How To Shape Large Light Sources: Cinematography Tips

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Light is only as good as you can control it and shape it; learning how to shape large light sources is something every filmmaker/cinematographer should master. Shane Hurlbut, ASC and his Key Grip Dave Knudsen teach you how to control light, prevent light from bouncing into the ceiling and wrapping under your talents face.
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[@shaneharrison4172]

"simply" and "12x" i don't think should be in the same sentence. But I love it .

[@thebobbymisner]

Bro got the whole crew and the craziest lighting gear 😂

[@MelHillphotos]

As a still photographer, I follow this principal as well. Great to see confirmation of shaping the light from a large source.

[@sabymondal]

Very helpful, thanks!!!

[@morsmediatv-undfilmprodukt3958]

Thumbs up - as always a good source for cinematography knowledge

[@VLOGNOSIS]

Thanks for reminding us of the very thing that is most vital to a visual image 💯

[@Nashvillejasonwain]

i love these videos!

[@leoquesto9183]

Great video, Shane! Catching extra, unwanted light glinting off a C was a chase I’ve put to an end to after a frustrating few mins. I’m now in the double-check-neg-fill-stands-are-away-from-camera club.

[@sf-mediafilm1784]

🤘 thank you

[@BayuClaraFamily]

The best light shaper

[@R8135003]

From an old guy on the other side of the pond, thank you.

[@LCmadproduct]

Candy content!

[@j.oakley9588]

By the time he was done cutting that huge source, it seems like it would have made sense to just use a 6x12 (or however big it was) to begin with.

[@mohammad_htmk_]

good

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Shane, how much influence does the surface texture and material colour have on the bounce behind the diffuser? And, thanks for continuing to share this information to the wider film making community, and for not shying away from the budget limited methods demonstrated in many videos :)

[@cokebottles6919]

It makes a huge difference. The bounce material color, reflectivity, and even the angle all play a huge part. I’m guessing he’s shooting the light into Ultra Bounce/clay coat of some kind, but if you used something unbleached muslin, it would be warmer and maybe even a bit softer as it’s slightly tan and less reflective, spreading the source out a little more.

[@miatatude5362]

@@cokebottles6919I have also always wondered, what if I bounce a different temperature of light with a plain white bounce board. Will 3200k bounce back as 3200k? Or will it be colder?

[@cokebottles6919]

@@miatatude5362 a plain white board will always bounce the color of light you put on it. So a 3200k light into a white board will bounce 3200 back.

[@coltonmonroe9824]

Gem

[@scottstevensonfilms]

Why is this grip leaning the frames with the points upward? Always lean the frames with the point to the side so you don’t puncture your solids or diff material or damage locations.

[@hafeezzainalabidin4892]

Could anyone enlighten me on the difference/advantage of starting with a large source as Shane showed in the video and cutting with the toppers/bottomers, versus starting off with a smaller source (like half of what was used in the video) and using the same toppers/bottomers on that? Assuming the light quality and intensity are the same in the both situations, it seems like the light ends up being the same size as if you were to use a smaller source anyway. Still learning, so I could be missing things that others might see clear as day

[@fd3871]

I have never had the chance to work with a light source quite that large (12x12?) but from research and listening to people like Shane, having such a large light source helps wrap the light around the person in a more flattering way (and allows you to get the light further away and maintain a certain level of exposure per the inverse square law) - everything becomes much softer and appealing (if that is what you are going for); look at the shadows on Shane's face. I suspect however, you could probably accomplish something very similar with half the size as I believe there are diminishing returns when your light source is this huge. But anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong!

[@hafeezzainalabidin4892]

@@fd3871 Right! That makes sense. It's a great concept that could translate well when scaled down to a more budget-friendly setup

[@MarcosElMalo2]

@@hafeezzainalabidin4892 The same principles apply. Maybe your kit only has a 6x or 8x frame. Same principles. Shane is using specific examples to teach basic principles.

[@facuuaf]

Because larger sources are softer. A light filtered through a 12x12 would be softer than with a 6x6 (considering that exposure is balanced). Problem is that larger sources spill all over the place, so this method ensures that even though a small bit of the frame is hitting you, it's just as soft as the entire frame

[@mr.frandy7692]

Gonna bottom it and then top it. ....... nice

[@theoryis4236]

3:23🤌🏾

[@jalexanderevans]

I feel like the same look could be accomplished with much smaller sources up close...

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Nope. Further away the source is, the more close to parallel the light rays travel that are hitting the subject from any point on the light surface. Come in close and the rays are diverging, so the reflections on different parts of the face are different as the light hitting them is coming at vastly different angles. On such a large source as this the light mimics the scatter from Atmosphere and becomes closer to convergent beams, appearing far more natural. On top, you've got the Inverse Square Law, where you want to get the light source far enough away that there's no appreciable difference in brightness regardless of how far away from their marks the performer is - if they're a meter to close, or a meter too far away, they will still be at the same exposure for the camera. That allows actors more freedom of movement as they find the emotion a character is presenting, and gives the 1AC a lower workload, just following focus instead of wrangling iris and ND's too.

[@DaCarnival]

I think the look advantages of having a huge source further away VS smaller source closer are not big - but it makes a huge difference to what kind of scene you can block in the space, as per the inverse square law rule and just the amount of floorspace the actors have to move about in. The reason DP's want to light through windows when possible is yeah, it looks good, but more importantly you can shoot the whole set.

[@zackathurlbutacademy1184]

He says in the lesson that he could do that but it's about the quality of light from the larger source.

[@scott_pinzon]

In general, a smaller light source makes harder light, and a larger light source makes softer light. Small lights sources stay "hard light" even if you dim them down. Think of how hard the shadows are on a sunny day (the sun is a "tiny source" in the sky) and how soft the shadows are on a cloudy day (the clouds diffuse the sun into a "large source" filling the sky). Distance does not have much effect on whether a light is hard or soft. Diffusion does, because it changes the apparent size of the source.

[@jalexanderevans]

@@scott_pinzon uuuh I think you contradicted yourself

[@meltysundae4540]

Just use a small difuser end of story 😂

[@grovermcdiarmid8109]

christain bale yelled at this guy because of how obnoxious shane was

[@Nicat_eldostu]

Hi,l fillow you even if l don't understand you.

[@Nicat_eldostu]

Azerbaijan

[@LateGreatHenry]

Really enjoy this channel as a resource, but you need to be better about showing the process and why. It doesn’t help convey what your teaching when even the before and after is clearly an afterthought -especially when Shane isn’t expressing himself concisely.

[@rupertshean]

That's why I was thinking!

[@MarcosElMalo2]

What process was missing? He’s teaching basic grip skills. The principles scale.

[@LateGreatHenry]

@@MarcosElMalo2 I don’t know how else I can explain this. It’s easier to see or understand what someone is doing and how it alters things if you already know it, but if you don’t a lot of the time that is unclear on this channel. Simply having a before and after, or any visual exampling, to express the concept clearly rather than just saying some of these things would do wonders for the channel and many of it’s viewers. And while the principles may scale if you don’t have a clear grasp of those principles in the first place then it doesn’t matter.

[@JonPais]

Could've been shot with an iPhone 4.

[@Skrenja]

🤣