Placing chairs

[patssle]

This is an odd question...but was curious. When you guys setup an interview scene for a production (like a longer feature segment) where you have an interviewer/interviewee, how do you place the chairs? Are they facing each other square on...or do you put them at a small angle?

edit: also to mention, using two cameras at once...one on each person.

[SEPhotog]

on the interviewee's seat so that it isn't on the same line as the walls on the room. Then I have the interviewer's chair pretty much straight on to that one with maybe a little twist the same way as the interviewee. If you're doing two people at the same time, you should look at how Larry Hatteburg at KAKE sets them up. You basicly put two chairs together at a 90 degree angle to each other and you can see both subjects perfectly.

[leftcoastphotog]

I have used Larrys set up a few times and have spoken with him about it first. i was enthralled by it when i first saw it at nppa. He said that the set up really needs to be used in the right context ie: twin sisters who sing together. I have used it for newlyweds and a few others but I dont believe that a general interview subject would it fly seeing how it is a little uncomfortable ( even if you cant see it on camera for those who are not very close to each other ( seeing how they have to be very close to each other while sitting down. It's hard to put into words. but it is a great set up when used properly.
just my .02,
lcp

[patssle]

How would you guys rate the amount of degrees I have the football coach looking off here? Is it too excessive? (its a one on one coaches show shot with 2 cameras then edited in post)

http://www.shsu.edu/~stdpss12/stuff/whitten.jpg

[bottom_feeder]

Personally I'd have a little less angle away from the camera and I'd use a little more fill in on his left.

[Douglas]

And the background is lit too brightly. The eye is drawn to the background instead of the subject. Dim the light and break it up with a subtle cookie pattern.

Doug

[adam]

Without staring into the lens, I think the closer the subject's eye line the lens the better.

I agree with the lighting critique as well, I think a skip light (off the shadowed side of the face) might have worked better than a back light. It can be really tough to tweak an interview shot when a subject with little time sits down and needs to go right away. I think dimmers on the background light would have gone a long way. One other idea, instead of a cookie patern is simple to close the barndoors down to creat a light streak that draws the eye to the subjects face.

[patssle]

Thanks guys, I agree completely. This was my first shoot of the semester, so I'm learning as I go.

One problem is that I only have 1 omni, 2 totas, 2 home-depot 500 watt work lights, 1 reflector, and 1 16-watt floursescent mount light . And I have to use those to light 2 talent and the backgrounds. :(

Right now I put the two totas as key lights on umbrellas for the two talent, the omni is on a dimmer for the back light on the coach, the flourescent is the fill on the coach, the reflector is fill/kicker for the interviewer, and the 500-watt work lights go on the background (hanging flags with wrinkles to provide shadows).

Would you guys have a better way of utilizing those lights in placements?

[bluetito]

Patssle, your light kit is better than what most of us ever started out with.

[mkay]

Patssle, your light kit is better than what most of us ever started out with.

lmao! I was thinking the same thing.

[mkay]

ohh..and as for the screen shot. key light is fine. backlight is money. some have mentioned a little fill on the left side of his face. I think it looks ok the way it is, but purely a preference thing. only slight problem is that the right side of his face is nearly the same color as the orange flag. this is a very "warm" color balance. perhaps a dichroic on the flag lighting would seperate the mans face from the flag. hence making the flag look a little more "blue."

I have to say, the shot looks good. you may get some disagreement here on my suggestions, but I think you're on the right track.

[Flaca Productions]

when shooting sit-downs, i like to see both ears of the subject.

[Nino]

On any national shows like ESPN, 20/20 or 60 Minutes, or even on the Daily Show you will not see very often a two cameras interview with both the interviewed and the interviewee sitting side by side, they are always facing each other, one camera for each person. Cameras framing will vary from over the shoulder to a closer shot as if in a single interview. Lighting will be the same as if in a single interview but double everything. The set up will be basically as if the second set up was a mirror image of the first one. The whole set up is considerably more challenging because both cameras will be actually shooting against each other but slightly off angle. Lighting placement is also very critical and believe me, even many veterans have difficulty figuring out how to build these sets. I actually made a diagram of the cameras/lighting placement so producers can take along and when necessary show crews how to do it. An additional challenge is that you now must have two good backgrounds. Some producer wants to get really creative by using a third camera to actually get a side shot of both persons, this is an entire new challenge and it will take too long to get into right now, but that’s also very doable.

Those few times that we had to do a two camera side by side interviews we set one camera to get almost a straight-on shot of one of the person. The subjects were sitting at a 90 degrees angle form each other. The second camera was on a dolly, not an expensive dolly but an inexpensive PVC pipe set-up. The track (PVC pipes) were set diagonally so the camera can travel from a full front of both persons to almost a straight-on shot opposite of the first camera. This gave the impression that 3 cameras were used for the interview. 3 cameras (minimum) would be the correct way to shoot a side by side interview as if it would be in a talk show.

Let’s talk about the lighting of the shot above. There’s a lighting technique that has been the bible for all good lighting persons for a very long time, about 600 years. It started during the renaissance period by artist like DaVinci and Caravaggio, this lighting technique is knows as “Chiaroscuro” in Italian that means light and dark. What those guys discovered long time ago was that by applying a succession of light and dark areas they were able to create the illusion of depth and dimension otherwise lost on a flat canvas.
The Chiaroscuro technique is widely used today to create quality lighting, even thou many people don’t even realize they are doing it; all they know is that when done correctly it makes their work look very good. It doesn’t require more equipment just more knowledge and a true understanding of lighting. Actually on the ESPN Classic Sport Century Series we are only allowed to use one light on the subject, the separation and depth must come from other elements in the image such a selective lighting on the background, just like those Da Vinci and Caravaggio guys did long ago.
So looking at the shot above, you should never place a lighted background on the same side as the keyed side of the face and a dark background on the shadow side of the face, vice versa would be good starting point toward good lighting techniques.

[Bismarck]

Patssle, I emailed you a drawing I made months ago for training purposes. It's for a standard two-camera sit down interview with 4 lights.

[patssle]

Patssle, your light kit is better than what most of us ever started out with.

It's actually my second one...first one was just worklights and some of those 5 dollar clamp lights from home depot :eek:

I want to keep my lighting a bit creative with some shadow and nice highlights...but I do want to be able to create the professional look that you'll find on 20/20 & 60-minutes.

you should never place a lighted background on the same side as the keyed side of the face and a dark background on the shadow side of the face

I'm curious about this. Since we frame people off centered...there's really not much room behind a persons head to allow much for a creative background. As I have my flags in the background, how could I fit those in behind a person's head?

Thanks everybody, I really appreciate it. I'm trying to improve as much as possible!