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Any tips on lighting/shooting Miniatures? (5 posts)

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said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

The characters will be Lego people and other toylike objects. I guess I’ll have to get dulling spray to make sure they aren’t shiney.

I want to drop them into a Background that I either make in a graphics program (2d layers) or video I shoot in daylight. The lips and eyes I’ll put in later in a 2d animation program.

Any tips on lights to use? How far from the subject, direction of the lights? I’d like to use practicals if possible. Are there any advantages when choosing Blue or Green for the screen? Should I paint a little set or hang cloth? I guess making a little baby sound stage would let me shoot downward better…

Thanks, haven’t gotten to do too much in this area yet. Camera will be T3i.

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John P. Hess said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

My only guess is you’ll probably be able to get away with much smaller light fixtures because you can position them extremely close.

Blue or green? I’m assuming you’re shooting stills right? I think the chormakey color in this situation only matters if it’s the same as your subject’s colors.

If you get a chance, take some photos of your set up and what you did – I’d love to see this in process.
All my Best,
John Hess
Creative Industries Media Group | GospelJohn.net

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Simon Hosick said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

One thing I learnt from Batman Begins, Nolan slow motion to make the miniature train crash look realistic.

But if you are shooting stills or stop motion, then lenses are the most important factor. You must have a macro lens to photograph something that small. But if you’re using a video camera, you should be able to get magnifying filters.

And to cut down on shine, use non-direct and diffused lighting.

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said 3 months, 3 weeks ago:

@Gospel_John said:
My only guess is you’ll probably be able to get away with much smaller light fixtures because you can position them extremely close.

As far as lighting I tried a couple types, but ended up going back to a regular 40w white bulb in a clip-on chicken coop fixture. Also no crazy set. I just draped some green fabric and called it macaroni. Don’t have much time for this little fun side project yet.

The story is centered on a fake documentry taking place on a golf course so I’m dropping the characters in real world settings. Shadows I think will be the tough part.

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8thSamurai said 3 months, 3 weeks ago:

Welcome :).

A piece I shot over the summer:

While the puppets are larger, some of what I learned here will apply. That 40 watt bulb is going to be like a soft sun – you can get away with much smaller lights – even christmas lights for lego people.

I would use bright green – it’s just easier to key out.

Some of this is going to be trial and error.

The cool thing about the Canon software is that it comes with a remote trigger application – while using a proper stop motion program will make some of what you’re doing easier, you already own something that will work.

To put your images in sequence, I like using quicktime pro – it’s $30. Instead of having to put each frame on a timeline by hand.

Have fun!
http://digitalisdreaming.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/DigitalisVitae

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