Cooking Segments

[PhotogRene]

Hey guys....every monday we spotlight a local restaurant and a favorite dish of theirs.....we shoot these cooking segments as "look lives"...basically, the reporter intros himself and the cook...then I follow the cook as he prepares the dish...these last usually around 4 minutes.....have any of you guys shot cooking segments before? How can I make them more creative? How about lighting? Kitchens have notorious bad lighting--usually those ugly sodium lights. Should I set up a light kit? If I don't set up a light kit...I have to use my frezzi and play with my iris between the cook and closeups of the food...which looks bad on the air, right?..Any help would be appreciated guys...thanks!!!!

[<foodie>]

Unless it's live, I would shoot the whole segment from a tripod. Our cooking segments run only 2-3 minutes, so I go with a "cozy" 2 shot (not too wide) for the explaining. I make it a point to remember exactly how things were held so I can shoot match cuts afterward. If you want to get fancier, you can break things up mid-conversation for individual question/answer shots of host and cook.

[dinosaur]

Most restaurant kitchens have overhead flourecents which make for horrible shadows around the eyes. Assuming you are using a prep table as a display area for your show. You need to light it soft and flat. Two Lowel Omnis with xs chimeras as key & fill on your talent. Small Arri 150s as a kickers. You may need to punch up the background with some light, maybe warmed with cto gel if the ovens are behind your talent.
You can reshoot the close ups of the food with an overhead hung (dressing length) mirror angled for the camera.

[<wmc>]

Foodie has it right. If you're not live, shoot the whole thing locked down with a wide shot, telling the chef beforehand that you're going to do it all again following him and the food. A little time-consuming, but to me the best way of doing it. As stated kitchen lighting is ugly, so I would follow the advice of throwing up a lot of instruments, making it pretty even, and bright enough so that you can shoot at f/11 or higher. Even worse than the kitchen lighting is the noise- fans, coolers, exhaust...etc. Sometimes you can get them turned off, if not try to move to a quieter area. If you're live you've got your work cut out for you, but for the most part I wouldn't kill yourself trying to make it look like art. Keep it simple, follow the action, and have fun.

[Land Rover]

I agree with the above posts. Try to shoot the whole thing on a two-shot and do it a second time for the close-ups. A digital camera works great for continuity during the two-shot so you can set things up for the close-ups.

[eyeshoot]

The best way to shoot it, well my way anyway is of the shoulder.cause most chef's are pretty boring, so by adding some movement it adds some excitment. kinda like Iron Chef. Good luck

[HighDef]

I have been shooting cooking segments on the morning shows I have been working on for almost 3 years. Right now, fortunately, we have a kitchen in our studio and all chefs come here to set up their dishes, so I usually don't have to set up lights. I usually add some movement to the segment by tilting the camera a bit on my shoulder, doing slow zoom outs from the food, and I also put my grubby little hands in the shot and take plates and food out of the picture (mostly for bump shots or at the end of the segments) it adds a bit more excitement. If I ever have to go to an actual restaraunt and do a live shot, then I just deal with the natural light, or strike up one 250w and then bounce it. I usually dont have a whole lot of time to set up 3 or more lights for that perfect shot, but it always seems to work out. I get good feedback.

Watch some Food Network shows and watch what the handheld does. I never would recommend shooting an entire food segemnt off of sticks, (unless, 2 or more cameras are involved in the production) that is just boring.

Good Luck

[<ELVEZ>]

I have shot more live cooking segements than i care to remember. no-one has mentioned the size constraints. Most kitchens i shot in have barely enough room for myself and the chef, much less lights. I tried setting up lights but could never escape the shadows. I tried locked down on a tripod but good luck, unless the chef understands the medium well and the prep area is close to the stove. In the end i just shot it in the ambient light, off the shoulder, following the action and always moving, never zooming. i hoped the action and movement distracted from the poor lighting.

