aka Anthony Hopkins...looks like :D

[@dimlexavr]

In Belgium, it is illegal to rig electric stuff with a rope (as far as i know). Even a round sling (the polyester version) is not allowed because in case of fire or hot lights, it can melt and fall down. You must use steel cable or chain, anualy tested by a third party. You speak of rope as a safety (to secure the grid to the stand for example) but you tie all the 4 ropes to the same clamp? Where is the safety there? I'm not sure about the safety here. Nice you use safety's on the lights but they are useless if the whole thing is comming down.

[@_WKFILMS]

Why the audio is getting weird in some moments?