[Shaky & Blue]

Originally posted by HighDef:
I never would recommend shooting an entire food segemnt off of sticks, (unless, 2 or more cameras are involved in the production) that is just boring. I was thinking the same thing. If ever there were a time when good handheld camerawork could add a lot of personality to the production, it's something like this. (Notice I wrote good handheld work.) The two shot from the sticks sounds like a snoozefest.

As for lights, if this is a regular feature I would invest in some studded c-clamps or furniture clamps to hang the lights up out of the way. Kitchens always have exhaust hoods over all the cooking surfaces that are usually strong enough to hold some fixtures. You might also think about getting some scissor clamps to hang lights from a drop ceiling. Getting them up there, with the cables taped up out of the way, will keep the stands out of the way and allow everyone to move around more easily.

Also, make your light sources as broad as possible. If you don't have chimeras, either make some light boxes with foamcore and diffusion or use foamcore to bounce the light. A small, strong light source in a kitchen can play hell on you with reflections on the stainless steel cooking appliances, tables and hoods.

[<wmc>]

The two shot from the sticks sounds like a snoozefest. Agree that just a locked down two-shot is bad, but it's a lifesaver for a two-cam shoot. Say on your handheld you accidentally lose focus or just want to check focus, bump into something, talent or chef blocks your shot and all you can get is their arm...etc?

[Shaky & Blue]

Originally posted by &lt;wmc&gt;:
Say on your handheld you accidentally lose focus or just want to check focus, bump into something, talent or chef blocks your shot and all you can get is their arm...etc? Life is full of risks.

If the talent or chef blocks your shot, move. Your feet work. You're not on the tripod, remember?

And as for the accidents, just don't have them. :D

[<foodie>]

That's when your close ups and match cuts come in! Handheld or not, XCU's of everything make it work. Well-paced moves are great when you're live, but don't overdo it or you'll make viewers sick.

I've shot cooking segments in-studio with the overhead mirror set up, but can be limiting at times (you can focus on the mirror's surface but not the reflected image). A great thing to try but it's an easy lawsuit if not secured properly.

[Shaky & Blue]

Originally posted by &lt;foodie&gt;:
(you can focus on the mirror's surface but not the reflected image). Why not?

[<foodie>]

Try shooting into a mirror and play around with the shot and you'll see.

[Shaky & Blue]

I have shot in mirrors and have never had a problem focusing on the reflected image. Explain what kind of problem you're having.

[<foodie>]

This was yrs ago when I worked in studio.

We had 3 cams so we were able to really play around with our shots. When shooting into the overhead mirror I remember the cams losing focus when zooming on objects at different distances in the mirror.

I believe it was because the cam could only focus on the mirror's surface. Has anyone else encountered this?

[<Bill>]

Definetly set up lights. It adds quite a bit in those kitchens. I have always edited as I shot. It will make it flow better and you will have a lot less continuity problems. Just be careful where you cut as you might end up adding 2x the amout of spices if they dump it before you cut. I like shooting segments like this. It's easy and they usually look great.

[Shaky & Blue]

Originally posted by &lt;foodie&gt;:
When shooting into the overhead mirror I remember the cams losing focus when zooming on objects at different distances in the mirror.

I believe it was because the cam could only focus on the mirror's surface.As long as there's a clear image reflected in the mirror, the lens should be able to focus on that image. Images in mirrors do not behave as if they're just on the surface of the mirror; they have depth just like images outside the mirror.

I'm sure you'll be irritated to hear this, but your difficulty sounds like operator error. There is no reason why the lens should not have been able to focus on objects in the reflected image.

[cameragod]

Had a live cooking spot just the other day, bounced the light and handheld the whole thing. I had gone through with the cook exactly what she was going to do, no surprises please and set up an off air monitor where I could see it so I could do a fast repo when they cut to the meat puppets questions back at the studio.

CU food.
Cut.
Meat puppet “So like, if you cant get fresh stuff is frozen ok?”
Repo. Cut.
ECU cooks look of disbelief and contempt.